Corruption cases plague southeast L.A. County: Some observers see a merger of small southeast L.A. County communities as a way to combat endemic political corruption.

Bell, now Cudahy? An important local story from the weekend.

On Friday, three city officials in Cudahy were arrested on bribery charges — related to crimes that allegedly occurred this year. The federal investigation is ongoing and includes election fraud and other corruption allegations.

Once again, residents in the area are asking themselves what it is about their communities that makes them fertile ground for graft.

centerforinvestigativereporting:

Customs and Border Protection agents and officers are increasingly becoming the target of corruption investigations. Here are some recent cases. Click through to see more information about each one. You can also read more about this issue in our story “Border agency’s rapid growth accompanied by rise in corruption” with the Los Angeles Times.

test reblogged from centerforinvestigativereporting

Border agency’s rapid growth accompanied by rise in corruption: Since October 2004, 132 U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees have been indicted or convicted on corruption-related charges. Rapid expansion and lack of funds for background checks are blamed.

This is a joint examination by The Times and the Center for Investigative Reporting. Check out CIR’s interactive on recent targets of corruption investigations.

Photo: an officer directs trucks entering the United States from Mexico through the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego. Credit: David Maung / Bloomberg