Career
Bernsen spent almost 18 years with the LAPD. He rose to the rank of sergeant and served as one of the department"s official spokespersons for six years as part of Daryl F. Gates"s Press Relations Staff. He also served as technical advisor for the film Lethal Weapon
After retiring from the LAPD in 1992, Bernsen joined Fox 11 as a reporter/specialist. Eventually, he became a broadcaster and helicopter reporter with Fox 11"s Good Day Los Angeles program, and served as an occasional reporter/police news-specialist for both Cable News Network Headline News and Fox News.
He retired from Fox 11 in 2004, continuing to serve as a talk-show host on KFI Radio until 2006.
Bernsen now hosts his own internet radio lecture show, Rod Bernsen"s Street Stories on TalkRadioOne.
On October 7, 2006, Bernsen was arrested by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents on charges of two counts of abusive sexual contact against a minor.
Bernsen was accused of making sexual contact with two 12-year-old boys aboard a cruise ship to Mexico during the previous month The case would go to trial in June 2007, with Bernsen facing up to four years in federal prison if convicted. Bernsen was acquitted of all charges on June 12, 2007 after a week-long federal jury trial.
The jury deliberation lasted less than two hours.
After his acquittal Bernsen said, "..more needs to be done to ensure that children do not make false allegations against adults." Bernsen said that they were lying, possibly because he had had them barred from the ship"s sauna earlier in the cruise. Bernsen also told reporters that despite the quick jury acquittal, he would have to live with this: "all you have to do is Google my name.".
