A former Los Angeles police officer has been arrested on suspicion of kidnapping for ransom and is being investigated in connection with other alleged crimes in San Fernando Valley neighborhoods that he used to patrol, according to department sources and jail records.
Eric Halem, 37, was arrested Thursday afternoon by members of the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division and is being held without bail, according to online jail records and the LAPD.
If the L.A. district attorney’s office files charges, he is set to be arraigned on Monday. Attempts to reach an attorney for him were unsuccessful on Friday afternoon.
Details about the alleged kidnapping are murky, but several department sources — who requested anonymity to discuss the open case — said Halem is also being investigated in connection with home invasions that occurred in the West Valley Division, where he worked until several years ago.
After his arrest, LAPD investigators obtained warrants for the search of his home and recovery of several firearms he owned, the sources said.
In an unattributed statement sent Friday afternoon in response to questions from The Times, the LAPD confirmed Halem’s arrest but said it was “not related to the Departments investigation into residential burglaries in the west valley.”
“This matter remains under investigation, and we will not be providing further details at this time,” the statement said.
The West Valley includes Encino, an affluent area that has been on edge following a series of home break-ins, including one that caused the deaths of “American Idol” music supervisor Robin Kaye and her rock musician husband, Tom DeLuca. That case rekindled concerns about safety in the area and led the LAPD to step up patrols. A suspect with a history of mental illness has been charged with the couple’s murders.
Halem opted to join the department’s reserve officer program in 2022, where he remained until this March, after he was charged with insurance fraud in February.
During his LAPD career, he made a name for himself with side businesses as a security consultant and by renting out luxury cars to music artists and celebrities.
In 2019, he was hired to provide security for Randall Emmett, an action movie producer. Emmett was the subject of a 2022 Times investigation and subsequent Hulu documentary that surfaced allegations of abuse against women and assistants as well as mistreatment of assistants and business partners. Emmett has denied the allegations.
Around the same time, Halem landed small roles in TV shows like “Vanderpump Rules” and “Midnight in the Switchgrass.”
Earlier this year he and his brother were charged with insurance fraud over what prosecutors alleged was an elaborate insurance fraud scheme related to a Bentley crash in January 2023. Court records show that LAPD internal affairs investigators were looking into similar allegations against Halem near the end of his department career.
Halem pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of insurance fraud on Friday. His brother Jacob Halem, 32, also pleaded not guilty to a count of insurance fraud.
Eric Halem ran several car rental companies, Kaypr and Drive LA, which boasted a fleet of rare, luxury vehicles, including a 2020 Bentley Continental GT and a neon green Lamborghini Urus.
Prosecutors allege Halem told told his insurance company that his brother had borrowed the Bentley and crashed it on Jan. 5, 2023.
But police investigation revealed that the Bentley had been rented by a Drive LA client who wrecked it three days prior. After the rental driver’s insurance claim was denied because of a lack of proper coverage, Eric Halem filed a fraudulent claim for more than $200,000 with his insurance company on his personal policy, misrepresenting details of the accident, authorities allege.
Halem was stripped of his reserve police powers in March after the criminal case against him was announced.
The LAPD reserve program that Halem was part of dates to World War II, and today reserves number in the 300s, and its membership over the years has included not only one time cops, but also ER doctors and a former City Council member. Reserve officers are qualified to carry guns, make arrests, take reports — basically able to execute most traditional police duties, but they aren’t paid.
A department roster shows that he joined the force in February 2009.