Ward

Ronald A. Ward, convicted of sale of a controlled substance (Health & Saf. Code, § 11352, subd. (a)) and possession of cocaine base for sale (§ 11351.5), appeals his conviction and sentence, contending that his motion for discovery of police officers’ personnel records should have been granted and that section 11351.5 violates his constitutional rights to due process and equal protection of the laws. We reject Ward’s due process and equal protection claims but hold that the trial court should have conducted an in camera review of documents pertaining to two police officers. Accordingly, we conditionally reverse the conviction and remand for further proceedings on the discovery motion.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

On November 1, 2006, Los Angeles Police Department Narcotics Officer Alonzo Williams, wearing a one-way transmitter, approached a man named Derrick Sutton on Ceres Street in an area known for drug sales. Sutton asked Williams what he needed, and Williams responded that he needed a dime, or $10 worth of narcotics. Sutton, apparently suspicious of Williams, said he would not make a sale until he saw Williams smoke a pipe of drugs. Williams refused and was…