LAPD to Contract for Private Security

Amid concerns about the off-duty work of LAPD officers, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved new rules that will give the city more control over officers who provide security and traffic control at private venues, including Staples Center and Dodger Stadium.

Currently, Los Angeles Police Department officers can accept jobs from the owners of private venues when they are off-duty but in uniform.

The new system requires the venue operator to contract with and pay the department for the use of officers, who will be assigned in uniform on an overtime basis by the department, said Richard Tefank, executive director of the Police Commission, which oversees department policies and procedures.

“The benefit of that is you are able to have a situation where the Police Department is in control of who is assigned at these locations,” Tefank said. “The officers are in an on-duty status. They have LAPD radios. There is appropriate supervision and management of those officers.”

Tefank said the change was not based on any particular incident, but resulted from a general concern that the department needed to more closely supervise officers in uniform, even when they are not in their regular jobs. In a separate issue, controversy over off-duty police officers working as private investigators has the LAPD considering new rules for that kind of work.

The rules adopted Wednesday apply to officers working in uniform providing security, traffic control and crowd control at large private venues and special events, such as film premieres and shopping mall grand openings.

Some council members worried that the program could lead the public to believe that wealthy businesses can buy extra police protection at the expense of the general public.

“We specifically talked about not hiring somebody to be in front of a store,” said Councilman Bernard C. Parks, a former police chief.

But LAPD officials said the officers working on contract will not be taken from their normal duties.

In addition, the city has adopted a list of approved venues, which can be added to.

They include Dodger Stadium, Staples Center, the Hollywood Bowl, the Greek Theatre, the Kodak Theatre and motion picture filming locations.

Nearly 30 retired LAPD officers, who perform security work on movie sets and at other private venues, attended the council session to object to the program, which could cost them some work.

Al Ruvalcaba, of the Retired Motor Officers of Los Angeles, told the council that having police officers working under the LAPD’s supervision at private venues increases the city’s liability if something goes wrong.

“The Police Department is doing a great job, but it’s stretched too thin. They don’t need another added burden,” Ruvalcaba said.

City officials responded that the city is still liable when off-duty officers in uniform work in private security and that the program will not cause a burden because it will not take officers from their regular duties.

Although the council vote to approve the program was 10 to 0, Councilman Tom LaBonge expressed concern that the movie industry could be hurt if it is subject to losing all of the uniformed officers during a tactical alert or other emergency.

Tefank said the rules would not apply to retired officers who work on movie sets.

Los Angeles police officials have been saying for months that the program allows the cash-strapped department to put more officers on the street by having their salaries paid by private businesses.

“We get the benefit of their visibility and traffic control,” Police Chief William J. Bratton said in a recent interview.

Each contract will include a clause allowing officers to be called away from the private venue in a major emergency, and the officers will check in with an LAPD watch commander for the day’s assignment.

“They are then accountable to the Los Angeles Police Department, versus being there as a private contracted employee to that particular venue,” Tefank told the council.