Renovations at L.A. Police Academy Held Up in Dispute Over Ownership

Despite complaints that the Los Angeles Police Academy does not comply with modern fire and building safety codes, a dispute between the city and a nonprofit group over which of them owns the complex has delayed a $4.8-million upgrade by more than a year.

The disagreement and bureaucratic delays may even put the repair money at risk, a concern for the citizens panel appointed by the city to oversee spending of voter-approved bond money for police buildings.

Last week, the bond oversight committee unanimously called for the city’s elected leaders, engineers and attorneys to find a resolution with the Los Angeles Police Revolver and Athletic Club -- the other party in the ownership tug of war with the city -- within 60 days.

“I’m hearing from reliable people that we have a facility over there that is just north of being a cesspool,” said former City Controller Rick Tuttle, a member of the panel. “Let’s get this thing done.”

The city’s failure to renovate the 1930s-era facility in Elysian Park and install smoke alarms and fire sprinklers puts the safety of officers at risk and also undermines their morale, according to members of the panel.

The situation could exacerbate difficulties in keeping officers at a time when the LAPD is under orders to expand, Tuttle said.

The facility’s original electrical system needs to be replaced, along with the heating and air conditioning, said Sam Tanaka of the city engineer’s office.

Police recruits now receive almost all of their training at other facilities, including one in Westchester. But additional training for current officers, including training required by a consent decree mandating police reform in the wake of the Rampart corruption scandal, is conducted at the historic site.

Although most of the land at the site is owned by the city, nearly all the buildings were constructed by and, some argue, are owned by the athletic club, a nonprofit organization to which most LAPD officers belong.

Housed in a designated historic structure, the academy is required to meet only the fire codes in effect when it was built; but any substantial renovation would require that the facility be brought up to modern codes, according to Assistant Fire Chief Douglas Barry.

“If the building was considered under current codes, it would be in violation,” Barry said.

Tanaka said the $4.8-million renovation program will address such problems.

Meanwhile, Barry said, annual inspections have been aimed at minimizing and addressing fire risk.

Irma Perez, general manager of the club, said the group has paid for fire extinguishers but that the structures lack the sprinklers and detectors required for modern buildings.

“They need to be upgraded,” she said.

John Greenwood, a real estate agent who is chairman of the bond oversight panel, had this to say about the quality of the air-conditioning system:

“It stinks.”

Irene Tovar, another member of the panel, said the stairways and paths at the hilly academy campus also are dangerously substandard.

When it began, the athletic club had the help of supporters in constructing the gym, firing range, pool and other facilities as a fitness center. Donations came from officers and others, including the late Jack Webb of “Dragnet” fame.

The firing range was originally used for the 1932 Olympics, the same year the club was incorporated, Perez said.

Gradually, with the club’s support, the site evolved into the main training complex for LAPD recruits.

Capt. Richard Bonneau, club treasurer, said the problem is that some of the structures were built with only verbal agreements between the club and the city.

The city attorney’s office has concluded that the city cannot legally spend taxpayer funds, including bond money, to repair buildings owned by a private group.

However, in response to the club’s claim of ownership, Wai Yee Lau of the city administrator’s office said her department has concluded that most of the buildings are owned by the city, not the club. The dispute, Lau warned, could end up before a judge.

“They believe they own it -- most of the important buildings that we think we own,” Lau said of the club to the bond oversight panel during a meeting Thursday on the project. “If we don’t reach an agreement, we might have to settle this in court.”

Tanaka told the oversight panel that if the dispute were to drag out in court, the project could lose the $4.8 million in bond funds earmarked for renovations. That is because Proposition Q, the city voter-approved 2002 measure providing the funds, contained a requirement that projects be completed within seven years.

Police Administrator Rhonda Sims-Lewis said the academy was a vital part of the LAPD’s training regimen, and the firing range was used by hundreds of officers who must periodically demonstrate their firearms skills.

“The department could not afford to lose that at all,” she said.

The dispute over the facility’s ownership and control has been festering for years.

In 1995, the city was accused of overstepping its authority in pressuring the athletic club to cancel a fundraiser arranged to support an officer accused in the beating of Rodney King.

With the club claiming ownership of more than 70% of the buildings, the city refused to renew the club’s permit to operate on city property when it expired in 2000, according to Perez. The city has allowed it to continue using the property while negotiations continue.

The refusal of the city to provide the club with an operating permit has complicated the club’s efforts to maintain the property, Perez said.

“Here we’re trying to do something good,” she said, “but we keep getting roadblocks.”