Local News in Brief : Police Review Plan Denied
The Long Beach City Council on Tuesday rejected an NAACP proposal for a police civilian review board.
Instead, the council agreed to have one of its three-member committees review the process by which people can complain about police conduct.
The complaint process was one of several concerns raised by the local chapter of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People, whose leaders have accused Long Beach police of discrimination and corruption. NAACP leaders last week announced that they have asked the Los Angeles County district attorney and grand jury to investigate the department.
At the request of the NAACP, the city’s Public Safety Advisory Commission held several hearings last year, then recommended that the council expand its powers so it could also act as a police review board. But City Atty. John Calhoun said the council could not expand the commission’s authority unless the voters amend the city’s Charter.
Councilman Wallace Edgerton said the council’s 8-1 vote Tuesday was “a vote of confidence” for Police Chief Lawrence L. Binkley and City Manager James C. Hankla.
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