Council Orders Gates to Explain Unit’s Mission

With little discussion, Los Angeles City Council members Tuesday directed that Police Chief Daryl F. Gates meet with them in closed session to discuss the Police Department’s secretive Special Investigations Section.

Council members, acting on a motion sponsored by Councilwoman Gloria Molina, voted unanimously in directing that Gates appear before them to explain the “missions and objectives” of the 19-man surveillance unit as well as its accomplishments.

The council, according to Molina’s motion, also hopes to determine “what, if any, guidelines, policies or procedures are in place to govern the operations of this special unit.”

Ranking police officials are expected to address the full council Nov. 2.

Tail Career Criminals

The Times last month reported that SIS detectives tail career criminals, often making no attempt to prevent armed robberies and burglaries by arresting suspects beforehand. In some cases, as the detectives have watched, victims have been assaulted and injured by suspects who could have been arrested beforehand on lesser crimes.

Police officials explained that SIS members sometimes ignore crimes such as car theft and wait to watch robberies and burglaries because the targeted criminals can be irrefutably linked to those crimes, leading to longer prison terms.

The Times investigation found that SIS detectives, man for man, have shot more suspects than any other Los Angeles police unit while maintaining a disproportionately low arrest rate contrasted with the rest of the force. The SIS, according to department officials, has no manual or any guidelines spelling out whom the detectives should follow, where or for how long.

Mayor Tom Bradley said last week that he was unaware of the surveillance squad’s existence and directed the Police Commission to investigate it. Gates is expected to meet with commissioners behind closed doors this month.

Closed Meeting Standards

Under California law, legislative bodies cannot meet in closed session unless the subject of the meeting specifically involves pending litigation, personnel matters, property negotiations or national security.

While discussion of the SIS would not appear to fall into any of those subject areas, Assistant Chief Robert L. Vernon told council members Tuesday that a public meeting about SIS might reveal sensitive police tactics and thus potentially jeopardize officers and residents.

Council members apparently agreed.

“(Assistant) Chief Vernon said . . . that he could tell us much more if the meeting were conducted in closed session,” Councilwoman Joy Picus said. “I would like to learn more about (SIS) and also get some justification of whether we really need this kind of an organization. If there is a need for it, they have to come before the council and justify it.”

Picus, Molina and other council members have said they did not know of the SIS until reading about it in The Times.

Times staff writer Scott Harris contributed to this story.