Watchdog Panel Urged for Police
A citizens’ advisory commission to the Long Beach Police Department voted unanimously Wednesday night to recommend creation of an independent city agency to investigate allegations of officer misconduct.
The Public Safety Advisory Commission also voted to revive the idea of a citizens review board to hear certain types of police misconduct cases, including brutality allegations and in-custody deaths.
The ideas were proposed by a committee formed in the wake of the January incident in which Don Jackson, a black off-duty Hawthorne police sergeant, appeared to have been pushed through a plate-glass window by a white Long Beach police officer, Mark Dickey. Dickey faces misdemeanor criminal charges stemming from the incident, which was secretly videotaped by a television crew.
The commission’s proposals now go to the City Council, which last year rejected calls for a citizen review board. But Commission Chairman Larry Davis said he believes the Jackson incident has softened opposition to reforming the complaint process.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
