West Hollywood to Study Formation of Police Dept.

In a surprise move, the West Hollywood City Council has authorized a study to determine how much it would cost to establish its own police department.

City Manager Paul Brotzman cautioned that the study by the city’s administrative staff does not mean that West Hollywood is interested in forming its own police force.

Instead, he and other officials said they expect the study to show that West Hollywood’s arrangement with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for law enforcement protection is a bargain.

“It’s basically a documentation exercise,” Brotzman said. “It shouldn’t be interpreted by the Sheriff’s Department or anyone else as a first step in establishing a municipal police force.”

Some gay activists, who have been critical of the Sheriff’s Department and have demanded that the city explore the possibility of establishing its own force, were skeptical.

“Instead of a feasibility study, it sounds more like a mechanism to justify a decision that’s already been made,” said Jean Conger, executive director of Southern California Women for Understanding, a lesbian rights group.

The Sheriff’s Department provides service to West Hollywood, where an estimated 35% of the 37,000 residents are gay, under an $8.5-million annual contract that expires next year. About 120 deputies are assigned to the city.

Although West Hollywood officials have praised the department for its crime-fighting abilities, gays have frequently complained of being harassed by deputies. Gay rights activists have also complained that there are no acknowledged gays among the department’s 7,000 deputies.

About 50 gay activists have endorsed a petition circulated by City Councilman Steve Schulte demanding that the department recruit openly gay men and women.

The petition dismisses as inadequate a February agreement between West Hollywood and the Sheriff’s Department aimed at recruiting gays as deputies.