Long Beach : Council Will Make Public Note of Lawsuit Settlements
Reacting to criticism that it secretly settled a brutality lawsuit against four Long Beach police officers, the City Council has agreed to publicly note any final settlements that have been approved in closed session.
The matter arose in connection with a $330,000 settlement of a federal lawsuit filed by a Chicago man who claimed he was assaulted and falsely arrested by Long Beach police four years ago. Although city officials maintain that they were not trying to hide the settlement, they never placed it on the council agenda, as is typically done. The payment to William Powell was the largest police brutality settlement ever made by the city.
Mayor Ernie Kell brought the matter up at Tuesday’s council meeting, asking that such settlements always be noted on the council agenda.
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