Group Forms to Oppose Ballot Issue on Police Review Board

Firefighters have teamed up with a handful of prominent businessmen to attempt to snuff out support for a proposed civilian commission that would investigate complaints of police brutality and abuse.

Citizens On Police Side, or COPS, has organized in the past few weeks to try and defeat the ballot measure its members criticize as costly and harmful to already strained relations between police and the public.

“It just seems ludicrous to us,” said Bill Ardizzone, a board member with Long Beach Firefighters Local 372. “The money would be much better utilized by putting officers in the street, which is the only way to fight crime.”

This is the first sign of organized opposition to Proposition 1, which would create a Citizen Police Complaint Commission.

While opponents began organizing a few weeks ago, Proposition 1 supporters have been gearing for a campaign since November. So far, supporters appear to be better organized, better financed and have broader backing.

Minority groups and other activists have fought for years to create a civilian police commission in Long Beach, where the Police Department has been accused of racism and other misconduct. A much-publicized incident last year, in which a police officer appeared to push black activist Don Jackson through a plate-glass window, propelled the issue back before the City Council, which voted 5 to 3 last August to place it on the April 10 ballot.

Opponents of Proposition 1 call the measure a knee-jerk reaction to the controversial Jackson incident that was secretly videotaped by an NBC crew and televised nationally.

But supporters argue that such a commission will help build trust in the beleaguered Police Department by giving residents, for the first time, a public investigative forum where they can air grievances.

“It can only work for the benefit of the city. It will probably benefit the police more than anyone,” said Frank Berry, Long Beach branch president of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People.

Barbara Shoag, who is spearheading the Proposition 1 campaign along with Berry, said: “Unfortunately, trust and confidence in the Police Department has been diminished over the years and this body would help restore that trust and confidence.”

If adopted by voters, the 11-member review board, appointed by the mayor and the City Council, would investigate complaints of police misconduct, with an emphasis on excessive force, false arrest and complaints with racial and sexual overtones. The commission would have subpoena power and an independent investigator appointed by the city manager.

It will be up to the city manager and the police chief, however, to determine whether officers should be disciplined.

Opponents argue that complaints of misconduct already are investigated by the department, the city manager and the district attorney’s office. The proposed commission, they say, would create another bureaucratic layer at an annual cost of $450,000.

“Let’s not add layer after layer (of bureaucracy), which makes us feel better but doesn’t resolve the problems,” Councilman Jeff Kellogg said.

Jim Gray, board chairman at Harbor Bank, agreed with the firefighters that the money would be better spent hiring more officers. “It seems to be the height of hypocrisy that you want to take this out of the police budget in April and then come back in June with a tax override (to hire more police officers,)” said Gray, who also is president of Jim Gray Volvo.

Proponents, however, said the commission would provide residents with an impartial forum. The cost would be closer to $300,000 because an independent investigator already is in the city manager’s budget, they said. Such a review commission could also save the city money by reducing lawsuits, they said.

“The real reason is that they don’t want it. When they start talking about money, it’s a stalking horse,” said Ron Nelson, a Public Safety Advisory Commission member endorsing Proposition 1.

Ardizzone, of the firefighters, said the commission’s cost is not the only reason they want to defeat the proposition. Firefighters are concerned that civilians may also want to review their behavior in the future. “How do you justify having civilians who know nothing of firefighting or police actions reviewing our actions?” Ardizzone said.

Shoag, a member of the Public Safety Advisory Commission that recommended creating the review board, said it applies only to police. No similar board is envisioned for firefighters, she said.

“The reason that PSAC recommended formation of this commission is because for years we have heard numerous allegations of police misconduct. We have never heard allegations of firefighters’ misconduct,” Shoag said.

The list of endorsers includes some 25 organizations and various prominent leaders. They include the Police Officers Assn., the League of Women Voters, the Concerned Clergy of Long Beach, the Long Beach Bar Assn., the Teachers Assn. of Long Beach, a couple of homeowner associations and various other groups that represent blacks, Latinos and women, among others. The community leaders supporting Proposition 1 include most City Council members, Redevelopment Agency Chairman Don Westerland Sr. and William C. Barnes, dean of the Pacific Coast Campus of Long Beach City College.

Proposition 1 proponents have hired a professional consultant, raised about $9,000 and on Monday they expect to announce their list of endorsers and plans to begin a telephone campaign, according to Shoag and Berry.

Meanwhile, opposition to the measure includes the firefighters, Councilman Kellogg, the Long Beach Seniors’ Legislative Council and businessmen Gray and Bryan (Whitey) Littlefield. They have no plans to hire a consultant and have raised about $1,000 so far, according to Kellogg and Ardizzone.

The opponents’ biggest drawing card is the firefighters, whose strength is in their numbers and their plan to walk door-to-door.

Leaders from both sides said they hope to raise about $25,000.

Kellogg said he was not fazed by the extensive list of supporters. “Most are the same backers” who have argued for a civilian review board for years, he said.

“They’ve been organizing for a good amount of time and they’re a hard-working group,” Kellogg said. “We’re just trying to get our own position out, and let the voters decide.”