Police Commission Asks Gates to Investigate Vernon

Amid controversy over the religious beliefs of Assistant Chief Robert Vernon, the Los Angeles Police Commission on Tuesday asked Chief Daryl F. Gates to investigate whether Vernon’s views have affected his job performance or the operations of the department.

“The views of the assistant chief are his own. He has every right to them,” Commissioner Stanley Sheinbaum said in requesting the inquiry. “What bothers me . . . is that some allegations do claim that it has impacted on his role as assistant police chief. That is going to be up to Chief Gates to determine.”

In asking for the inquiry, Sheinbaum cited a letter the commission received Monday from City Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky asking the commission to look into allegations that Vernon’s religious beliefs have influenced promotions and hirings of gays and lesbians. The councilman said the allegations came from unnamed police officers who contacted his office.

Acting Commission President Melanie Lomax said she concurred with Sheinbaum’s request, which was approved without comment from the other two commissioners, Sam Williams and Michael Yamaki.

Neither Gates nor Vernon was at Tuesday’s meeting. Gates has repeatedly expressed his support for the assistant chief.

Vernon, 57, is head of the department’s Office of Operations and commands all patrol units and most detectives. The controversy surrounding him began with the publication of remarks he made more than a dozen years ago on a series of tapes now being sold through his church, Grace Community Church in Sun Valley.

On one of the recordings, Vernon said: “Man is to be the leader over the woman. . . . Someone has to make decisions.”

He also espoused corporal punishment for children.

Sheinbaum complained that some people have portrayed Vernon’s fundamentalist Christian views “as if somehow they are extremist religious views. Fundamentalist views are in the mainstream of American life.”