Learning From the Mistakes of Others : Sheriff Block studies Christopher Commission report for applicable lessons

The impressive Christopher Commission report on the Los Angeles Police Department has become required reading for law enforcement officials elsewhere.

A close-to-home example: Los Angeles County Sheriff Sherman Block distributed copies to unit commanders and other high-ranking aides to determine which of the scores of recommendations are applicable to his department. Block’s insistence on an extensive review of the lengthy report is laudable.

The videotaped beating of Rodney King, a motorist suspected of speeding, turned on an international spotlight that many in law enforcement have found uncomfortable. Block could have easily ducked the controversy. He could have kept a low profile after the Christopher Commission completed its fair and well-documented assessment.

Instead, the sheriff has ordered a serious analysis of the report to determine what he and his deputies can learn from the problems of friends and law enforcement colleagues at Parker Center.

Block should determine if his department, like the LAPD, has a small group of “bad cops” who are responsible for a disproportionate number of excessive-force complaints. A federal lawsuit has raised such allegations about the sheriff’s Lynwood station. Is the supervision demanding but equitable? Is the discipline appropriately tough, fair and consistent? Does a gap exist between what is taught during training and what is practiced on the streets or in the jails? Are deputies clear on what is permissible and what is punishable?

The sheriff has already made one change in response to the Christopher inquiry. After Block learned that some low-ranking officers had discouraged public complaints, he decided that people with complaints about deputies should be put in touch with a watch commander.

Block also ordered a random audit of an hour’s transmissions between deputies after he learned of shocking comments exchanged among officers in LAPD patrol cars. The sheriff discovered no offensive remarks. A broader audit is warranted, however, to reassure a public made wary by the many racist or sexist messages of LAPD officers, messages the officers seem to believe they could transmit without fear of penalty.

The Christopher Commission report is not a wholesale indictment of the LAPD. It focuses on weaknesses but not without acknowledging strengths. Police departments everywhere have learned from LAPD innovations, like SWAT teams and the DARE program. Now, there may be lessons to be learned from the LAPD’s mistakes.