Williams Vows to Examine Controversial LAPD Issues

New Police Chief Willie L. Williams vowed Wednesday to examine a wide range of controversial issues at the Los Angeles Police Department in the coming months, including random traffic stops of motorists, Police Department deployment and minority recruitment.

Williams, during a brief speech at an NAACP luncheon in Los Angeles, said “we’re going to examine, from A to Z, why does an officer stop someone . . . there must be a justifiable reason.”

While Williams did not directly address the Rodney G. King beating or the not guilty verdicts in the trial of four officers, he discussed several issues tied to the case.

“We don’t care if you have minicams, action cams or still photography when we make our stops,” Williams said. “Because long term, we’re going to do it in such a way that we ourselves are going to photograph our stops and use them as training tools.”

And Williams made what appeared to be a reference to the actions of Sgt. Stacey C. Koon, who was criticized by former Police Chief Daryl F. Gates for not exerting more authority during the videotaped beating.

“When a sergeant on the street is supervising his officers . . . where the use of force is necessary, we want to ensure they use the minimum necessary . . . and (the sergeant) steps in and speaks vocally and quickly,” he said.

“Police departments must get beyond the hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil attitude that is so pervasive. In Los Angeles, there must be accountability.”

Williams said he will investigate whether the LAPD “has too many people behind desks,” and “why we have more unmarked than marked vehicles.”

But he also made a pitch for more staffing. Major crimes have increased by more than 5% during the past two years, he said, but Police Department resources have decreased. Mayor Tom Bradley has also pushed for more staffing and has called for November ballot measures to pay for 1,000 additional police officers.

“The makeup of the LAPD must begin to reflect the ethnicity of the city it serves,” Williams said. “Some officers might not like me bringing this up, but if I don’t put it on the table and discuss this, who will?”

Some officers, Williams said, questioned his judgment in agreeing to give the keynote address at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund awards luncheon. Williams said he plans to reach out to disparate elements of the community.

“As chief, I’m going to . . . go to community meetings and do whatever is necessary to improve the Police Department,” he said. “In the weeks and coming months, we’ll be getting officers, the media and different communities together . . . and attempting to customize service to meet the needs of different parts of the city.”