Kolts Panel Dissatisfied With Reforms : Law enforcement: Authors of critical report on Sheriff’s Department again urge creation of civilian review commission despite opposition by Block.

The authors of a report that found a “deeply disturbing” pattern of brutality by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies on Friday prodded the Board of Supervisors to immediately form a civilian commission to monitor the department.

In a 19-page status report delivered to Sheriff Sherman Block and the five supervisors, special counsel James G. Kolts and his investigators took issue with the Sheriff’s Department’s response to his investigation, which found department efforts to curb excessive force lax.

On Oct. 28, Block issued a 289-page response, saying he agreed with the spirit of the July report and either had or would soon implement most of its recommendations. But he rejected some major recommendations, including the proposal for a commission of civilians and professionals to monitor and audit his department.

Friday, the Kolts group made it clear that it is not satisfied with this response.

“It is now December, 1992,” it said. “A year has elapsed since the Kolts investigation began. The work of implementation of the Kolts recommendations needs now to begin.”

Block refused to discuss the status report Friday, saying he will reserve his comments until a supervisors’ hearing on the matter Tuesday.

But the supervisor most supportive of the sheriff, Michael Antonovich, said he opposes the concept of civilian review or oversight of the Sheriff’s Department.

“That radical proposal has been at the top of the American Civil Liberties Union’s agenda for decades,” Antonovich said. “It undermines accountability and the ability to protect the people.”

However, Jerry Hertzberg, a deputy to Supervisor Gloria Molina, said “there’s sympathy on the board for some level of monitoring and accountability. Certainly, Supervisor Molina would support a citizen’s panel.”

Hertzberg said representatives of supervisors have met privately with Sheriff’s Department and Kolts panel officials in an effort to determine the level of oversight that Block, an elected official, will accept. One idea under discussion is to begin a series of audits to monitor compliance, rather than forming a standing commission or panel, Hertzberg said.

In the status report, the Kolts group said greater civilian oversight is needed in light of the increasing amount of public money needed to settle civil claims against the department for improper use of force. The cost of such cases, including legal fees, has reached about $40 million in the last 5 1/2 years, it said.

The Kolts group said the supervisors should direct the citizens commission to monitor the implementation of a number of reforms:

* Institution of civilian review of departmental decisions to deny citizens’ complaints of excessive force in injury cases.

* Rapid establishment of community conference or advisory committees of civilians at each station and implementation of community-based policing.

* Rapid transfer of responsibility for all serious investigations into the use of force from station captains to the Sheriff’s Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau.

* Implementation of new systems to track the use of force by problem officers.

* Reduction of the arbitrary use of police dogs, in an effort to limit biting of suspects.

* Expansion of a recent agreement to improve hiring and promotion of women to include racial and ethnic minorities and openly gay and lesbian individuals.

* Reduction of the amount of time new deputies spend serving as jail guards.

* Restructuring of training for new deputies.

Despite its blunt pressure for swifter progress, the status report said the Sheriff’s Department has shown willingness to move forward on some reforms.

The group’s general counsel, Merrick Bobb, said he and Kolts, a retired Superior Court judge, had lengthy meeting with Block and his top lieutenants last week.

During the meeting, Block said he might be willing to have a panel of judges appointed to review department decisions to reject some citizen complaints, Bobb said. He also accepts the concept of forming advisory citizen committees at the sheriff’s stations and creating the position of a department ombudsman, Bobb said.

However, Bobb noted that Block has rejected the idea of having a standing commission to monitor and audit the department.