Not Perfect, but a Good Start : Compromise on Sheriff’s Dept. oversight wins approval by Board of Supervisors

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday unanimously approved a plan to require the Sheriff’s Department to accept periodic review from outside the department. The plan falls short of what the department’s most alarmed critics wanted--a full-blown citizens review panel. But it goes a good, healthy distance down the road to greater accountability by the Sheriff’s Department. On balance the supervisors were right to approve the compromise.

Indeed, it is a feather in the caps of both Sheriff Sherman Block and James G. Kolts, the retired judge who headed the special panel that the supervisors authorized to review the department, that they were able to reach a decent, sensible compromise. Both sides came a long way to achieve an agreement.

Approval of the proposal to have the Kolts panel general counsel, Merrick Bobb, review the department’s progress in implementing the recommended reforms is welcome. This panel has performed a considerable public service, and the fact that it is not to be disbanded should reassure many county residents that intelligent oversight of the department will proceed apace.

The board also will name an ombudsman to expedite the handling of citizen complaints. That’s another good idea.

Somewhat less satisfactory is the decision to have a panel of retired judges review the department’s handling of misuse-of-force complaints. Retired judges offer great experience and familiarity with criminal law, but they do not as a group represent the broad range of people, backgrounds and outlooks found in Los Angeles County. It would have been better for the review panel to include other concerned citizens, such as responsible community activists and former law enforcement officials, to mention just two possibilities.

The Board of Supervisors itself should review the Block-Kolts compromise every year. The plan may work beautifully or it may not work at all. Most likely, it will work fairly well but need tinkering.

Nothing is cast in concrete. The compromise is a start, and a good start, but everyone should hold open at least the possibility that it may not exactly prove to be the last word in the annals of law enforcement innovation.