Williams Plans Training for Top Brass on Harassment Issue

Los Angeles Police Chief Willie L. Williams has called for development of a departmentwide training program on sexual harassment that for the first time would include the LAPD’s top brass, including Williams himself.

Williams asked his staff at a meeting last month to develop a program for the department’s top management. “He said it was necessary that the staff receive information and training about this issue,” said Lt. John Dunkin, a department spokesman. “He said that it was important that the (top commanders) be trained and trained initially. That was the message.”

The proposal was applauded at Tuesday’s Police Commission meeting by the Women’s Advisory Council, a 25-member citizen group made up of experts on women’s and civil rights issues, which has independently been examining sexual harassment in the department. The council also offered several recommendations on how the program should be operated.

“This would be the first time ever (that) members of the department who are the rank of captain and above will be required to receive training about this issue,” said Jenifer McKenna, the managing director of the California Women’s Law Center and a spokeswoman for the council.

McKenna said the training program should be designed and conducted by teams that include high-ranking officers, women members of the department and experts in sexual harassment from outside the LAPD. The training, she added, should not only deal with legal and liability questions, but also address deep-seated attitudes about differences based on sex. Such a program should include several sessions, she said.

“Talking heads are not going to do the trick,” McKenna told the commission, urging the department to develop a plan that will strike at the root of the problem.

She said that Williams has been more sensitive than his predecessor in understanding the need to crack down on sexual harassment. But it remains a problem, with most complaints ultimately being handled by male commanders with no training on the issue, she said.

The proposal for the training program would answer criticism outlined in the Christopher Commission report, which found widespread sexual discrimination and harassment in the LAPD. The commission, which was formed to investigate the department in the wake of the Rodney G. King beating, also reported that women officers are better equipped to peacefully resolve potentially violent situations.

Williams said he would study the Women’s Advisory Council’s ideas for the harassment program and reply as soon as possible.