LOS ANGELES : Chick Proposes Form for Public to Commend LAPD

City Councilwoman Laura Chick has drafted a motion urging the Los Angeles Police Department to make it easier for the public to commend noteworthy police officers, a move she says would draw attention to the “hard-working and dedicated” members of the LAPD.

Chick’s motion, which she plans to introduce today, asks police officials to develop a commendation form to be displayed in city police stations and other areas. She also asks the city to advertise the form on its public-access cable television channel.

The LAPD has undergone three years of intense scrutiny from an array of commissions and the news media. That has prompted a number of changes, Chick said, but also has tended to overlook the hard work done by thousands of officers.

“It is always easier to focus on the negative,” she said in her motion. “There has been little focus on what can be done to encourage the positive recognition of police officers in the LAPD, who each and every day perform their jobs with pride, dignity and true concern for the safety and benefit of the citizens of the city of Los Angeles.”