Informed Opinions on Today’s Topics : If You Patrol Here, Should You Live Here?

According to a report issued last month, the American Civil Liberties Union concluded that 83.1% of Los Angeles Police Department officers live outside the city and are thus isolated from the communities the department patrols. The findings were swiftly denounced by LAPD supporters, who argued that like most suburbanites, police officers are driven out of the city in search of better property values and safer neighborhoods.

Although a 1974 amendment to the state Constitution bars residency requirements, a City Council panel Monday called for a study to determine what financial incentives can be offered to encourage police and other public-safety employees to live in L.A.

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Should public-safety employees be encouraged to live in the communities they serve?

Roger Gillis, battalion chief for the Los Angeles City Fire Department:

“All you have to do is ask for the number of firefighters on Jan. 17 that stayed at work and didn’t leave to go home to their houses. Our employees have been incredibly loyal, and even more so than was anticipated by the department. There was a concern that in a situation like that, would there be guys who said, ‘I’m outta here. I’m going to find out what’s happening with my family.’ . . . In the last two years, there’s been a tremendous impact this city has had in the way of disasters and there’s been tremendous loyalty. It’s been shown again and again.”

Michael Zinzun, chairman and co-founder of the Coalition Against Police Abuse:

“No. When (former Chief Daryl) Gates left, it was already clear that (the problem) wasn’t just Gates. . . . I think it’s an old demand that’s proven not to be effective in cities like L.A. with a large demographic. . . . It’s a slap in the face when you’re trying to address the issue of sensitivity, racism and brutality (in the Police Department). I’m saying that we need police accountability, whether they live in the city or not. I think it’s a plan that has not been thoroughly thought out. They are diverting attention away from the real issues by bringing this up.”

Allan Parachini, author of the ACLU report:

“We think they should. One of the things that has occurred, and this has been documented by the Christopher Commission and the Webster Commission, is that there is a sense of isolation and disconnection, that the communities of Los Angeles feel isolated from the police. We don’t mean to imply that where police live is the most important of these factors (but) it plays a role in the perception of this disconnection between police and the residents of Los Angeles. . . . We are encouraged by what the (City Council) committee did this week. They responded appropriately to our report, which was meant to be constructive, positive and specific.”

Stephen Yagman, Venice attorney and longtime LAPD critic:

“Folks who have a stake in a particular place are more likely to care about that place and try to make it a better place. It’s a very good idea for the city to offer appropriate financial incentives to all of its employees to encourage them to live within the city. . . . There will be those who will be enticed to come back. There are others who won’t come back because they don’t wish to live in the city. A much more effective method would be to require that new applicants maintain a residence in the city. It can be done as a matter of contract without violating the Constitution. New applicants have the legal ability to agree to it freely. . . . I’m in favor of positive inducement rather than negative stimuli. I don’t think people should be forced to live where they don’t want to live.”