PLATFORM : Let Police Pay the Bill

In a recent study by a group of attorneys, accountants, insurers and consultants, it was found that the city of Los Angeles could save millions of dollars by holding city department heads responsible for the expenses their agencies run up.

Although the focus of this study was applied to settlements and lawsuits of workers’ compensation claims, the same recommendation should apply to the Los Angeles Police Department claims, settlements and lawsuits in cases of excessive use of force.

In 1993, 246 lawsuits were filed against the LAPD, up from 226 the previous year. Also, the filing of claims against the city in police-abuse cases was up to 726 from 585.

In 1993, the city paid more than $10 million in settlements and lawsuits against the LAPD in cases involving excessive use of force; the city has paid out that much already in the first four months of 1994.

The City Risk Management Task Force believes that top bureaucrats would do more to reduce payouts if the city took the money out of their budgets instead of from a general reserve account. By holding the LAPD financially accountable, it follows that officers will be forced to take citizens’ complaints seriously. By carefully monitoring officers who accumulate inordinate numbers of civilian complaints, supervisors and commanders can determine the nature of the problem and act before it results in financial liability to the city.