LAPD to Review Training Policies in Wake of Shootings

Responding to a series of four shootings by officers in the San Fernando Valley, the Los Angeles Police Department has ordered a Valleywide review of whether its many newly hired rookies are facing the dangers of the streets without the guidance of more experienced officers at their sides.

An LAPD captain who asked not to be identified estimated that 40% of the force now has less than four years of experience.

In addition, police across the Valley received the first of several days of refresher training Thursday on the policies on use of force and vehicle stops. Two of the shootings were by officers who were stuck in a car window and were being dragged away by fleeing suspects.

A “review of the deployment of field officers” will look into the staffing patterns of patrol cars throughout the Valley, paying special attention to the number of veteran officers on the street, said Deputy Chief Martin Pomeroy of the Valley Bureau.

Pomeroy ordered the review Thursday after several days in which the department has been under scrutiny because officers shot four suspects--killing three and wounding one--in unrelated incidents in less than 48 hours. In one incident, the two officers involved had less than three years of experience between them.