Police Panel Won’t Vote on Complaint Process

The Los Angeles Police Commission on Tuesday discussed in closed session a proposal by Chief Bernard C. Parks to revamp the department’s complaint process, but determined that the matter did not require approval of the five-member panel, officials said.

Finding that changing the LAPD’s complaint procedures was an operational issue, not a policy one, the commission is not expected to vote on the proposal, which Parks has indicated might become effective Jan. 1. Some aspects of the proposal may still require negotiations with the police officers union.

One of the key changes in the chief’s proposal would eliminate the so-called “miscellaneous memos”--a controversial procedure for resolving complaints without a formal personnel investigation.

Critics said the practice resulted in inaccurate complaint statistics and an uneven handling of cases. Parks is seeking to limit the amount of discretion supervisors have in the process, officials said.

The new complaint process, Parks contends, would help resolve and track allegations of police misconduct and fulfill recommendations proposed in several independent studies of the LAPD, including the landmark Christopher Commission report.