LAPD to Help Define Role of Watchdog

Acquiescing to Police Chief Bernard C. Parks, the Los Angeles City Council agreed Tuesday to include the department in its efforts to define the role of the LAPD’s inspector general.

Council members, who had previously appeared to be on a fast and furious mission to impose new conditions of oversight on the department, took a step back after receiving a strongly worded letter from Parks last week.

The department’s first inspector general, Katherine Mader, abruptly resigned a month ago, complaining that she was being restrained by her bosses on the civilian Police Commission.

As a result, council members, particularly Laura Chick, pushed for several proposals made by the Public Safety Committee, which she chairs, to ensure the inspector general’s independence. One proposal is for a possible ballot measure.

Although most council members said Tuesday that they did not want to impede Parks’ ability to do his job--as he had implied they were attempting to do--they also said they have grave concerns about the inspector general’s independence.

As justification for such anxieties, Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg displayed a letter from Joe Gunn, the Police Commission’s executive director, to a sergeant who had complained about a public comment by Parks.

Stating that the inspector general works under his direction, Gunn wrote: “Your complaint does not justify an investigation by our office. Accordingly, I am forwarding your letter to the Chief of Police for his review and/or action.”

“That’s the problem,” Goldberg said, her voice rising in anger. “That’s the problem.”

A Police Department source said that Mader was “livid” when she saw Gunn’s memo to the sergeant and that she complained to him and to a police commissioner.

The commission’s backing of Gunn convinced her that this panel did not support the position of inspector general, without regard to personality or style, the source said.

Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas asked that the Police Commission investigate the issue and report back within 14 days on the handling of this and similar complaints.

Notable during Tuesday’s council debate was the absence of any police commissioners and Gunn. Goldberg said she was disappointed by their failure to attend, given the presence of Police Department officials and two former members of the Christopher Commission, which proposed that voters create the inspector general’s position.

Gunn referred calls about his letter and absence to the Police Commission’s spokesman, Ken Ferber, who said the city attorney’s office has warned the commissioners and the panel’s staff not to comment publicly on the issue.

“We’re in pre-litigation mode,” Ferber said, referring to a possible lawsuit against the commission by Mader. After Mader resigned, Gunn said that her work was poor and that the commission had been “proceeding down a path” to fire her.

Deputy Police Chief Martin Pomeroy, who is acting chief while Parks is on vacation, said he supports Tuesday’s council decision because the department should be included in discussions over how much power is given to the inspector general.

“We, in general, oppose anything that impedes the chief’s ability to run the organization,” Pomeroy said.

Some council members, including Chick, said they want to maintain an accountable Police Department, in part through a more independent inspector general.

“I think there’s been historical and traditional concerns expressed by the Police Department, and I understand and respect those concerns,” Chick said after the council debate. “I think there’s lots . . . of room to make sure we have an inspector general position that operates in the fullest sense . . . [with] not too much power and not too little power.”

Under the recommendations being proposed by Chick, the inspector general would report directly to the commission--as opposed to being supervised by its executive director--and would be allowed to initiate audits, reviews or investigations without prior approval from the commission. If the commission disagreed with the initiation of a probe or with its results, it could hold a public hearing and then reject them.

The proposals also seek to give the inspector general full access to LAPD information and empower the watchdog to offer witnesses confidentiality in criminal and administrative investigations.

The council’s action Tuesday essentially allows the Police Department to work with the city attorney’s office to find the most expedient ways of enacting those proposals. Chick asked the agencies to return next month with a report, which would then be discussed by the Public Safety Committee and the full council.

Several council members urged caution, saying they want a full review of all the proposals. Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, who noted that Christopher Commission attorneys spent 16,000 hours on that panel’s police reforms, said she prefers a slower, more deliberate approach.