Purple Reins

For a year now, the security guards of the Downtown Center Business Improvement District have worn purple, little suspecting that, all the while, the fashion police were closing in.

Last month a shadow fell across the lavender-flecked streets of downtown. The Los Angeles Police Commission took a hard line against bright duds worn by the 32 guards, warning that the boldly colored shirts violated a city law requiring slate gray uniforms for private patrols.

The color theme was designed to trumpet a special downtown identity. Mayor Richard Riordan even rode a purple street sweeper to a news conference launching the program last year.

But even more may be at stake. Guards wear yellow in the nearby Fashion District, and officials in the fledgling Tarzana district are considering a bright green theme--in keeping with the jungle motif of Edgar Rice Burroughs, creator of both Tarzan and Tarzana.

“This is not a very friendly thing to do,” Councilwoman Laura Chick said of the Police Commission crackdown.

“The mayor and the council have been proactively encouraging the creation of business improvement districts,” said Chick, chair of the council’s Public Safety Committee. “We want to make sure the LAPD and the commission and the city are in sync on these things.”

So this week, the City Council had a message for the Police Commission: Back off.

A motion asked the commission to find ways to modify the rules “to better coincide” with the mayor and council’s pro-business push to spawn improvement districts citywide.

The fashion police quickly backpedaled Wednesday, when Police Commission Executive Director Joe Gunn said he was “pretty confident” the commission would grant a variance on the uniforms.

“My gut reaction is, you can keep your purple shirts,” Gunn said.

The rule is so people won’t confuse private guards with city police officers, Gunn said. A voluntary code adopted by the California Police Officers Assn. and other statewide law enforcement groups called for city police department officers to wear blue uniforms, sheriff’s deputies to wear green and California Highway Patrol officers to wear tan.

The purple outfits and enhanced security are part of the Downtown Center district’s effort to spruce up with about $3.5-million assessed annually from property owners in the 65-block area.

Part of a revival of aging business corridors, the enthusiasm for BIDs has spread to 17 neighborhoods across Los Angeles, including two in the San Fernando Valley. Thirty more areas have proposed districts in the works.

The districts are established by a vote of the property owners, who agree to pay fees into a communal kitty to fund extra security, sanitation and other services City Hall doesn’t provide.

The Downtown Center Business Improvement District is the state’s largest.

But why purple?

“We wanted a color that stood out,” said Randall Ely, the operating director. “Purple isn’t a color you see commonly on the street. It’s easy to recognize.”

Drab gray uniforms, on the other hand, would “clearly run counter to making it look like a fun kind of crew,” said Carol Schatz, the district’s president.

Fashion has not been the only concern. The commission also ordered the improvement district to pay a $91 permit fee for each guard, to the chagrin of district officials. The council asked that the fees not be collected pending review.

The fee is for the first year, covering fingerprinting costs and a background check, and then is $26 annually, said Police Commission spokesman Ken Ferber.

“To tax us yet again doesn’t support the city’s interest in having the BIDs thrive,” Schatz said.

Gunn said the commission wanted to maintain public safety without unduly burdening the business districts.

“As long as the law is on the books, we have to enforce it,” Gunn said, adding that the City Council has the power to adjust the permit fees.