Council Plans Briefing on Inspector General’s Role

Seeking to reassure themselves and the public about adequate civilian oversight of the Police Department, several City Council members called Wednesday for a briefing next week by the LAPD, the Police Commission and city attorney’s office over the role of the department’s watchdog, the inspector general.

Council members Mike Feuer, Cindy Miscikowski, Laura Chick and Jackie Goldberg signed the motion. The latest snafu over the role of the inspector general arose Tuesday when the Police Commission refused to allow Chief Bernard C. Parks to distribute a special memo outlining how officers should cooperate with the inspector general.

The commission was concerned about statements in the memo that were taken from an opinion by the city attorney’s office that could be read as limiting the role and duties of the inspector general.

But Fred Merkin, the special assistant city attorney who wrote the opinion, told the council three weeks ago that he would clarify those issues and that the inspector general would, by definition, conduct investigations of officers in the department.