Official Vows to Add More Minorities to Panel Probing Rampart

Los Angeles Police Commission President Gerald L. Chaleff said Tuesday that his panel will add more minority members to the volunteer group probing police corruption so the investigators better reflect the city’s diverse population.

The announcement came in response to complaints from the NAACP, city officials and others that minorities are underrepresented on the special panel.

Geraldine Washington, president of the NAACP’s Los Angeles chapter, told commissioners that her organization is considering forming its own independent panel to investigate corruption in the Los Angeles Police Department if the commission does not add more minority members.

Chaleff said the commission’s inspector general is actively searching for additional minority members to sit on the panel. He said several new members already have been added.

The commission announced at a news conference last week that a group of lawyers and other prominent figures had been formed to independently investigate the LAPD’s corruption and propose recommendations to improve the department.

As originally announced, the panel of 26 volunteers included three African Americans, three Latinos and no Asians. Four women are on the panel.

“We take this issue very seriously, and we will ensure that our independent review panel reflects the diversity of our city,” Chaleff said.

Despite his comments, Councilwoman Rita Walters on Tuesday introduced a motion asking the Police Commission to restructure the review panel to include more minorities and women. Her request is expected to be reviewed by the council’s Public Safety Committee within two weeks.

“Increasingly, the public’s perception is that corruption within the LAPD is out of control,” Walters said in her motion. “The only way to reverse this perception is to have an independent review panel whose composition is truly diverse.” As it stands, she said, the panel is “basically white male attorneys.”

“This truly sends the wrong message and severely compromises any acceptance the public will give to whatever this review panel ultimately finds,” Walters said.

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Times staff writer Tina Daunt contributed to this story.