Police Union Asks for Broader Reform Decree

Officials of the Police Protective League are calling on the City Council to include a number of new provisions--ranging from flexible work schedules for officers to more civilian oversight of disciplinary procedures--in a consent decree designed to forestall the U.S. Department of Justice from filing a civil rights suit against the Los Angeles Police Department.

The police union wants the council, which is expected to finalize the legal blueprint for reform of the LAPD soon, to expand the agreement to encompass a number of long-standing union demands bitterly opposed by Chief Bernard C. Parks.

They include:

* Forming a civilian citizens’ committee to review complaints of officer misconduct.

* Adopting a binding administrative appeal procedure for officers subjected to discipline.

* Providing civilian oversight of the department’s internal affairs investigations.

* Increasing pension and disability benefits for all officers and establishing more flexible work schedules in an effort to more aggressively retain and recruit more qualified officers.

* Forming an outside, independent panel to investigate the Rampart corruption scandal.

“We just do not feel that the consent decree goes far enough, and the evidence shows it,” said Mitzi Grasso, a member of the league’s board of directors. “By allowing us to have a voice, it will ensure that meaningful reforms occur. We cannot afford not to get this right the first time.”

However, the league’s proposal puts the council in a difficult situation. If the city lawmakers dismiss the union’s suggestions outright, they risk alienating the powerful union at a time when they need the league’s cooperation to implement many key aspects of the negotiated deal with the Justice Department.

But if the council adopts the union’s recommendations, it could find itself at odds with Parks and Mayor Richard Riordan, who only two weeks ago reluctantly agreed to abandon their fight against the consent decree.

Council members said Wednesday that they are hoping to work out some kind of compromise with the union--which represents nearly 10,000 employees--to head off a divisive showdown.

“It is critically important to conclude the negotiations with the Department of Justice as soon as possible,” said Councilman Mike Feuer. “While some of the league’s suggestions might be important to do, they should be done outside the context of a consent decree.

“I hope the union’s leadership recognizes it is not in their best interest to impede the consent decree from being finalized. It is in no one’s best interest to fail to reach an agreement and have the Department of Justice sue us.”

Other city officials, meanwhile, accused the league of trying to “muddy the waters.”

“It is counterproductive to weigh in at this time and say, ‘Put these things in a consent decree,’ ” said one city official, who asked not be identified. “They know it’s ridiculous. They are just trying to stall reform while taking a pound of flesh out of Chief Parks.”

Since Parks took office several years ago, he has often been at odds with the league over his disciplinary practices, which union members describe as arbitrary, petty and overly harsh. Rank-and-file officers also complain that the department spends too much time taking officers to task over relatively minor infractions while more serious instances of misconduct are seemingly ignored.

League officials say they are asking that the council include in the consent decree a “uniform penalty guide” for dealing with misconduct by officers. They are also asking the council to take misconduct investigations “out of the LAPD management realm” and to place them instead in a special unit with civilian oversight.

“Sunlight is the best disinfectant,” Grasso said. Civilian oversight combined with an outside auditor--as prescribed in the current decree--and an oversight panel will improve the quality and credibility of internal investigations, she said.

The league, which expects to make its proposals public at a news conference outside Parker Center today, is also asking that the council reestablish the department’s community policing efforts, including reestablishing the LAPD’s popular Senior Lead Officer program.

Union officials also want the council to consider directing the establishment of a variety of new training classes addressing ethics and civil rights issues. They are also calling for improved screening of applicants to ensure that new cadets are fit to be officers.