City Agrees to U.S. Reforms for LAPD

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday agreed to enter into a consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice directing the Los Angeles Police Department to undertake a wide range of reforms.

The council voted 10 to 2 to move forward with a legally binding agreement, which would be filed in federal court and implemented under the watchful eye of an independent monitor.

Lawmakers--at times going beyond even the Justice Department’s recommendations--consented to a long list of ambitious reforms aimed at rooting out police corruption and ensuring that the LAPD does not violate the civil rights of citizens.

Some of the major provisions include:

* Collecting data on the race of people subjected to vehicle and pedestrian stops to determine the extent of “racial profiling” by LAPD officers. That data--along with a variety of audits and reports on the LAPD’s activities--would be posted twice a year on the department’s Internet site for public viewing.

* Installing a computerized system to track performance evaluations, complaints, disciplinary actions and other data on officers. The system, officials say, will serve as an early “warning system” to identify rouge cops.

* Bolstering and fortifying the Police Commission, and its inspector general, by ensuring that the department’s civilian bosses are provided with quick access to department data on officer misconduct.

* Creating a new unit within the LAPD to investigate all police shootings and serious-force incidents to make sure they fall within departmental policy. The City Council has also committed to expanding LAPD’s Internal Affairs unit to probe allegations of wrongdoing.

“The real work begins with implementation,” said Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas. “The question is will there be the political will to enforce it with the true sprit of reform. Make no mistake about it, reform is very tough work.”

The city’s four-member negotiating team is set to return to the bargaining table Thursday with Justice officials to reach a final agreement incorporating the council’s suggestions, which came after more than 14 hours of debate. The lawmakers are expected to ratify the deal next week.

“The council shared their goals and wanted to move in the same direction on police reform,” said City Atty. James K. Hahn, who led the city’s negotiating efforts. “Although there may be some minor language differences, I think that the Justice Department will agree to what we’ve proposed.”

Indeed, Justice Department officials said they were pleased with the council action on Tuesday.

“This is yet another positive step,” said Bill Lann Lee, head of the department’s Civil Rights Division. “We look forward to working with the negotiating team to reach a final agreement.”

Federal officials have spent more than four years investigating allegations that the nation’s second-largest police department routinely employs excessive force and infringes on the rights of minorities.

The inquiry accelerated last fall, as accusations of corruption in the department’s Rampart Division came to light.

In May, federal authorities informed city officials that they were seeking a consent decree to force reforms in the Police Department. Without an agreement, federal officials said they were prepared to file a lawsuit alleging that the LAPD engages in a “pattern or practice” of civil rights violations.

Even as council members publicly expressed a willingness to work with the federal officials, Mayor Richard Riordan and Chief Bernard C. Parks urged lawmakers to fight a decree, which would be supervised by a federal judge.

After most council members indicated last week that they were prepared to accept a consent decree, Riordan and Parks backed down. They said they would be willing to compromise as long as the agreement included language ensuring that the city retained local control of the Police Department.

The council approved provisions that many believed finally put the city’s leadership on the same page. Some of the compromises include seeking limitations on the paperwork officers must compile and allowing the consent decree to terminate automatically after five years unless the Department of Justice seeks an extension.

Supporting the consent decree on Tuesday were council members Mike Hernandez, Joel Wachs, Laura Chick, Mike Feuer, Alex Padilla, Rita Walters, Cindy Miscikowski, Jackie Goldberg and Council President John Ferraro, who returned to the council chambers for the first time since undergoing cancer surgery. Voting against the decree were councilmen Nate Holden and Hal Bernson.

The council agreed that LAPD’s internal disciplinary system should be made more “transparent,” providing mechanisms for holding the police chief more accountable for decisions he makes on disciplinary matters. The lawmakers further decided to tighten management and control of the LAPD’s units for monitoring gangs and to establish strict guidelines for the use of confidential informants.

“There is a lot of really positive reform in this agreement,” said Deputy Mayor Kelly Martin, Riordan’s chief of staff. “This will go a long way to restoring public confidence.”

Police Commission President Gerald L. Chaleff said the city is “moving in a positive direction with meaningful reforms.”

Other City Hall insiders were more skeptical, saying the Police Department would seek to sabotage the efforts.

“The Police Department is haphazard at best when it comes to implementing reforms,” said one official.

Wachs, meanwhile, said the agreement doesn’t go far enough to address the culture of misconduct in the police force.

Wachs failed to get enough votes to include his own proposal aimed at forcing the LAPD to bring back community liaison officers, also known as senior lead officers.

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A QUESTION OF COOPERATION

The city has committed to civilian control, but some worry that police will resist. A20