Meetings on LAPD Disclosure Are Set

Facing criticism for its decision this week to remove the names of police officers from shooting reports, the Los Angeles Police Commission has scheduled special meetings for Monday and Wednesday to release a legal opinion backing its action and discuss whether the policy change should be reconsidered.

Commission President John Mack said he envisions the Monday meeting focusing on consideration of a motion to have the panel waive its attorney-client privilege and make public a legal opinion by the city attorney’s office that the commission cited in approving the new policy.

Mack said the meeting Wednesday would allow interested parties and the commission to discuss the legal opinion and whether the decision to withhold the name of officers is justified.

“I have not made a decision,” Mack said of reconsideration of the policy, but added, “I’m not ruling it out.”

Since the commission adopted the policy in a public meeting Tuesday, civil libertarians and City Council members have questioned whether the panel has gone too far in protecting officers’ privacy rights at the expense of the public’s right to know who is shooting and why.

On Friday, state Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles) weighed in with a strongly worded letter critical of the change of policy after 25 years of making officers’ names public.

“The law does not specifically protect the confidentiality of officers’ names, and legal precedent has consistently favored disclosure of such information,” Romero wrote. “Furthermore, public confidence in policing depends on sunshine and accountability.”

Mack said he wants to hear what people think once they have reviewed the city attorney’s opinion, acknowledging that some legal experts may disagree with the need for the new policy.

“I’m certainly not a lawyer,” he said. “I want us to make the most informed decision possible.”

Only three of the five commissioners are expected to be at Monday’s meeting, which starts at 9 a.m. at Parker Center, but only Commissioner Shelley Freeman is expected to be absent Wednesday.

The council’s Public Safety Committee is hoping to meet next week on the same issue, after its chairman, Councilman Jack Weiss, said he remains unsure whether the new policy is required.