L.A. Council President Joins in Rebuff of Bratton

Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti has joined five colleagues in criticizing Police Chief William J. Bratton for making public statements challenging council members in a dispute over LAPD hiring practices.

Garcetti became the latest elected official to choose sides in a brewing conflict that on Monday saw council members also accuse the Los Angeles Police Department of reducing traffic enforcement and failing to properly oversee the construction of a police station.

Later Monday, the president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League weighed in, saying that the council members’ personnel complaint against Bratton sent the wrong message, one that would encourage members of the public who have a dispute with an officer to formally complain rather than work it out.

“I do think it’s unfortunate that the council members decided to make a complaint against the chief rather than sitting down in a room and trying to resolve this,” said Bob Baker, the police union president. “I don’t think it helps the city or the LAPD or the police officers.”

Five council members -- Bernard C. Parks, Dennis Zine, Jan Perry, Jose Huizar and Tony Cardenas -- wrote a letter to the Police Commission on Thursday calling for an investigation into what they called “unprofessional and unnecessary” public statements by the chief.

Garcetti did not sign that letter but on Monday made public one of his own, calling on Bratton to retract and apologize for a recent statement chiding Councilmen Parks and Zine for questioning a policy change that allows recruits to become police officers even if there is drug use in their distant past.

“With all due respect to the two city councilmen raising this issue,” Bratton said July 6 during an appearance on KTLA-TV Channel 5, “they don’t know what the hell they’re talking about.”

Bratton also instructed them to “mind their own business,” according to Garcetti, who noted that Parks is a former police chief and Zine is a former veteran LAPD officer.

“Instead of arguing the merits of the policy proposal, you called into question more than seven combined decades of police work protecting and serving the residents of Los Angeles by two committed public servants,” Garcetti wrote in a letter to Bratton dated Friday.

The council president said the chief’s action “disrespects the foundation of our democratic municipal government” and is “surprising” coming just days after a new budget took effect that provides the largest increase in police resources in city history.

“Your comments are inconsistent with our expectations of a general manager,” Garcetti wrote.

Cardenas said he would drop the demand for an investigation of Bratton if the chief offered a sincere apology.

But the councilman said the chief’s conduct should be considered by the Police Commission when it decides next year whether to give Bratton a new five-year term.

Bratton was out of town and unavailable for comment Monday, but had said last week he had no plans to apologize. Mary Grady, a spokeswoman for the chief, said she knew of no actions by the chief to address Garcetti’s letter.

Zine, a former police sergeant, said Monday he has not received an apology.

At a council Public Safety Committee meeting, Zine stepped up his criticism of the department for not restoring traffic enforcement officers that had been cut from the force more than a decade ago despite an increase in congestion and accidents in the city.

Zine and Councilman Ed Reyes called on the department to review the need for beefing up the motorcycle squad that enforces traffic laws.

“We’ve got a huge traffic problem in the city that is not being addressed,” said Zine, who was an LAPD motorcycle officer.

The unit was reduced by 44 officers to 260 in 1992 because of budget cuts, and Cmdr. Charles Beck told the committee that the unit has to compete with other priorities, including the need for more street patrols and the demands of combating terrorism.

Zine’s original motion raising the issue some weeks ago received a terse response from Bratton.

“Though the department is satisfied with the current deployment, it will continually monitor public safety needs and address the growing traffic concerns as population, vehicles on the roadway and fatal accidents increase,” Bratton said in a letter received by the council panel Monday.

That did not satisfy members of the committee, who asked for a report showing whether traffic accidents and fatalities have already increased.

“Traffic is up but seldom do we see a motor officer anywhere in Los Angeles. The visibility is gone,” Zine said.

Beck responded: “The department is understaffed. We have to look at homeland security.”

The council committee members also voiced concern Monday upon receiving a report that the city will have to spend nearly $4 million to repair the 77th Street Division police station, which opened in 1997.

The building’s problems came to light last year when a criminal suspect escaped by kicking through the drywall of a holding cell. Since then, problems with water leaks, defective fire alarms and poor hot water distribution caused Zine and other council members to call for an evaluation of the structure by a private consulting firm.

The report by TestMarc Inc. recommends $3,971,000 worth of work.

The firm’s recommendations included replacing water boilers and the fire alarm system, and reinforcing walls and doorways.

Zine said the firm’s report underplays the problems.

“It was built in an improper fashion,” Zine said, “and now we’re suffering the consequences.”