Legal News

Decision on letting LAPD oversee itself delayed

By Richard Binder

In 2007, U.S. District Judge Gary A. Feess, who oversees the department's reforms, angrily rejected the idea that the LAPD was ready to police itself and added three more years to the life of the so-called consent decree. Now, with nearly all of the dozens of reforms in place and police leaders eager to move beyond the stigma of federal oversight, the LAPD was once again seeking an end to the decree. Attorneys for the LAPD and the U.S. Department of Justice jointly submitted a proposal to Feess asking that the consent decree be terminated in favor of a "transition agreement."

Under the proposal, the Police Commission, the civilian panel that oversees the LAPD, would assume responsibility from federal monitors for ensuring that the LAPD would follow through on the remaining reforms. Among the unresolved issues is the department's ongoing effort to strengthen its stance against racial profiling by officers. And it still must demonstrate the functionality of a computer system that tracks police behavior and a policy that requires some officers to disclose personal financial information.

Full story here.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on June 16, 2009 (boomark / email).