Legal News

District court judge says we watch o'er the Ramparts et al. no longer

By Richard Binder

On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess lifted the controversial consent decree that for more than eight years had guided an independent monitor overseeing sweeping reforms of the Los Angeles Police Department.

The consent decree resulted from the LAPD's Rampart Division corruption scandal of the late 1990s, in which officers in the anti-gang unit admitted or were implicated in a wide range of crimes, including planting evidence and beating suspects. Dozens of officers were investigated, at least five were terminated, more than 100 convictions were overturned and the city had to pay out some $125 million in lawsuit settlements.

In ending the consent decree, Feess did not free the LAPD entirely. He approved a transitional agreement that attorneys for the LAPD and the U.S. Department of Justice proposed to him last month. Under the terms of the new agreement, the Los Angeles Police Commission, which oversees the LAPD, will assume responsibility from the federal monitor for keeping tabs on the department?s ongoing efforts to fully implement a handful of still-incomplete or recently finished reforms.

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Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on July 20, 2009 (boomark / email).