Notes from the January 13, 2025 Weekly Police Commission Meeting

•    Commissioner Alan Skobin asked the Commission to begin the process of creating the equivalent of a “Purple Heart’’ medal for the Los Angeles Police Department.  In his discussions with a number of officers who have survived gunshot wounds, they told him how the emotional trauma is often much worse and lasts far longer than the physical trauma, and there is no formal recognition for officers who experience such life threatening and life changing trauma while protecting the public against dangerous and violent offenders.  They also discussed the need to provide similar recognition for the families of slain officers.  Commissioner Skobin announced he and Commissioner Pacheco will lead a committee to develop criteria for the awarding of this medal, which would be a small but important way to recognize those who not only placed their safety in jeopardy for the sake of others, as all police officers do, but who actually suffered traumatic injury or death in doing so.  Commission Skobin thanked both President Pacheco and Chief Bratton for their immediate and unwavering support for this project, and expressed confidence the entire Commission will support it when the guidelines are presented for formal adoption.

•    Police Chief William Bratton announced the opening of the Topanga and Olympic Community Police Stations and said the crime stat information will take a few weeks to settle in.  Chief Bratton also informed the Commission he is going to meet with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in a few days to discuss gang strategies for the year.  He emphasized a priority on gang crime.

•    The Department’s verbal update relative to the status of the new Police Administration Building, Metropolitan Jail, and other Police construction projects as presented by Police Administrator Thomas Brennan was received.  Mr. Brennan updated the Commission both the Hollenbeck Community Police Station and the Metropolitan Jail are in the post-construction phase.  He added the new Emergency Operations Center is having its technological equipment installed and should be completed soon.  With regards to the new Police Administration Building, Mr. Brennan said the scaffolding is down and the new furniture is in place.  Movement into the new facility will begin in July.

•    The Department’s presentation and report, dated January 9, 2009, relative to the Prevention of Biased Policing, and ACLU presentation, relative to the ACLU report, “A Study of Racially Disparate Outcomes in the Los Angeles Police Department,” dated October 2008, as presented by Police Administrator Gerald Chaleff, Deputy  Chief Sandy Jo MacArthur and Internal Affairs Division Commander Richard Webb was continued for 30 days.  Mr. Chaleff reiterated the Department’s commitment to eradicate bias policing and believed the Department has the most restrictive bias policing policy in the nation.  He added data collected from police stops does not give the answer to bias policing and it was time to move beyond that type of analysis. Mr. Chaleff then offered four areas of concentration in order to prevent the occurrence of bias policing – 1) Recruiting: efforts are focused on recruiting from all areas of the City in order to reflect the diversity of the City.  Also, bias is explored in hiring through questions in the polygraph portion of the background checks; 2) Recruit training; 3) promotional process: as more minorities come into the Department, more are promoted to command positions; 4) In-Car Video: recordings of each stop will help to identify any occurrences.  Deputy Chief MacArthur elaborated on the recruit training portion.  She stated during the first month of the recruits’ training course, recruits are sent to the Museum of Tolerance to take the “Tools for Tolerance” course which relates to their field work.  During the second month, recruits are given a class on racial profiling pertaining to a traffic stop scenario.  In the fourth month, instructors re-emphasize what was learned in the traffic stop case.  Each and every scenario recruits are put through is de-briefed.  Finally, before a recruit can graduate, each one does a research project on diversity which they present at the end of the academy to fellow recruits.  Commander Webb added the new Bias Policing Protocols have been in effect since January 1, 2009.

•    The Department’s verbal presentation and discussion relative to the Impact of Citywide Civilian Hiring Freeze on Department Operations as presented by Police Administrator Rhonda Sims-Lewis was received.  Ms. Sims-Lewis stated as of December 30, 2008, the City was on a hard freeze due to the financial crisis.  She added the Department currently has a 16% vacancy rate, equivalent to 611 positions, and the loss of more positions would negatively impact the Department’s ability to provide support services.  She also informed the Commission one of the options currently in negotiations was a retirement incentive program in which approximately 600 employees over a 2 year period would become eligible for, almost doubling the current vacancy rate.  Scientific Investigation Division, Police Service Representatives, Jail Division Detention Officers, Motor Transport Division and systems positions were those that were exempt from the hiring freeze.

•    The Department’s report, dated December 23, 2008, in response to Board query, relative to the Firearms Inventory Tracking Audit, was received and filed.

•    The Department’s report, dated December 22, 2008, relative to the 2008/09 Weed and Seed Grant Funding for Harbor Area, was approved and transmitted concurrently to the Mayor and City Council.

•    The Department’s report, dated January 5, 2009, relative to Criminal Case Filing Rates of Individuals Arrested – 4th Quarter Report (October 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024), was approved.