Notes for the February 3, 2025 Weekly Police Commission Meeting

• The Board of Police Commissioners offered words of encouragement to Officer Tony Razo and wished him a speedy recovery.
• Police Chief William Bratton reported thus far this year, property crime is down and violent crime has gone up a little.  However, with the implementation of new initiatives, he expects violent crime to trend downward over the course of the year.  Other areas of focus for the Department in 2009 are to achieve a 15% reduction in gang crime and reduce the number of traffic fatalities.  Chief Bratton also informed the Commission he and Deputy Chief Michael Downing recently returned from a Jordanian government sponsored trip to Jordan where they participated in a counter-terrorist forum.  The Jordanian government is believed to have some of the best counter-terrorism practices in the world and Chief Bratton will be sending a delegation of counter-terrorism officers to Jordan sometime later this year for additional training.
• The Department’s verbal presentation and discussion relative to the Department’s 2008 Officer Involved Shootings as presented by Captain Kris Pitcher was received.  Captain Pitcher reported while the number of Officer Involved Shooting (OIS) occurrences remained fairly steady over the past few years, due to improved officer training, there was a 17% increase in hit ratio since 2005 which is a 7% increase from last year.  He noted due to its complexity, OIS investigations comprise over 50% of the work load for the Force Investigation Division.  In comparison with other law enforcement agencies, the Los Angeles Police Department conducts one of the most thorough and comprehensive investigations, counting every single round involved in an OIS incident and taking the number of rounds in consideration when calculating the hit ratio.  Captain Pitcher also noted there was a 500% increase in off-duty shootings due in part to several officers being caught in off-duty situations where the public’s safety was in danger. Police Commission President Anthony Pacheco commended the Department for leading the way in investigating officer involved shootings. 
• The Department’s verbal presentation and discussion relative to sworn officers performing functions of vacant civilian positions within the Department as presented by Police Administrator Sue Gordon was received.  Given the city’s financial situation and hiring freeze, she warned there may be a need to have sworn officers man civilian positions.  As sworn are unable to fill specialized positions as those in Scientific Investigation and Motor Transport Divisions, most of the positions they would be assisting with are administrative and clerical in nature. 
• The Department’s report, dated January 23, 2009, in response to City Council Motion (CF No. 08-0033), relative to Ingress and Egress Procedures for Evacuations, was approved and transmitted to the City Council.
• The Department’s report, dated January 23, 2009, in response to City Council Motion (CF No. 08-3128), relative to LAPD Direct Access to Developing Increased Safety Through Arms Recovery Management (DISARM) Program, was approved and transmitted to the City Council.
• The Department’s report, dated January 12, 2009, relative to the Annual Review of Intelligence Investigations, was approved.  

Comments

[CopWatcher]

What about the Purple Shield? How can something that is so obviously "the right thing to do" be taking so long?