Consent Decree Extended

Today, Judge Gary Feess, extended the entire Consent Decree for an additional three years. This was primarily due to the City of LA’s and the LAPD’s inability to construct and implement the TEAMS II computer system. While both the Judge and the Independent Monitor complimented the men and women of the Department for their commitment, effort and progress that has been made, they believe the entire decree has to be substantially complied with and a partial release is not possible.  The City and the Department of Justice had requested that only portions of the decree be extended.

The three-year period was selected because the decree requires two years of substantial compliance and since TEAMS II will not be ready for full implementation until the end of 2006, two years would not have been sufficient.

Let me set the record straight, The LAPD has done an outstanding job in achieving the progress that has been made. Compliance has been fulfilled for a substantial portion of the decree and for those provisions where it has not been achieved, we are very close. I would like to thank each and every one of the men and women of the Department for their commitment to accepting the decree and implementing it.

Their efforts have made the LAPD the premier Department in the country and we are the standard in such areas as training, dealing with the mentally ill, police performance auditing and use of force investigations. These are now accepted as best practices and we will continue to be the standard for all other departments.

We will finish TEAMS II and achieve compliance with the remaining paragraphs and when we do, we will be released from this decree.

Gerry Chaleff
Commanding Officer
Consent Decree Bureau

Comments

[RobertCJParry]

If I read Judge Fees' comments correctly in the AP report, this decision had nothing to do with the decree or the LAPD's respect for the puiblic. It was about his ego and Michael Cherkaksy's profit margin.

There is no reason to extend this decree - save, piossibly for the TEAMS II requirement - for another hour.

Cherkaksy is the same variety of leach as the KBR contractors I encountered in Iraq and lawyers like Steve Yagman who sue on behalf of folks like the North Hollywood bank robbers.

[chris johnson]

What, on earth, is a "conset"???
Do you mean "consent"?

[ShellySloan]

Gerry:

Does this mean that we are stuck with you for another three years?

[Lawrence]

Chief Bratton should be commended for the work he has done to make Los Angeles one of the safest big cities in America. Disregard some malcontent employee's negative comments, and check the facts. Crime is down in Los Angeles and the Chief's programs' are working. The consent decree is a necessary evil, but the LAPD will shine again once this yoke has been removed. Keep up the good fight Chief!

[Matt Payne]

In light of the fact that three of the officers who's reputations were ruined by the Rampart Scandal were recently awarded a several million dollar settlement because the jury found that they were not involved and that the "Rampart Scandal" was not "Widespread" as reported and was nothing more than a couple of criminals who decided to become Cops and continue their criminal capers while wearing the LAPD uniform, why hasn't the entire Concent Decree been repealed?

The entire premise for which it was formed has been declared to be untrue AND it cost the City of Los Angeles approximately 50 million dollars a year to comply with AND having it also continues the stigma that there is something sinister about the LAPD when that is far from the case.

[Ed]

Wow, malcontent! Awfully big stone thrown from a guy too afraid to even come to the game! Lawrence is to afraid to even sit in the bleachers let alone get in the game. Perhaps Lawrence should stop waxing intellectual on a blog and step into a patrol car in South Central Los Angeles. Rampart was not the scandal, Perez and Derden were the scandal, and morons like Lawrence bought the farm from Rafael Perez and sold all of the good Police Officers on LAPD up the river without a paddle! See Larry most of us love our jobs, we would just like to do our jobs and truly make Los Angeles safer, not just put it in a catch phrase. You obviously don't know what it's like chasing a man with a gun who just shot someone, and knowing that no matter what the outcome, you are going to be sold out one way or another by your Chief and Mayor. I don't think it's to much to ask that if the preliminary investigation reveals that the Officer was within policy with the actions that he took, then for the safety of the city and the well being of the Officer, TELL IT LIKE IT IS! Ask Steve Garcia what the last year of his life was like? He is a perfect example of a great Officer being left to wonder if he was going to get fired for saving his own life, let alone possibly going to jail. And the upper brass knew that night that he was in the right, but they did not want to call it like it was. That incident was a shame, but it was a 14 year old gang member that dictated how it played out. And Officer Garcia was the victim in that case, not Devin Brown. Do you think that it is too much to ask, for a city to stand up for it's Police Officers, while they're alive and not just at the funeral when they are killed. A little fairness Larry, it's not to much to ask.

[M]

Ed, once again you spoke my mind :-) . Thanks. This is all a waist of tax payers money,which makes our Officers affraid to do their job.

Lawrence, not only Officer's read this blog,but also family members and friends of Officer's.I applaud Ed, he has the balls to speak up and tells it like it is. I met the Chief once,very nice man. Many of our brave man and women of the LAPD had high hopes when they got a new Chief, but they went down the drain. Many of our Officer's can't wait to retiere or are looking for different options.The thruth hurts.LAPD is not what it was and probably never will be again.

[Matt Payne]

Just curious, how in the world our Mayor ever came up with the idea to make John Mack the President of the Police Commission...and then acted on it!

This is a classic example of how pandering for votes will hurt the LAPD and the ultimately the citizens of LA.

Mr. Mack was the President of the LA Urban League, which is an organization that has marched against the LAPD many times. Here's how Mr. Mack supports the Men and Women in Blue: It was John Mack who disagreed with the both the City Attorney and the LAPD's dual investigation findings of the Devon Brown shooting and ruled that Steve Garcia was in the wrong. I guess John Mack's investigation was much more in depth and his investigation discovered things the LAPD and City Attorney didn't... I think the City has already paid out 2 Million dollars to Devon Brown's family. Thank you Mr. Mack.

This sends a great signal to the brave men and women of the LAPD who put their lives on the line every day to make this City safe. And then they wonder why there is a problem with recruiting...

[Donny James Jr.]

Do you think this extension could be seen as a conflict of interest? Lot's of money to be made without our consent. Maybe a third party should have decided if the Department was in compliance.

[Cobb]

You know I thought about the Mack appointment, and my guess was that it would be a great way to pull an outsider to the inside. I haven't heard much but I would suspect that enough time on the board would show Mack and those who would listen which way is up. I haven't read anything to confirm or deny that.

Hmmm. Speaking of which, I wonder where Melanie Lomax is.

But what I really want to understand is materially, what difference it makes whether the Feds make the LAPD behave or if the LAPD makes the LAPD behave. Either way, both parties know the guidelines of the consent decree.

I'd like them reviewed here.