Respect for a Diverse City
by Bobbie J. Logan

On Wednesday, June 19th, St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in the Pico Union area hosted the fifth community meeting designed aid the LA Board of Police Commissioners in their search for a new Chief of Police. There are two more such meetings scheduled.

Commissioner Silvia Saucedo presided, with Executive Director Joe Gunn acting as facilitator, and Deputy Mayor Roberta Yang was in the audience. Since the event followed an LA Metro community meeting attendance was fairly substantial, with nearly thirty speakers approaching the podium.

Ms. Saucedo began with a short speech spoken in Spanish, and then translating to English, thanking the members of the group for their attendance and support, and stating that, "The most important element in this process is you and your community."

Mr. Gunn announced that 40,000 of the "City of Los Angeles Chief of Police Selection Criteria Surveys" had been mailed out, doubling the number he'd said were sent out on June 6th. He told the group that the Commission was anxious to see the results.

The meeting was different from the others to date in that nearly all of the topics pertained specifically to the Hispanic community and their unique needs. The majority of those who spoke chose to address Commissioner Saucedo in Spanish, and Ms. Saucedo graciously acted as interpreter for the event.

The main issue for the group seemed to be choosing a chief who, regardless of his or her own nationality, can speak and understand the Spanish language, since such a large population of the City is of Hispanic origin. The majority of speakers felt our new chief must have experience with all cultures in order to understand the diversity of Los Angeles, but be especially strong and knowledgeable of the Latino people as a whole.

One speaker felt that because of this only candidates from Los Angeles or California should be considered, while another gentleman countered that a Spanish speaking candidate "from the outside" would be better because of the many years of controversy surrounding LAPD, its own internal problems, and its alleged brutality against immigrants and minorities.

The next major issue expressed to the Commissioner was that of fear. Local residents, young and old, live with fear every moment ... fear of the officers themselves, fear of the language barrier, fear of Immigration authorities, fear of neighbors who could be gang members or drug dealers, and fear of repercussions from reporting crimes. The community feels intimidated.

In addition, many residents don't report illegal activity because they fear they will have to produce papers proving their residency, and for illegal aliens that risk is just too great. So they continue to be victimized, with no recourse but to simply go on with their lives as best they can. As one speaker stated, if they try to defend themselves they fear the result will be even more violence.

The sense was that we need a chief who sees the distinction between innocent immigrants and terrorists, and some who spoke said they live in fear that many officers don't know, or refuse to see, the difference.

At this point, Commissioner Saucedo stated that Special Order 40, which since 1979 has guided the Department to not consider resident status, was still in full force, and would remain firmly in place. As she said, "LAPD policy is to not look for papers. LAPD is not an extension of the INS ... and LAPD protects everyone."

One woman noticed an apparent absence of officers in West and South Central Los Angeles. She hopes the new chief will commit to carrying through on all the promises he or she makes during the interview process. She wants a chief who will take care of our community, not ignore low-income residents, be friendly to our youth (regardless of race), and be able to compromise ... to see things as they really are and be fair.

Another key theme at this meeting was there were numerous requests to select a candidate that is, above all, a humanitarian, someone who's first and foremost "versed in the human condition" and someone who understands, and is committed to, human rights and civil liberties.

Many speakers expressed a concern that the new chief should attend public meetings, and visit each Division. Some pointed out that local Division Captains had never even attended any such meetings.

A number of people stated that the chief needs to work with community leaders. One 31-year immigrant said she'd never seen a chief walk among the community, and suggested selecting a chief who has the vision to respect and care for the people he or she is serving.

One gentleman put it best when he said, "The Chief should rid himself of his rank and become part of the community."

Commissioner Saucedo replied, "It is important to form partnerships with local groups including LA Metro, especially regarding community policing."

She spoke briefly about how much she supported the Senior Lead Officer program, how hard she had worked to get it reinstated, and how now that it was back in place it would help bridge the gap between LAPD and the communities hit hard by crime.

Ms. Saucedo explained to the group that the Commission had just installed a central Commander who will supervise and be responsible for community policing and all the SLOs. She has high hopes the program, and other community policing programs, will become even more successful.

Some people spoke of a great threat of drug trafficking, both on the street and in the jails. One woman, a 40 year immigrant and resident of the City, said we can no longer live in such an environment, and that our new chief must make the fight against drugs a priority. Another attendee felt a number of the local drug problems are far too big for LAPD to handle alone, and that the new chief should perhaps consider working more aggressively with the community and/or other agencies to aid in the fight.

One man said the new chief needs to understand that this is a culture of violence, with song lyrics in popular music promoting attacks against officers, and he said that the high rate of unemployment is breeding discontent among LA residents.

Many speakers would like to see an increase in the number of gang and narcotics officers assigned in the Department and a reinstatement of the CRASH program. Recruitment of new officers seems to be a concern of everyone now ... it's felt we simply need more dedicated manpower.

There were impassioned pleas made that the Commission focus on crimes against youth and work with the community on projects such as maintaining clean parks and developing after school programs.

One woman related that she has seen young people on the streets of her neighborhood by themselves on a weekend, and then discovered the very same individuals hospitalized the following week, innocent victims of street crime.

Another woman, who regularly uses public transportation, related how she'd witnessed the shooting of a young person on a bus the very day of the meeting.

It was widely expressed that our youth need to be educated, need become better Americans, need to "be something." Yet one speaker was of the opinion that our young people aren't stupid. He said they know there are many educational opportunities available to them, and they just need the guidance to go in the right direction ... but that this is not the job of the police department.

One gentleman spoke of something new. He pointed out that, in order to keep up with recent innovations in technology, the new chief will need to have knowledge of "new" crimes, such as computer crimes, which are becoming so prevalent in our society today and will only get worse as time goes on.

The Commissioner was asked to find a chief who would not bow to pressure from the Police Protective League (the officer's union). She was asked if the Commission intended to set up new guidelines for the LAPD on the discipline system, or wait to hand it off to the new chief.

Commissioner Saucedo replied that the Commission is not waiting and that the discipline system is currently undergoing the process of being changed. She said minor complaints will be dealt with much more quickly, and those that are cleared will not go into an officer's file.

While many passionate statements were made at this meeting against LAPD, just as many if not more compliments were expressed in support of the officers and the job they do. One woman, a resident alien of 43 years, stated that she has never had a problem with the police, and thanked LAPD for "doing a good job."

All agreed we need a chief with vision and a deep commitment to the City, a chief who will honor and respect all the residents regardless of race, nationality or socioeconomic background, and a chief who will understand the necessities of working together and being close to each other.

Attendees remarked that we need a strong police force, but that the Department needs an efficient, strong leader who can openly communicate with his or her officers, and exercise guidance and wisdom on behalf of the community.

One of the last speakers probably said it best with this simple suggestion: "We need the best qualified man to be chosen as Chief of Police."

And then he added, "Or woman."

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See Choosing the New Chief to find out what was shared
at the six other public meetings held out in the communities.

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