Editor's note:. The final Police Commission community meeting followed a Central Bureau Townhall event. The highlight of the Townhall meeting was a speech by Chief Martin Pomeroy (read the text of his speech here).

Community Policing; a key issue
by Bobbie J. Logan

The seventh, and final, community criteria development meeting for the new Chief of Police was held at Occidental College, in Eagle Rock, on Thursday, June 27th. The meeting was held in conjunction with the Community Townhall Meeting as hosted by Operations Central Bureau command staff and police officers. The highlights of the Townhall meeting were presentations by Deputy Chief Margaret A. York and Chief of Police Martin H. Pomeroy.

Upon adjournment, the criteria meeting began with the largest turnout to date for a Police Commission public hearing of this kind. Nearly fifty speakers would approach Commissioner Silvia Saucedo and Executive Director Joe Gunn in an impressive display of concern for the process of choosing the new Chief of Police.

Commissioner Saucedo opened the meeting with the following, "At this meeting, we want to take the public input and take your opinion as to what you think the characteristics the new chief of police should have."

Mr. Gunn gave a brief rundown as to how the Board of Police Commissioners would proceed with the process from this point on, explaining, "On July first we will be opening up the process for applications from candidates. We have an executive search firm that has already put out, across the country, that we want nothing but the best candidates to apply. After three weeks we will close the process, after that the Commission will begin a screen down process. Ultimately, the Commission will be interviewing probably a minimum of six candidates, and at the conclusion of that the Police Commission will send to the Mayor, in ranked order, three candidates. The Mayor at that time will make the final choice of Chief of Police, subject to the confirmation of the City Council."

Many types of community members, representing many organizations, attended the meeting ... everyone from business owners to C-PAB members, Neighborhood Watch groups, LAPD officers (even a reserve officer from the State of Oregon), teachers, LAPD volunteers, Neighborhood Council representatives, Home Owner and Business Improvement Associations and various coalition groups.

Nearly every speaker thanked the Commission for allowing the community to be a part of the selection process. One gentleman thanked both the Commission and the Mayor for bringing back community policing, thanks not unnoticed by Commissioner Saucedo when she replied, "In my short tenure as a Police Commissioner, I'd like to say that this community has been so supportive of the LAPD, and every time we come out, I know that some members here have been to all those community meetings, their support of the Commission, their support of the department and they love the community, so thank all of you for being here."

The one key issue, by far, as presented by the majority of speakers, was the importance of community-based policing in the City of Los Angeles. Many speakers asked that the Commission only consider candidates who fully understand and support community-based policing programs such as the Senior Lead Officer program and the Community-Police Advisory Boards.

One gentleman shared his personal experience with the success of community-based policing when he related the story of Echo Park, and the development of their 500 member Neighborhood Watch program. He said, "When community-based policing is really actualized, it's amazing what can happen. Echo Park went from the highest rate of reported crime in 1990, to the lowest rate of reported crime in all of Northeast Police Division, for the last two years. It's amazing what community-based policing can do, but few communities seem to be able to pull it off. That's why the new chief needs to not be able to just talk about it and say, 'That's good, you should have Senior Lead Officers,' it needs so much more than that. The community is an underutilized resource in crime fighting. So please, take that into consideration." He also stated that a "continual dialogue with the police" is what is needed for the officers, and the community, to be successful.

It was suggested that "this is the beginning, and not the end," and that the new chief must go back into the community from time to time, not just when a tragedy occurs. Instead of complaining about our officers, we need to communicate and work as a team with our neighbors, to order to make our neighborhoods safe. The future Chief of Police must visit our neighborhoods, to see where we live and hear our needs, always communicating with the community, attending meetings and becoming more directly involved.

The Commissioner heard many times just how important it is that the new Chief of Police respect the Senior Lead Officer program program, with one person saying, "A chief does not have to be all things to all people, he just has to put a SLO in each neighborhood and that SLO can be everything that that neighborhood needs." A woman out of Rampart Division, a third generation police officer herself, noted that while they didn't see the SLOs as much as they used to, they were back in touch now, and that this is wonderful. There were those that expressed concern that the SLOs are too spread out, and that more officers of their position are required to effectively aid the community.

The second key issue was a major concern that officer morale was low ... the City had lost a lot of officers because there had been a problem with the former chief. It was expressed by many that this cannot happen again. Is was noted that we need a chief who is optimistic and able to make the best decisions possible for the rank and file and the City, to be proactive rather that reactive, and be a good communicator who supports our police officers 110%.

One participant stated, "LAPD was once the best police department in the world, maybe number 1 in the nation. Everyone wanted to join the LAPD. Lets make it number one again." Reform, recruitment, retention, a lift in officer morale, problem solving and inclusion of everyone ... these were the issues he said the new chief needs to take into serious consideration. "Our officers need support and respect… We need to have a better city, a better LAPD." He also said that we need a chief who will get down to the "business of law enforcement and not politics."

Direct communication between the chief and his or her officers was another concern brought forth to the Commission. There were those who suggested a candidate should be chosen who will be an advocate of the officers and let them do their jobs, a candidate who will listen to the officers on the beat and allow them to give their input as to how they can best, and most effectively, serve the community. Some said we need to overcome the shortage of officers in our City and promote recruitment through integrity, not nepotism or cronyism. It was suggested that the new chief be nice, personable, a good communicator and fair, someone who doesn't speak only to his or her command staff but to any officer, no matter what rank, to lift morale and inspire truth.

An attendee stated, "One person cannot do the entire job. The chief needs to make sure that what he lacks, or cannot do, that he has people that can work with him and people that can come to his aid."

One gentleman said, "I would like to see the new chief get some insights and ideas from his officers for a couple of weeks before he takes office, and do this in every Division to see what actually works and what doesn't work in their perspective communities, because there are so many variances in the City. I would like to see some kind of schedule, plan, or consensus that would lead to bringing in the people that the officers are here to protect and serve."

A unique perspective came from a speaker from downtown in that we had never heard from the skid row area before ... and he was brutally honest. He told the Commissioner he is a resident and business owner in Newton Division, where it borders Central Division, at Central and 7th Streets. Drug sales are rampant there, along skid row, and there isn't a narcotics unit. The prostitution that goes on there is terrible, acts of prostitution going on too close to Ford Hotel's Children Shelter. He stated, "I really appreciate the men in uniform that do everything they can to protect us from these things and we feel empowered and encouraged by the Senior Lead Officers, but, from what I understand, a lot of their teeth, a lot of their bite, has been taken away by the bureaucracy of the department and the Consent Decree, and it's infuriating. I would like to see someone who ... I'm not saying someone who runs out there and violates civil rights, it isn't that at all ... but someone who respects the law, someone who feels empowered to enforce the law and doesn't have to feel like someone is going to come down and have to slap their wrists every time something untoward happens. The loss of the CRASH units was terrible, it helped abate the gangs. Officers now have their hands tied behind their backs. They are part of our community and should do the policing so we don't have to."

One gentleman, a 40-year supporter of the LAPD, said he was looking for a 'healer,' "... somebody who gives morale back to the troops, those men and women who work on the streets that are so important to everybody. We need a true leader, someone who supports the men and women in blue, and is respected by the officers. We need someone who is community minded, somebody who is honest and has integrity, somebody who is respected citywide, somebody who has the approval of these men and women, and the community together, somebody who has a value-system within themselves. Experience, commonsense, organizational skills, somebody who knows how to direct, who is equitable, somebody who cares, somebody who wants to stop the slaughter in the streets within all the different Divisions in the city of Los Angeles."

Many speakers applauded the good works of Chief Pomeroy, thanking the Commission for its wise decision in appointing him Temporary Chief, and asking that the same criteria be used to choose a permanent candidate. Since Chief Pomeroy's appointment morale, recruitment and retention has risen, to the delight of everyone, and it is Chief Pomeroy's desire that LAPD not lose that momentum.

There were those who insisted the best possible candidate be chosen regardless of where he or she is from. But it seemed to be the general consensus that the Commission not "go outside this great, and fine, police department" for a candidate, that the new Chief of Police be a veteran of LAPD, in order that he or she has a true and deep understanding of our diverse cultures. There was great applause when one speaker boldly stated, "We don't want an import."

Another key issue was the respect for, and understanding of, the community and cultural diversity of Los Angeles. One speaker expressed the desire for a chief with "no sense of discrimination or ill will towards the different communities, that we can use that diversity to better our City." Others asked that the new chief keep the integrity of "Special Order 40" intact. A sister issue was that the Commission needs to seriously consider a Latino candidate. This brought up a passionate subject for some ... should our new chief be required to understand and speak Spanish or not? It was pointed out that the first Chief of Police was Jewish, because Los Angeles at that time simply wanted the very best person for Chief of Police. It was said we need that again now ... we need what's best for the City and for the department.

A representative of the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council suggested a managerial aspect to the Chief of Police job, from a standpoint of leadership saying, "The first thing I would like to see the new chief embrace is principals of diversity. Not only economic diversity and racial diversity in our City, but also the police force itself."

One speaker mentioned the criteria set forth by the Coalition of Police Accountability (formed in 1999 after the Rampart scandal), which attempted to break the 'code of silence,' and insure that no 'whistle blowers' should be penalized. "We want to see a chief who will cooperate with the Inspector General and the Police Commission. We would like to see respect for the First Amendment Rights of demonstrators and the press. We'd like to see that the chief provides proper training regarding the use of force, weapons enforcement, conflict resolutions and a commitment to end racial profiling. He or she must support community policing, have experience in multi-culture, multi-racial issues and an openness to civilian oversight. We must have a chief who understands language, the languages our community speaks, and adhere to Special Order 40."

Several officers also attended the meeting to go before the Commission in support of the rights of officers who may be lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgendered. Their concerns were to keep the current workplace relationship open, respectful and truly interested in improving the association between the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender community and the LAPD. Great strides have been made within the organization in support of everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, but there are those who fear their rights may be threatened if an unsuitable candidate is chosen.

One woman presented the very important subject of animal cruelty, saying she worked with very tough dog and cock fighting issues within the city, along with the Humane Society of the United States, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and Los Angeles County Animal Control. She said she was having a difficult time working and interacting with the LAPD on these animal cruelty issues. She stated, "Dogs, especially pit bulls and these types of breeds, are used to hold neighborhoods hostage. If you have a dog-fighter next door to you, your life is hell. They're released into the street to kill people's pets, or worse. There is only one Animal Control Officer to cover the entire area that is represented here (motioning to the crowd), and that is really, really tough. We want to be able to educate the officers more on what to look for and how to handle it, and for the community to be able to get some response when they call and say they have a serious, threatening animal problem. It's a violation of not just animal law but of safety law. We hope that the next chief will realize that, although these issues are not very obvious, they are very important."

There were many other suggestions for the new chief, some obvious, some less so. Some speakers suggested a candidate who is flexible, open minded, and more sensible, a chief who will act responsibly with maturity to criticism, and have a sense of fiscal responsibility, a chief with a strong commitment to traffic and traffic safety. The new chief should find a way to provide stronger laws against graffiti, to put an end to the way gangs communicate. It was said that he or she must "continue to support and invigorate the programs that help our youth," in order to reduce the membership in gangs and educate young people into leading more productive, safe, and longer lives.

Domestic violence was another issue brought to the forefront with one woman stating, "The new chief should have a sensitivity towards the domestic violence problems in the City. We are getting approximately fifty thousand calls a year, and have estimated that that's only one quarter the total number of incidents."

A business representative from the North Figueroa corridor expressed the need for a chief who will be responsive to the business improvement district of the Northeast, fighting gangs, drugs, prostitution and graffiti in order to promote an image of historical Los Angeles with pride and respect.

Several speakers asked that the Commission consider a woman for chief, one gentleman stating, "After all, we were all brought by women, our mothers, our grandmothers ..." Many people indeed, seemed very supportive and comfortable with the notion of a woman being ranked "Los Angeles Chief of Police."

At the end of the Townhall portion of the meeting Deputy Chief Margaret York, Central Bureau, had spoken, expressing the sentiment of the LAPD command officers. I feel it appropriate to end my reports on the seven Police Commission community criteria meetings with what Chief York said:

"I wanted to close this meeting by saying that I am so glad that you have all taken the time out of your very busy schedules to be here tonight, and to spend the time with us. I cannot tell you, I cannot express in words, how valuable your participation, your attention and your support is to us. We cannot do our jobs, we cannot be the finest police department in the country without your support ... and so, I appreciate it and I hope that everything that we do as a police organization will continue to make you proud of us."

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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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