By Randy Economy
www.Economy4ABC.Blogspot.com
March 19, 2011
1:45 a.m.
Los Angeles, CA
To remember the life of Warren Christopher, especially if you live here in Los Angeles, you will remember his work now known as "The Christopher Report."
Warren Christopher will go down in Los Angeles history for the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, that he oversaw that was formed in July 1991, in the wake of the Rodney King beating, by then-mayor of Los Angeles Tom Bradley.
Like many of you, the LA Riots changed my life. I lived right off of Olympic and Robertson when the riot broke out and when all "hell" broke loose in Los Angeles for over a week.
54,000 people were arrested during the riots. 2000 people were injured. 55 people were killed. Billions of dollars in damage. Los Angeles lost its luster.
It was Warren Christopher who took the reigns to help harness our city out of the "Rodney King era." He was a lightning rod here in LA. But he was also a "statesman" who had the world stage awaiting him.
The commission was created to conduct 'a full and fair examination of the structure and operation of the LAPD,' including its recruitment and training practices, internal disciplinary system, and citizen complaint system.
However, with the election of Richard Riordan, these reforms were put on hold. We needed his "Commission Report" to be enacted, but Riordan put a stop to that as soon as he took over for Mayor Bradley.
The following are, verbatim, some of the commission's findings:
www.Economy4ABC.Blogspot.com
March 19, 2011
1:45 a.m.
Los Angeles, CA
To remember the life of Warren Christopher, especially if you live here in Los Angeles, you will remember his work now known as "The Christopher Report."
Warren Christopher will go down in Los Angeles history for the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, that he oversaw that was formed in July 1991, in the wake of the Rodney King beating, by then-mayor of Los Angeles Tom Bradley.
Like many of you, the LA Riots changed my life. I lived right off of Olympic and Robertson when the riot broke out and when all "hell" broke loose in Los Angeles for over a week.
54,000 people were arrested during the riots. 2000 people were injured. 55 people were killed. Billions of dollars in damage. Los Angeles lost its luster.
It was Warren Christopher who took the reigns to help harness our city out of the "Rodney King era." He was a lightning rod here in LA. But he was also a "statesman" who had the world stage awaiting him.
The commission was created to conduct 'a full and fair examination of the structure and operation of the LAPD,' including its recruitment and training practices, internal disciplinary system, and citizen complaint system.
However, with the election of Richard Riordan, these reforms were put on hold. We needed his "Commission Report" to be enacted, but Riordan put a stop to that as soon as he took over for Mayor Bradley.
The Christopher Commission found that only forty-two of 2,152 allegations of excessive force from 1986 to 1990 were sustained - or less than 2 percent. "According to the Christopher Commission '... the complaint system is skewed against complainants.'"The majority of investigations at that time were done by division staff, not IAD, and the commission found this seriously problematic because division investigators often failed even to interview or identify witnesses."
- There is a significant number of officers in the LAPD who repetitively use excessive force against the public and persistently ignore the written guidelines of the department regarding force.
- The failure to control these officers is a management issue that is at the heart of the problem. The documents and data that we have analyzed have all been available to the department; indeed, most of this information came from that source. The LAPD's failure to analyze and act upon these revealing data evidences a significant breakdown in the management and leadership of the Department. The Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners, lacking investigators or other resources, failed in its duty to monitor the Department in this sensitive use of force area. The Department not only failed to deal with the problem group of officers but it often rewarded them with positive evaluations and promotions.
- We recommend a new standard of accountability....Ugly incidents will not diminish until ranking officers know they will be held responsible for what happens in their sector, whether or not they personally participate."
- The commission highlighted the problem of "repeat offenders" on the force, finding that of approximately 1,800 officers against whom an allegation of excessive force or improper tactics was made from 1986 to 1990, more than 1,400 had only one or two allegations. But 183 officers had four or more allegations, forty-four had six or more, sixteen had eight or more, and one had sixteen such allegations. Generally, the forty-four officers with six complaints or more had received positive performance evaluations that failed to record "sustained" complaints or to discuss their significance.
1 comment:
Michelle and I were saddened to hear that Warren Christopher has passed away. Deeply dedicated to serving his country, Warren's career ranged from the naval reserve in World War II to a clerkship at the Supreme Court to the practice of law and politics in California and Washington. And as President Clinton's Secretary of State, he was a resolute pursuer of peace, leading negotiations with regard to the Middle East and the Balkans, including the Dayton Agreement, which ended the war in Bosnia. Warren Christopher was a skillful diplomat, a steadfast public servant, and a faithful American. We send our thoughts and prayers to his wife, Marie, and their children.
Post a Comment