The Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday to allow the chief of police to terminate LAPD officers in the most egregious cases in what council members hope will be a major step in the latest effort to improve the Los Angeles Police Department’s discipline practices.
Council members voted 14-0 to request that the city attorney prepare an ordinance that would repeal provisions under the City Charter’s Section 1070 that outline procedures to discipline a sworn officer.
Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez was absent during the vote.
City leaders also instructed the chief legislative analyst, LAPD and other relative departments to report back on recommendations and implementation plans to update the City Charter to expand criteria for the selection of members on the Board of Rights, and incorporating binding arbitration as a component of the discipline process in termination cases.
Any changes to the charter will require approval by voters, and Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez said he hopes this can be done in time for the November election.
Under that law, almost all disciplinary actions taken against members of the LAPD — including suspension, demotion and removal — are recommended by the chief of police and ultimately decided by the Board of Rights. The three-member board, a quasi-judicial body, hears evidence related to each charge of misconduct and determines punishment. The chief may then levy a punishment equal or lesser to the board’s recommendation.
Those rules were initiated through a motion introduced by Soto-Martinez, Councilman Tim McOsker and Council President Paul Krekorian in February 2023.
McOsker highlighted the historical context behind the decision to introduce changes to the LAPD’s disciplinary process, touching on the beating of Rodney King in 1991 and subsequent establishment of the Christopher Commission. The councilman said it “began a process that has sped up, at that time, police reform.”
“It gave us a reason to…
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