LAPD Chief Charlie Beck Responds To Inspector General Report On Biased Policing NR10558mg

Los Angeles: The Office of the Inspector General has issued a public report on Biased Policing investigations conducted by the Los Angeles Police Department’s Internal Affairs Group (IAG), Professional Standards Bureau. The report focuses on ten biased policing investigations initiated from 2008-2010, conducted by the Department’s Constitutional Policing Unit.

It is the Department’s goal to not only improve the quality of the investigative process but also to reduce the number of biased policing complaints. The ultimate goal would be to have none.  The Department agrees with the Inspector General’s assessment that the Department and the OIG are committed to enhancing the quality of biased policing investigations. Constitutional policing is my top priority

So far this year, LAPD officers have had over three million contacts with the public, which has resulted in approximately 200 biased policing complaints. We appreciate that the Inspector General recognizes in her report that “Biased Policing/Racial Profiling complaints represented four percent of all complaints closed by the Department in 2009, in a year in which Department employees made 194,674 arrests, issued 581,307 citations, and in which the Department’s Communication Division responded to 789,366 calls. We believe that such numbers demonstrate that the large majority of the almost 10,000 sworn LAPD Officers are performing their job in a professional manner.”

The Department has a substantial number of resources dedicated to the improvement of the investigation and adjudication of biased policing complaints. Mr. Gerry Chaleff, a former Police Commissioner was appointed to the position of Special Assistant of Constitutional Policing, a direct report to the Chief of Police. A newly created Constitutional Policing Unit has been added to Internal Affairs Group, which is responsible for each and every biased policing complaint. The Department’s dedication to enhance investigations also includes a revision of investigative reports, refinement of biased policing protocols, enactment of a more thorough review process, training sessions for Department personnel and frequent interaction with the Office of the Inspector General. On average, the Department’s IAG spends approximately 90-hours investigating and adjudicating each biased policing complaint.

The Department recognizes the importance of the Inspector General’s report and its role in working with the Department to continually improve our methods of investigation and adjudication.

To find a copy of the Inspector General’s report and the Department’s response, go to LAPDOnline.org. Go to “Police Commission” on the left navigation column. Click on "Police Commission," and scroll down to Meeting Agenda. Click on December 7, 2010. Under Regular Agenda Items, click on item number BPC#10-0465 for the Inspector General report. The Department’s response can be found by clicking on BPC#10-0468.