Former Police Commission President John Mack Dies at 81 NR18172ml

Los Angeles: Former LAPD Police Commission President John Mack died Thursday evening at the age of 81.

Mr. Mack served as a Commissioner on the City of Los Angeles Planning Commission. Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed him to the Planning Commission in September of 2013.

From 2005 to 2013, Mr. Mack served as a Los Angeles Police Commissioner. He was appointed to the Board of Police Commissioners by Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa in August of 2005. He held the position of President of the Police Commission for two consecutive years, and then the position of Vice President for two years. In 2009, he was re-elected to the President post and served for two years. In 2011, he was once again elected to the Vice President post.

Mr. Mack is a highly respected advocate for equal opportunities in education, law enforcement and economic empowerment for African-Americans and other minorities – and a bridge builder across all racial, cultural, economic, gender and religious lines. The rare combination of his extraordinary experience and expertise in both civil rights and law enforcement garnered him the coveted Flame Award from the National Association of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement in 2014.

Mr. Mack fought tirelessly for decades to fundamentally change the culture of the LAPD–through litigation, advocacy, community and political pressure, and civilian oversight. As a member and two-term President of the LAPD Board of Police Commissioners from 2005 through 2014 he played a major role in helping the LAPD develop and implement significant reforms of its policies, procedures, and investigations concerning biased policing, and helped the Department achieve full compliance with the federal consent decree that had been in place since 2001.

Mr. Mack had many honors including the prestigious Police Commission Distinguished Service Medal awarded to him by his fellow Commissioners in August 2013. In 2016, Mr. Mack was honored by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the 500 most influential leaders in Los Angeles.

Mr. Mack is survived by his sister, brother, son, 2 daughters, and three grandchildren. Further notification will be forthcoming when details about a memorial service are finalized.