Mayor Hahn Announces Committee to Monitor Investigation into Recent LAPD Use of Force Incident Monitoring Committee Current Agenda

June, 2004

Mayor Jim Hahn announced that he has formed a committee of community leaders to monitor the investigation of a use of force incident that followed a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) pursuit on Wednesday, June 23.

“I’m not going to tolerate police using unnecessary force against the people they are supposed to protect and serve,” Mayor Hahn said. “Chief Bratton and I have worked hard to bring back community policing and rebuild the relationship between our police and our neighborhoods. This relationship is based on trust, and we are not going to let a few people ruin it.”

Mayor Hahn said that the Monitoring Committee will meet regularly with the LAPD and the Office of the Inspector General, which are conducting separate and concurrent investigations, to ensure the investigation into the incident is thorough and transparent.

“To ensure this investigation is comprehensive and transparent, we need the trust and cooperation of the community. This Monitoring Committee will ensure that we get to the bottom of this quickly and that no stone goes unturned,” said Mayor Hahn.

On June 28th Mayor Hahn and Chief Bratton hosted a conference call with City of Los Angeles’ federal and state legislators to provide an update on the recent use of force incident.

Mayor Hahn told the delegation that the community is watching the investigation closely, and promised that the incident would be investigated thoroughly. “This must be a transparent process in order for us to maintain the trust that we have rebuilt between the LAPD and the communities it serves,” said Mayor Hahn.

“Mayor Hahn has insisted that this process be a transparent one,” said Chief Bratton. “The good news is that in every instance, this investigation is being conducted with the requirements of the consent decree.”

Mayor Hahn pledged to keep the legislators informed on a periodic basis throughout the investigation.

More than twenty legislators and their representatives participated in the call, including, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald, Speaker of the California State Assembly Fabian Nunez, Assemblymember Jackie Goldberg, Assemblymember Mark Ridley-Thomas, and Assemblymember Mervyn Dymally.

Mayor Hahn has named the following people to the committee that will monitor the LAPD use of force investigation:

John Mack (Chair), President of the Los Angeles Urban League Angela Reddock, attorney specializing in labor and employment law, government relations and business litigation; pro bono general counsel for the National Association of African-Americans in Human Resources and Social Concerns of Los Angeles Geraldine Washington, President, Los Angeles Chapter of the NAACP Rev. Cecil Murray, Senior Minister, First AME Church Rev. Leonard Jackson, Associate Pastor, First AME Church Father Gregory Boyle, Founder and Director, Homeboy Industries/Jobs For A Future. Ronald Antwine, former gang member and community activist Ann I. Park, attorney; former President of the Korean American Bar Association Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean, Simon Wiesenthal Center William “Blinky” Rodriguez, Executive Director of Communities in Schools of Greater Los Angeles/San Fernando Valley

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Click here for more from the Mayor:

Mayor's Office Press Releases

Office of Mayor James K. Hahn
200 North Spring Street, Room 300
Los Angeles, CA 90012

www.lacity.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~