LACP.org
.........
Picking a New Chief
 Public Comments
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Police Commission Takes Community Input from Residents
To Obtain Public Input For The Next Chief

 September 2009

EDITOR'S NOTE: LA Community Policing will carefully follow the process of selecting a new LAPD Chief, just as we did in 2002 when William Bratton was chosen. To see how we covered things back then simply click here: Choosing A Chief - 2002.
 

There will be at least two Police Commissioners at each meeting, along with the Police Commission's Executive Director, Richard Tefank, and many of his staff. Any community member who wishes to speak will be given two minutes to do so. Some of the hallmarks of community based policing programs are inclusion, transparency and the opportunity to participate, and these five public meetings are but a single example of this.

In Los Angeles the Police Commission encourages residents to attend the nearly weekly meetings in Parker Center (generally held on Tuesdays at 9:30am), to write them letters and, in this case, to fill out a Publis Survey ( www.lacity.org/per ) designed to give them a sense of what it is the community would like to see in it's next Chief of Police.

LA Community Policing will do its best to cover all the events related to "Choosing A Chief." Here you'll find we have the Community Comments we heard in bullet format, which will eventually include the highlights from each person who spoke at all five meetings:

Community Comments - from September 2nd - Friendship Hall

John

•  The City of Los Angeles has 4,000,000 and there are 40 people here tonight
•  I think the people realize how pointless this is
•  One person picked the last Police Chief
•  When it comes down to it the Mayor picks the Police Chief
•  This meeting is like judging a beauty contest
•  The next police chief will be the shadow of the Mayor

Susan

•  I agree with him
•  We need a police chief that will take care of the venders
•  We need a chief that will take care of the noise

Monica

•  I don't want to see race get in to the issue of finding a new Police Chief
•  I'd like to see them hire more police officers
•  I feel these meetings are important

Jim

•  C-PAB member
•  I feel that we have a good police commission
•  Has had contact with 4 on the candidates for this job
•  I feel that we can pick from the inside but that doesn't mean we can't look on the outside
•  I feel that Paysinger would make a great Police chief
•  It is very difficult to run the city now due to money shortage

Arlene

•  What is most important to me is people skills
•  Taking people skills into this arena is a good idea

Mark

•  Wants a focus on the graffiti and the city cleaned up
•  Have the early released inmates do community service such as cleaning on and off-ramps

Marilyn

•  I know it's difficult to get people to meetings
•  Waste of police time going after venders

Hogan

•  I have full confidence that the Police Commission will pick the best person for the job
•  Strong back ground in community relations

Les

•  Someone who is well spoken and gets along with all races
•  He must be approachable
•  No smoking on the job
•  A good delegator

Mary

•  Wants the new police chief to know how important a Senior Leader Officer is in the community

Richard

•  Bratten had some very fine qualities
•  Wants someone that has the big picture in mind
•  Be a great delegator
•  Be a good communicator
•  Be a straight shooter
•  Keep the Senior Leader Officer

David

•  Happy with the Senior Lead Officer
•  Accountability

Laura

•  Wants the new Chief to know how important a Senior Lead Office is
•  They should be able to reach out to the community and the department

Luis

•  We have the best police department in the country
.

Community Comments - from September 3rd - Crenshaw District

Veronica

•  LAPD has once again found itself in trouble for discrimination
•  Accused of doing racial profiling

General

•  Department is ranked 18 th and is embarrassing
•  Next chief must end the poor quality of life
•  Must end targeting any certain race

Joe

•  Stop the racial profiling

Al

•  The city is still under the watchful eye of the Department of Justice
•  Want meetings open to the public
•  1200 complaints of officer racial profiling and not one was found to be in the wrong

Debra

•  LAPD violates the laws on the land
•  Next Police chief must be culturally informed

Pam

•  Must improve the investigation of violent crimes
•  Why are 57% of violent crimes solved
•  Focus more on violent crimes
•  Respect the public
•  Work on crime prevention
•  Who decides on which picture goes in the newspaper.

Margo

•  Thank your having this meeting
•  Communities have more to offer
•  Build respect and relationships with the community
•  I feel the Chief should be picked from within because they grew up here and know the community
•  Find a better way to help the residence improve the quality of life in the neighborhoods

Philip

•  Thanks the Police Chief for working so hard

Carol

•  I am proud of what the LAPD has done the past few years
•  Wants a chief that has the same priorities as Chief Bratten
•  Get out there as a community and work together

Iona

•  I am proud of Chief Bratten
•  Should be someone that knows the city

Sylvia

•  Too many tickets given on Crenshaw Blvd.
•  City doesn't advertise enough for the public to get involved

Michael

•  Thanks to Chief Bratten
•  Pick from the inside
•  One that's been in the trenches

Unknown

•  Its important that a change accurse
•  I have been profiled several times in two weeks
•  We need a change

Christina

•  Racism in the city
•  Stop using the jails for the homeless
•  12,000 arrests in a population of 13,000 to 15,000
•  Throwing poor brown and black people in jail is not a solution

Pat

•  I think Chief Bratten has done a great job considering what he has gone through
•  As a young child I wasn't able to walk down the street so there are changes
•  New chief must continue to work with the community

Lawrence

•  We gave Chief Bratten an award for what he has done in the community
•  I am a barber shop owner and he has helped this community
•  He has lowered the crime
•  We are sad he is leaving but glad he is doing what he needs to do

Pete

•  We need someone that isn't afraid to fire his officers
•  We need a chief that is strong and not afraid to correct his officers
•  Someone that can protect and serve

.

Community Comments - from September 9th - Santa Monica Blvd.

Gregory

•  The role of chief has changed greatly. It's not only to protect the people of the city but also to be an asset to the city in terms of recruitment and bring people into the city in terms of foreign trade offices
•  We need a chief that will attract people to the city of Los Angeles
•  The new chief needs to be able to recruit more young people in to the LAPD academy

Robert

•  We feel we never got our share of traffic enforcement
•  Use the new chief as a advocate to get some type of automated speed technology in this area

Steve

•  We need a strong leader
•  We need someone strong to deal with the police union
•  We need the speed regulated in this area
•  We have great Senior Leads

Stan

•  The new Police chief needs to be interested in out traffic but he needs to get more motor officers
•  New chief needs to be able to sell to the pubic
•  Our captains transfer out so fast. It doesn't make sense to transfer them so often

Michelle

•  The new Police Chief must continue on with the success with the community
•  Keep the open communication going
•  Must be able to use new technology to work on the traffic issues
•  Someone from within that knows the department

Unknown

•  The Asian community is underserved in the city
•  Wants a chief that will be in touch with the community
•  The fastest growing community is the gay Asians

Mark

•  My gut feeling, what I hope for in the next chief, has the gift of bringing communities together, gender. race and defined by class
•  Unless you have a solid relationship with the vast amount of different diversities none of the other things will work
•  Courts have to translate into 107 different languages in the City of Los Angeles
•  A chief that can bridge the different communities together
.
Community Comments - from September 10th - Reseda

Ann

•  My personal choice is Jim McDonnell - whenever the Chief was out of town Jim Mc Donnell was always there
•  We need someone that is aware of what's going on and cares about the community
•  We need to hire from within

Paige

•  I want a chief that is on board for community based policing
•  Supports the Senior Lead Officers
•  We need a chief with a vision and political Sauvé
•  We want a chief that will work with Sherriff Baca on the over crowding in the jail system
•  Someone who will not be a disappointment to us
•  Someone who will continue support the animal cruelty task force
•  The salary must meet the present economics challenges

George

•  Supports Deputy Hara for next Police Chief
•  He has risen through the ranks
•  Works without pay within the community
•  Wants a chief that is open minded

Kerry

•  Clone our current chief
•  Look from within first
•  Hopefully the person that is picked will be close to the level of the chief we have right now

Phyllis

•  Select from within because they know the way things should be done
•  Wants animal control crossed trained to protect the animals from cruelty

Laurie

•  I am a teacher - polled students who feel there should be better communications between the police and public
•  Visit schools more often and talk to us
•  Programs for students to get involved in

Cynthia

•  Chief Bratten was good on out reach to the Gay/lesbian community
•  He was good but we hope that the next chief will have better, positive contact with them
•  More out reach to our community

Keith

•  I live in Canoga Park and it's a bad neighbor hood
•  I want the new police chief to come to my neighborhood to see what its all about

Mark

•  It's important to look at who Chief Bratten made as his right hand man, Jim McDonnell

Jeanette

•  I have seen such happy officers under Chief Bratten
•  I encourage you to find someone like chief Bratten

Susie

•  I would like to see better communication between officers and the homeless
•  We have 72,000 in the county and 40,000 in the city
•  We need a police chief that will send a message to the beat cops that they shouldn't harass the homeless.

Ron

•  I have been detained for not having an ID on me
•  I thought I should come to this meeting to find out what the future holds

Chuck

•  The moral was bad before Chief Bratten came
•  You must keep the moral up so that the police that we have stay

“Public input is critical in this process,” stated Police Commission President John Mack. “The next Chief of Police will serve all of the diverse communities of Los Angeles, and it is extremely important that we hear from those communities and know what is important to them.”

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

Tami Catania
Public Information Director

Los Angeles Police Commission
150 North Los Angeles Street, #150
Los Angeles, CA 90012

213 473-6390 direct
213 485-3531
213 847-9944 fax

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