Greetings from the men and women of the Los Angeles Police Department. The following is the monthly update for August 2005. We hope you find the information useful. You are encouraged to continue to visit our website at www.lapdonline.org as it has recently been redesigned and updated. CHIEF’S MESSAGE For a law enforcement agency to be successful, respected and well thought of by the communities it serves, it must be one that is disciplined, measured, and controlled. In last month’s message, I spoke about the ongoing reorganization of Professional Standards Bureau, my discipline philosophy, and the use of disciplinary settlements. This month, I want to talk about officers being measured and controlled in their decision- making, especially when dealing with issues of force. There are generally three reasons why a good officer would make a poor decision. The first is the misunderstanding of a policy; the second is inadequate training; and the third is the lack of or misuse of the proper tools. Learning from our mistakes allows the Department to continually modify our procedures, training and tactics to ensure that they are always contemporary and, to the best of our ability, reflect the best practices. Earlier this year, I directed Training Division to conduct a comprehensive review of the Department’s policy, training, equipment, tactics, and review processes for use of force issues. Training Division was directed to find the “Best Practices” from around the world to ensure that the LAPD is always among the leaders in law enforcement when dealing with use of force issues. Our goal is to get the job done lawfully when taking violent suspects into custody, while reducing the risks of death and injury to officers and suspects alike. In February, eight outside use of force experts from around the country examined our Department’s use of force practices and policy. On March 9, thanks to a grant provided by the Los Angeles Police Foundation, the Department hosted a one-day use of force “Best Practices” workshop. The workshop brought the outside experts together with subject matter experts from Training Division, Metropolitan Division and the Police Protective League along with members of the Department’s command staff, the City Attorney’s Office, the Inspector General, and others. In April, the LAPD Use of Force “Best Practices” Strategic Planning Work Group was created. This group consists of a variety of officers of various ranks from inside the Department, and will soon include outside consultants and community leaders as the Department seeks to innovate in this area. Assistant Chief Sharon Papa is overseeing the efforts of the work group, which is being coordinated by Captain Greg Meyer of Training Division. Speaking to the issue of training, the 2006 fiscal year budget, that began July 1, has allowed the Department to order enough firearm training simulators to have one permanently available at each geographic Area so officers can sharpen their decision-making skills with realistic “shoot, don’t shoot” scenarios. Regarding equipping officers with the best tools and equipment, we have made many changes and are looking at making more. Already in place is the new Glock firearm, and soon to be in practical use, the recently approved Stop Stick tire deflation device and Department flashlight. We are currently looking at new taser technology and evaluating these less-lethal devices that are now cheaper and small enough to fit comfortably on an officer’s belt. In reference to Consent Decree issues, the Department has entered the fifth year of that process. As required, we have been performing integrity audits or “stings” to monitor our progress in certain key areas involving interaction with the public. The good news is that we are making a good deal of progress, especially in the area regarding the intake of public complaints. During the first quarter of 2003, the Department’s compliance rate for public complaint intake was at an unacceptable 43 percent. Based on the results of the integrity audits completed for the first three months of this year, the Department achieved a compliance rate of 95 percent. Additionally, of the 146 Consent Decree provisions that the Department is responsible for, we believe that we are in compliance with 121. Of the 23 provisions that we are not in compliance, we are 80 percent compliant with 14 of them. The remaining two are still pending consideration. Along with “Best Practices,” filling vacant positions with the best and brightest individuals is key to the success of this organization. On June 28, I announced several promotions, upgrades, and transfers that are critical to keeping the Department moving in the right direction. The promotions include Rhonda Sims-Lewis who is leaving the City Personnel Department as Assistant General Manager to become the Commanding Officer, Administrative and Technical Services Bureau, the Department’s highest ranking civilian position, replacing Laura Johnson who is retiring; Commander Richard Roupoli promotes to Deputy Chief as Commanding Officer, Operations-West Bureau; Captain III Sergio Diaz promotes to Commander as Assistant Commanding Officer, Special Operations Bureau; Captain III Terry Hara promotes to Commander as Commanding Officer, Training Group; Senior Management Analyst II Gloria Grube promotes to Police Administrator I as Commanding Officer, Records and Identification Division; Lieutenant II Michael Williams promotes to Captain I as Patrol Captain, North Hollywood Area; and Lieutenant II William Hayes promotes to Captain I as Patrol Captain, Pacific Area. The promotions are also reflective of my commitment and priority to have a workforce and command team that is reflective of the diverse population that we serve. It is my fervent belief that if Department personnel are well led, well trained and have the best tools and technology available, they will be more confident in their jobs, provide better service to the community, and will be far less likely to be injured or killed while performing their duties. They are also far less likely to be involved in disciplinary actions. By instituting the “best practices” in law enforcement, the LAPD becomes the model organization that all others will follow. We become a department second to none in our commitment to excellence. That is the real LAPD. CRIME STATISTICS - CITY-WIDE Year to Date as of July 30, 2005 Homicide Down -3.3% Rape Down -23.7% Robbery Down -7.0% Aggravated Assault Down -39.4% --------------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL VIOLENT CRIMES Down -27.7% Burglary Down -9.4% Burglary/Theft from Vehicle Down -15.5% Personal/Other Theft Down -12.9% Auto Theft Down -8.9% --------------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL PROPERTY CRIMES Down -12.1% TOTAL PART 1 CRIMES Down -16.1% WILLIAM J. BRATTON Chief of Police To unsubscribe from this newsletter please click on this link http://listserv.lacity.org/cgi-bin/wa.exe?SUBED1=lapd_monthly&A=1