Happy New Year from the men and women of the Los Angeles Police Department. The following is the monthly update for January 2007. We hope you find the information useful. You are encouraged to continue to visit our website at www.lapdonline.org. CHIEF’S MESSAGE As we begin the New Year, I thought that this would be an appropriate time to comment on a number of issues of interest to the public. Two videotaped arrests involving non-categorical uses of force by LAPD officers were the focus of much attention by the public, the media and the internet community. By now, I am sure all of you are familiar with the arrests, one that occurred in Hollywood involving William Cardenas and one that occurred in Pacific Area involving Benjamin Barker. In the Hollywood case, two officers spotted William Cardenas, a local gang member, on August 11th of this year. He was wanted on a felony warrant for receiving stolen property, a gun. As officers tried to arrest him, he ran. After chasing him, Cardenas was knocked to the ground. He struggled and the officers used force. In the officers arrest report, there was a summary of the force used including a description of one of the officers striking Cardenas on the face as they tried to arrest him. Cardenas has pleaded no contest to the stolen property charge, and the Department’s administrative investigation is continuing. In the Pacific case, on February 8, 2005, Benjamin Barker was arrested after business owners reported that he had attacked a storeowner and was spitting on, and challenging a store patron to fight. After handcuffing Mr. Barker, officers tried to put him in the back of a police car. At one point, Mr. Barker spat on an officer who then used OC spray on him. A witness captured the arrest on videotape. The tape was given to the Consent Decree Independent Monitor. The administrative investigation found the officers actions to be in policy, with training recommended. The involved officer left the Department prior to the complaint being filed. In both of these cases, it is important to note that the proper investigative and reporting procedures were followed. Events and incidents will always occur. The Department’s responsibility is to deal with them openly, honestly and effectively, both for the sake of the officers and the public. I am committed to doing just that. While police officers are authorized to use force to overcome resistance, the reality is that LAPD officers show great restraint. Each year, officers in this Department have more than a million contacts with the public. In 2005, nearly 160,000 arrests were made and in only about 2,000 of those arrests, was any force used. In only 99 of them, was life threatening force, or force causing serious injury used. While it may seem like the negative aspects of policing are often in the spotlight right now, internally the Department needs to do a better job of highlighting examples of outstanding police work, which is much more commonplace and reflective of LAPD personnel’s hard work and dedication. The LAPD has an established process to honor employees, both officers and civilians, whose service has been exemplary. The Department Awards and Decorations Coordinator out of the Personnel Group handles this process. From the Meritorious Unit Citations up to the prestigious Medal of Valor, this process can only work if employees are recommended and the appropriate paperwork is completed. I have expressed this concern to Department supervisors and command staff in order to improve the LAPD employee recognition process. Speaking of employee recognition, on November 29th, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger presented four LAPD officers with the state “Medal of Valor” for acts of heroism. Officers Troy Zeeman and Bryan Gregson were honored for a Feb. 17, 2005, arrest in connection with a drive-by shooting. At one point, the suspect leveled his pistol at Zeeman, told him “You’re dead,” and squeezed off a shot that missed. Zeeman and Gregson then shot back, wounding the gunman and took him into custody. Officers Jeffrey Jensen and Paul Waymire were credited with saving an accident victim trapped in a burning vehicle on October 16, 2005. On the subject of crime reduction, my goal for reducing Part 1 crime during the first six months of 2007, is five percent. Both Assistant Chief Paysinger and I feel that this is a realistic objective based on the outstanding past performance of the men and women of this Department. In 2006, the LAPD reduced crime by another eight percent, to the lowest level in 50 years. By continuing to foster and improve relationships with other law enforcement agencies, other City departments and our community/police partnerships, I believe the Department will end up looking back on 2007 as another successful year. The Department has made incredible strides towards regaining its place as leaders in law enforcement, improving our relations in the communities we serve, and truly making Los Angeles a safer place. But the job isn’t finished yet and I look forward to meeting new challenges in 2007. CRIME STATISTICS - CITY-WIDE Year to Date as of December 31, 2006 Homicide Down -2.4% Rape Down -7.4% Robbery Up 5.3% Aggravated Assault Down -9.1% --------------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL VIOLENT CRIMES Down -2.6% Burglary Down -8.7% Burglary/Theft from Vehicle Down -9.2% Personal/Other Theft Down -9.7% Auto Theft Down -8.3% --------------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL PROPERTY CRIMES Down -9.0% TOTAL PART 1 CRIMES Down -7.7% 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