NCJ Number
165400
Date Published
1995
Length
45 pages
Annotation
This report examines the role and activities of the Los Angeles Police Commission during 1991-93 and the struggle to institute necessary change in the Los Angeles Police Department in the period following the Rodney King beating incident, the trial of the police officers involved, and the civil disorders prompted by that trial.
Abstract
The discussion focuses on the perspectives of the five city residents who served on the commission between 1991 and 1993. The commissioners experienced tremendous pressure to exert control over the department and its chief when they were appointed in 1991. During their 2-year terms, significant developments increased the commission's power to act in some areas and restricted it in other areas. A steady stream of controversies demanding immediate attention required the commissioners to be reactive and prevented them from focusing on the long-term issues that might have prevented crises. The 2 years of controversy, challenge, and accomplishment revealed that the police commission can and must function as a sounding board for public concerns, that its staff must be fully used, and that it is most often successful when focusing on a specific issue and following it through. Among issues still requiring attention are ethnic and gender balance in the police department, community involvement, gun-related violence, perceptions of community safety, and accountability. The commissioners experienced frustration but had many accomplishments and set a new standard of commitment and involvement.