2017 Warning Bells articles

December 2017 – Our unsung heroes

They get up in the middle of the night for League members; rise early to make morning watch personnel complaint interviews, and spend their weekends preparing for Boards of Rights and writing Skelly responses to avoid Boards of Rights. They are the League’s panel attorneys and they are among the few attorneys that understand the unique LAPD discipline system and are capable of guiding you through it while representing your interests. The League’s Legal Plan currently comprises 92 percent of the membership and with the thousands of personnel complaints that are filed against officers each year, these folks are kept hopping. It’s time you know who they are. [Full Article]

November 2017 – The video release policy and what it means to you

We don’t have one yet, but it is coming. Currently, the Chief has determined that Digital In Car Video System (DICVS) and Body Worn Video (BWV) videos are part of the investigative process and will not be released to the public. The Los Angeles Times, ACLU and various activist groups are not happy with that. Neither is the Police Commission.  [Full Article]

October 2017 – Dunderheads?

Did you realize that 52 percent of Categorical Uses of Force are Administratively Disapproved for at least one officer, and usually more than one? The standard for Administrative Disapproval is that an officer has “substantially deviated from Department policy or training without justification.” A 52 percent failure rate in private industry would immediately result in the termination of every manager involved. In the government, however, you know what rolls downhill instead.  [Full Article]

September 2017 – De-escalation is not a tactic, it is a result

That is what I was told at the Force Science Institute’s two-day seminar on “Realistic De-escalation.” As you know, the Police Commission has insisted on modifying our Use of Force Policy to include de-escalation, and de-escalation has become the buzzword that will solve all the use of force problems nationwide if only those darn cops could be forced to use it! No matter that you have been using it your entire career, just not putting the word in your reports. So, we now have the word in our Use of Force Policy, and the Department has even published a directive called “Tactical De-escalation Techniques.” (Directive No. 16, October 2016) [Full article]

August 2017 – TASER tag, and you’re it!

The Police Commission is becoming alarmed, and, therefore, so is the Department. TASER use is going up. No kidding, you say. Every patrol officer now must wear one on their belt. Of course, TASERs are being used more. Wasn’t that the idea? Didn’t Commission President Johnson mandate this in his November 2015 Vision and Goals statement? “Our training and tactics must use less than lethal options in a manner that maximizes their effectiveness and minimizes the use of deadly force,” he said. A month before all patrol officers were mandated to carry TASERs on their belts. No need to request a Tom unit anymore.  [Full article]

July 2017 – Outside the LAPD box

We have our hands full with local LAPD problems and there is not much time to think about the law enforcement problems across the nation, but every once in a while, it is good to escape the LAPD bubble and look at what is happening nationally to other law enforcement agencies. Consequently, I ended up attending the Law Enforcement Summit on Transparency and Accountability put on by JMS Associates. Other perspectives on our common problems were presented across two days of back-to-back speakers. It was interesting and, without necessarily espousing the views of the speakers, let me broaden your world as mine was broadened.  [Full article]

June 2017 – Fantasy-based policing

On May 2, 2017, the Police Commission adopted the recommendations of the Inspector General (IG) in a report titled “Review of National Best Practices.” This report compared LAPD to two documents that purported to be the latest, greatest views on policing. [Full article]

May 2017 – Lemonade

The Police Commission handed officers a lemon in November of 2015 when newly appointed Police Commission President Matt Johnson decided that uses of force must go down and changing our policy was the way to accomplish that goal. The Inspector General filed a report in March of 2016 that recommended incorporating de-escalation into the Use of Force Policy, among many other things. So, how do we turn a lemon into lemonade?  [Full article]

April 2017 – Another reason not to use your cell phone at work

On March 2, 2017, the California Supreme Court gave police officers another reason to leave
their personal cellphones in the locker when they suit up and head out to the streets. Now your
personal cellphone might be subject to a California Public Records Act (CPRA) request along
with being subjected to subpoenas for criminal and civil cases.  [Full article]

March 2017 – Police Commission administrative disapprovals matter

When you are involved in a categorical use of force, it starts a chain reaction. First, of course,
is the Force Investigation Division interview the night of the use of force. Then, there’s the
restriction from the field until you are cleared by Behavioral Science Section and the Chief
hears about your shooting at the 72-hour briefing. Then, about nine months later, there is a Use
of Force Board. FID makes a presentation of the investigation to the Board, and the Board makes
a recommendation to the Chief of Police. This is the first place that Administrative Disapproval
may appear in your life. [Full article]

February 2017 – Talking Tactics and De-escalation

These are the two issues that the Police Commission most critically focus on when reviewing your categorical use of force.  An officer was recently given an Administrative Disapproval by the Police Commission, in part, because he and his partner did not specifically discuss edged weapon tactics on the way to a 415 Woman with a Knife radio call.  And, you can be sure, that the topic of de-escalation will be the first thing that the Commission looks at in every use of force that results in injury or death of a suspect.  [Full article]

January 2017:  Charter change. What is it? Why did it happen? Why do we want it?

In March of this year, the public will be asked to approve a Charter change affecting discipline for LAPD officers. It addresses the makeup of the members of the Board of Rights. Currently, a Board of Rights consists of three members: two captains or above and one civilian. If this Charter change passes, an accused officer will have the option to choose three civilians for Board members, or the traditional two captains or above and one civilian. In other words, there will be an option to be judged by three civilians if you don’t trust the traditional two captains or above. Everything else in the Board of Rights system will remain the same.  [Full article]