Finally, an attaboy/girl from the IG
In May of 2017, the Inspector General (IG) examined the Department and came up with 24 national best practice recommendations. On Oct. 1oth this year, at the request of the Police Commission, the IG presented a report on how LAPD was progressing on the
previous recommendations. “Overall, the OIG found that the Department has made great strides in implementing the recommendations adopted by the Commission,” the report stated.
But don’t get cocky. As we all know, it takes a thousand “attaboys” to cancel out one “Ah-sh*t!” It might make sense to go over some of the findings in this report because it signals what the next focus of the Department will be in response thereto. You might be able to predict where the microscope will be trained next and anticipate the coming blows so you can effectively survive and prosper.
Procedural justice
You have probably been through some sort of training on procedural justice. There will be a continuing focus on this. In case you have forgotten, there are four primary principles that you will be examined on.
1. Treating people with dignity and respect.
2. Giving citizens an opportunity to explain their perspective during encounters.
3. Being neutral and transparent in decision-making.
4. Explaining your motives so that a person can understand why you are taking an action.
Anticipate that there will be an increase in auditing your body-worn video contacts with the focus on these four areas. A training bulletin is in the works. The IG is recommending that watch commanders be required to do a procedural justice assessment for certain types of arrests. Your every contact is on the BWV. Make a good record.
Biased policing
On the day that I am writing this, there is an article in the LA Times titled “LAPD searches blacks and Latinos more. But they’re less likely to have contraband than whites.” The pressure is always on and ginned up by the media. The IG is recommending more training on implicit bias and a permanent teaching cadre.
More significantly to your career path, cultural and gender sensitivity will be an element in selecting and keeping field training officers. A new digital management system is being developed that will allow for more effective tracking and analysis of FTO and probationary officer performance in regard to these issues.
The IG recommends:
1. Emphasize procedural justice.
2. Collect detailed stop data.
3. Identify metrics to measure and incentivize community engagement in a non-enforcement capacity.
4. Expand video review by supervisors.
5. Analyze stop data and other data to reveal potential issues of bias.
Additional stop data fields
Like there isn’t enough already. But the IG recommends that another four fields be added. There should be a “type of stop” field. They can’t tell whether it was a ped stop or a vehicle stop. There should be a “homeless status” field. Are we over-enforcing the homeless? There should be a more specific “local ordinance” field that provides a drop-down list of code sections. The Department needs to better analyze the reason for each stop, including quality-of-life municipal code violations. And finally, a field should be added that determines if a person was “asked about being on parole or probation.” Are there disparities on who is being asked and under what conditions?
In addition, the IG is recommending that stop data be some-how incorporated into TEAMS II.
Business cards
The IG found that the manual section on business cards was not being followed consistently. The manual requires that officers provide a business card to those they have detained and released without a citation or arrest. For stops that are documented in the stop data system, the date and time of the stop, as well as the last four digits of the related incident, must be written on the card.
The Department told the IG that it plans to conduct an inspection to ensure that officers are carrying business cards with them in the field. Expect the microscope on this issue.
Community policing
The IG wants the Department to evaluate deployment practices to ensure that there is sufficient time for officers to engage in community engagement. “It is hoped that improved tracking of officers’ time, including information about the time spent conducting community engagement activities, will help the Department to better evaluate its deployment practices,” the IG wrote. Translation: log community engagement activities. The IG wants the CAD system and COMPSTAT to be updated to show these activities.
Conclusion
Scrutiny in the above areas are on the way. Knowledge, articulation and accuracy are the best defenses. Apply them. Only 999 attaboys to go to make up for the next mistake.
Be legally careful out there.
