2 COUNCILMEN GET MIXED REACTION TO PLAN.Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer The call by two officials to withdraw from the federal consent decree A settlement of a lawsuit or criminal case in which a person or company agrees to take specific actions without admitting fault or guilt for the situation that led to the lawsuit. A consent decree is a settlement that is contained in a court order. over the Los Angeles Police Department "LAPD" and "L.A.P.D." redirect here. For other uses, see LAPD (disambiguation).  This article or section is written like an . drew a mixed response Wednesday. Councilmen Hal Bernson Hal Bernson served as Los Angeles City Councilman for the 12th district. He was chair of the Transportation Committee. Prior to being on the City Council, he served in the Navy. Preceded by Robert M. and Rudy Svorinich Rudy Svorinich (born 1960) is a Republican who served on the Los Angeles City Council representing the 15th district. A resident of San Pedro, his diverse district also includes the community of Watts. He was elected to the council in 1993 and served two full terns. formally introduced their proposal Wednesday, setting the stage for a showdown debate by the City Council on Friday. ``The reason for this is clear,'' Svorinich said at a news conference in front of LAPD 1. LAPD - Link Access Procedure on the D channel. 2. LAPD - Los Angeles Police Department. headquarters at Parker Center Parker Center is the headquarters for the Los Angeles Police Department, and is located in Downtown LA. It is named for former LAPD chief William H. Parker. Originally with the prosaic name, the Police Administration Building, ground for the center was broken on December 30, 1952 . ``Attrition is up. Crime is up. Morale is down. The only thing that will benefit from this consent decree is an increase in crime in our city.'' Bernson said the council has a new opportunity to rescind the consent decree because a federal judge has not yet signed off on it. U.S. District Judge Gary Feess has balked balk v. balked, balk·ing, balks v.intr. 1. To stop short and refuse to go on: The horse balked at the jump. 2. at finalizing the deal because he wants to make sure the court plays a role in overseeing reforms at the LAPD. ``I warned that if we signed this, that at some point a judge or special master would step in and take over the Police Department,'' Bernson said. ``That's what it looks like will happen.'' Police Chief Bernard C. Parks Bernard Parks (born December 7, 1943 in Beaumont, Texas) is a member of the Los Angeles City Council, representing the 8th District in South Los Angeles and former Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. Parks attended Los Angeles City College, received his B.S. , who had opposed the consent decree, said he would not discuss his personal views about the Bernson-Svorinich proposal. ``I will abide by whatever the City Council decides,'' Parks said. However, Ramona Ripston, executive director of American Civil Liberties Union American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), nonpartisan organization devoted to the preservation and extension of the basic rights set forth in the U.S. Constitution. of Southern California, said the council members' proposal gives her hope her organization will be allowed to intervene in the consent decree when it has a hearing before Feess on Jan. 22. ``While I'm doubtful the City Council will withdraw the consent decree, I think it helps our motion for intervention,'' Ripston said. ``We think it confirms what we've said about the council not wanting to have this consent decree and looking to do what it can to get out from under it. ``I think Svorinich and Bernson are looking to (President-elect) George W. Bush and (Attorney General nominee) John Ashcroft and their belief the federal government should not be watching local police departments,'' Ripston said. The consent decree was negotiated last year after the U.S. Department of Justice threatened to sue the city on a ``patterns and practice'' allegation of civil rights violations. The consent decree would remain in effect for a minimum of five years, during which the city would have to develop a computerized tracking system of officers, keep track of the races of individuals who are stopped and take other steps regarding officer discipline. Former state Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa, who is a candidate for mayor, criticized the Svorinich-Bernson proposal as backpedaling on the consent decree. The first of the candidates to back the consent decree, Villaraigosa sent a letter to the council saying the decree is needed because of the LAPD's inability to police itself. ``Unfortunately, the public does not trust the department to implement change on its own,'' Villaraigosa wrote. ``Any effort to backpedal now and reject federal involvement is unacceptable, irresponsible, inappropriate and ill-timed.'' |
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