CITY CAN DEAL WITH LAPD, RIORDAN SAYS MAYOR RESISTS OUTSIDE EFFORT.

Byline: Greg Gittrich and Beth Barrett Staff Writers

Back in Los Angeles after days of meetings in Washington, D.C., Mayor Richard Riordan on Thursday stood by his insistence that local leaders - not the federal government - should carry out reforms of the Los Angeles Police Department.

``In these discussions and meetings on police issues, I wanted to make clear to them that we know what the problems are. We know what must be done to correct those problems,'' Riordan said in a statement.

The two-page statement did not diverge from earlier comments the mayor made during a telephone interview with the Daily News on Tuesday, one day after U.S. Justice Department officials threatened to sue the city unless significant police reforms are implemented.

Riordan, who flew to Washington last week after getting early word of the federal ultimatum, has consistently supported LAPD Chief Bernard C. Parks. But the mayor has not indicated whether he is willing to fight the threatened civil rights lawsuit if federal officials insist upon taking control of the LAPD under a federal court consent decree.

Negotiations over the terms of a proposed consent decree, required by the federal government to avoid the lawsuit, are scheduled to begin next week.

In his Thursday statement, Riordan said reforms in the LAPD are ``well under way.''

``We have an inspector general and his independent review panel that is investigating the department and returning with its own findings. We have a police chief who has made it a priority to implement sound management, supervision, training and officer discipline. And we have expedited the implementation of a computer system to track bad cops,'' the mayor said.

``The political leadership of Los Angeles, the City Council, and the mayor have embraced the spirit of reform and has the resolve to bring about those changes.''

A majority of the City Council has conceded the city needs federal help to clean up problems in the LAPD but stopped short of saying the city should hand over control of the department to a federal monitor. Parks has declined to comment publicly since Justice Department officials met with him and other city leaders on Monday.

Riordan said he met with Bill Lann Lee, acting chief of the Justice Department's civil rights division, upon returning to Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon. According to the mayor, Lee ``wants to work with the city as a partner in reaching a realistic resolution.''

``He said he recognizes the willingness of our city's leadership to implement reform. He also said the Justice Department wants to avoid a costly and damaging lawsuit as much as we do.''

The mayor argued the purpose of next week's negotiations and future meetings is not to appease the Justice Department in order to avoid a lawsuit.

``Our purpose is positive,'' he said. ``Together we want to identify the most effective remedy to ensure the Justice Department concerns are addressed and that best serves the interests of Los Angeles and its Police Department.''

The strength and specifics of the Justice Department's case against the LAPD remain unknown and likely would not be revealed to the public in detail unless the city fights the lawsuit in court.

Federal authorities have said a four-year probe of the LAPD found lax supervision in the department has led officers to engage ``in a pattern or practice of excessive force, false arrests, and unreasonable searches and seizures.''

Empowered by a 1994 federal law, the Justice Department has hashed out consent decrees with state and city police departments in Pennsylvania, Ohio and New Jersey. In each case, a federal monitor was put in place to oversee the reforms, federal officials said.