COUNCIL AGREES ON MONITOR IN LAPD PROBE CONSENT DECREE NEARLY FINAL.

Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer

The Los Angeles City Council agreed Friday to hire a New York firm to serve as monitor for its pending consent decree over the Los Angeles Police Department, despite protests it was under pressure to act.

The 9-3 council vote also approved the hiring of a Texas firm to develop the criteria for the consent decree, estimated to cost $11 million in the next five years.

Officials from the city and the federal Department of Justice will submit the names of the two firms Monday to federal Judge Gary Feess. They are Kroll-O'Gara Inc., which would serve as the full-time monitor, and the San Antonio firm of Public Management Resources, which would develop the criteria and ground rules for implementing the decree.

The two firms were selected from 19 that had applied for the job by a team composed of Chief Legislative Analyst Ron Deaton, Deputy Mayor Kelly Martin, Chief Assistant City Attorney Tim McOsker and representatives of the LAPD.

Deaton said officials from the city and federal government believed the two firms had the necessary experience to serve as monitors to implement the consent decree.

Questioned as to whether the firms would understand the size, diversity and culture of Los Angeles and the Police Department, Deaton said he believed they would be quick to correct any problems.

``If they saw any hint that what had happened in Rampart was still going on, they are the kind of people who would not rest until the problem was fixed,'' Deaton said. ``We would be in court so quick, it would make our heads spin.''

Selection of the monitor, subject to the court's approval, is the last step to implementing the document, even though city officials said they already have begun to put its provisions into effect. Feess has delayed signing the decree until he can approve the monitor.

The monitor's role is to oversee the provisions of the decree and report to the court on a quarterly basis whether the city is complying with its terms. The decree is to remain in effect at least five years.

Councilmen Mike Hernandez, Nate Holden and Nick Pacheco, however, protested the speed with which the council acted.

``You've been negotiating this for six months, and this is the first day we are hearing who you are recommending,'' Hernandez said. ``In the end, it will be this council who is held responsible if we didn't select the right firm. I think we ought to have some time to review this.''

The consent decree was prompted by a long-running Justice Department investigation of the LAPD, culminating with the Rampart Division corruption case in which the federal government accused the city of a ``pattern and practice'' of improper police behavior.

Under terms of the agreement, Kroll-O'Gara chief executive Michael Cherkasky will serve as primary monitor. In the past, he served as monitor over elections for the Teamsters Union. Cherkasky is a former assistant district attorney in New York and served as an adviser to the Orange County grand jury in its investigation of the situation which led to its declaring bankruptcy.

Developing the criteria for the consent decree will be done by Dr. James Ginger of Public Management Resources, the only firm in the country that has experience with police department consent decrees.