DEBATE INTENSIFIES ON NEED FOR OVERSIGHT.

Byline: Beth Barrett, Greg Gittrich and Rick Orlov Staff Writers

With the LAPD taking full responsibility for the Rampart scandal, Chief Bernard C. Parks won broad support Wednesday to move forward with reforms but the debate intensified over whether he can succeed without an outside commission and expanded civilian oversight.

A Board of Inquiry report compiled by 300 command officers and investigators was formally released, putting the official stamp on its finding that a pervasive culture of ``mediocrity'' had poisoned the department and given rise to the worst corruption scandal in its history.

Mayor Richard Riordan, the Police Commission and a majority of City Council members agreed, at least for now, to stand behind the chief and the department's plan of action, as outlined in 108 recommendations in the board report.

``I don't recall a time in government history when a government agency has made this kind of comprehensive self-criticism and, in this case, it is devastating,'' Riordan said.

With pressure mounting in the past few weeks for an independent review of the scandal-plagued department, Parks said credit should be given to the department's forthrightness in admitting and exposing the depth of its problems. The chief stressed that LAPD brass should be given a chance to work in tandem with the civilian Police Commission to rectify the unprecedented scourge of incompetence and corruption.

``This is a two-sided sword,'' Parks said. ``It's not a proud moment in the sense of what's in the report. But it is a proud moment in terms of the clarity of what we can report, and in terms of what needs to be done.''

The 362-page report describes a litany of supervisorial breakdowns, system failures and disciplinary flaws that allowed a handful of dirty officers to commit crimes, defy LAPD policies and frame dozens of suspects.

Parks challenged the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office to conduct a similar review of its operations in sending suspects to prison on falsified evidence. Parks said the entire criminal justice system broke down, not just the Police Department.

The devastating LAPD Board of Inquiry report marked a huge paradigm shift in the way the department is now viewed by both those within its ranks and the public, said Deputy Chief Michael Bostic, the department's commanding officer for the Valley who headed up the inquiry.

``We can no longer trust the integrity of every officer in the Los Angeles Police Department and we now know that,'' Bostic said.

Commission backs Parks

The Police Commission also stood squarely behind Parks' decision to handle the exhaustive review of the department internally with the only citizens oversight coming from the five commissioners.

``We will assess the report's conclusions and recommendations for accuracy, completeness and effectiveness,'' said Gerald L. Chaleff, president of the commission.

``We are also prepared to go beyond the scope of the Board of Inquiry if that is what it takes to hold the department and the commission accountable.''

``Our goal is to assure the people of Los Angeles that 'Rampart' never happens again. We intend to thoroughly review the systemic and supervisory issues to reach this goal. Only then can the public's confidence in the department and civilian oversight be restored.''

Riordan said he has tremendous faith in the commission and its judgment in hiring outside expertise it needs to complete the reforms. Parks has requested about $9.2 million from the council to begin hiring more Internal Affairs investigators and other staffers, and the council is promising additional resources for the commission.

However, the margin of confidence in Parks and the department's capabilities to assess and change itself remains tenuous, with some City Council members, police representatives, civil rights leaders and community activists saying there is too much at stake to allow the police to, in essence, police themselves.

Independent oversight is crucial and needed immediately, they said.

Positive sign

Councilman Joel Wachs of Studio City, who has pressed for an independent commission, called the LAPD's self-diagnosis a therapeutic and positive sign but warned that it does not foreclose outside scrutiny.

``I think they should be commended on the report in that it really takes a giant step in dealing with the worst police scandal in modern history,'' Wachs said.

``The magnitude and seriousness of their own findings underscore why a broad-based, outside review should be welcome as a helpful tool in resolving this. This report does not obviate the needs for an independent review, nor should it be in conflict.''

Councilwoman Rita Walters said reform is too important to be left to insiders.

``This is something that we really must look at independently,'' Walters said. `We have to dig it up, root it out and be certain that there are no Ramparts in our future.''

Stung by the broad-brush indictment by LAPD brass, the department's rank and file renewed demands for an independent review of the Board of Inquiry report.

``I don't think there is a culture of mediocrity,'' said Los Angeles Police Protective League President Ted Hunt.

``I know that's how they see it, but they're desperately looking for reasons why this occurred. We believe we have the best police department in the world that's just been kicked in the shins by Rafael Perez, who betrayed us and the people of California.''

Perez was sentenced Friday to five years in prison for stealing cocaine held as evidence, under a plea bargain that got him to reveal the extent of corruption within the Rampart Division anti-gang unit.

Independent commission sought

The skepticism - and in some cases, outright disbelief - that the LAPD can reform itself is strongest among civil rights groups and other longtime critics who say the department's record is dismal when it comes to fixing itself after scandals come to light.

The ACLU of Southern California, in particular, rejected Riordan's contention that an outside review of the LAPD is unnecessary.

``It's time for the mayor to wake up. This city and its Police Department need an independent commission - and we need it now,'' the American Civil Liberties Union argued in a two-page statement.

``Relying on the Police Department to ferret out all of the underlying problems is like having a cancer patient operate on himself. Only an independent, blue-ribbon commission with a broad mandate to examine the entire criminal justice system and then to ensure that the necessary reforms are implemented by the Police Department can do the job the residents of Los Angeles deserve.''

The ACLU criticized Parks and top commanders for claiming credit for uncovering the scandal.

``If Rafael Perez had not been arrested for theft and copped a plea following a mistrial in order to gain a lighter sentence, the structural problems that have been festering for years - shootings, beatings, cover-ups, perjurous statements - would not have been discovered.''

'A very small minority'

To date, the department's ongoing criminal investigation has not turned up widespread corruption. But Parks said that remains a distinct possibility and noted that the FBI joined the criminal probe last week.

``We have to remember that although these are tragic and terrible incidents that we are discussing, that we are talking about a very small minority of personnel in this department. At this time, there is only one officer in custody dealing with these issues,'' Parks said.

It has been almost nine years since the Christopher Commission called for reforms following the beating of Rodney King by LAPD officers, and one of its members on Wednesday said the department's problems now may be the result of not taking those recommendations seriously enough.

Then-Chief Daryl F. Gates initially rejected the report, and never did the department embrace it, said Leo Estrada, a University of California, Los Angeles, urban planning professor who served on the blue-ribbon commission.

``In reality, because they did not accept the recommendations and respond to them, it came back full circle,'' Estrada said. ``At the same time, other departments in California made our report required reading. Throughout the U.S., the issues we raised were reviewed.''

'Saddest day of career'

Calling Wednesday the ``saddest day of my career,'' Bostic said 20 of the report's 108 recommendation were critical to prevent mediocrity and corruption from overtaking the department.

The recommendations singled out by Bostic include a call for major revisions of state law to allow the department to complete thorough criminal background checks on all prospective cops, more intense psychological screening for new recruits, and polygraph and financial checks of all officers.

Bostic said it is imperative for the police chief to have the ultimate hiring authority rather than trusting a citizens personnel department.

The Police Department's personnel evaluation system needs to be revamped to more accurately categorize an officer's performance and departmentwide tracking systems need to be automated.

``We can't tell you on any given day where our people are (in the field),'' he said.

In addition, Bostic said, the department needs to conduct more aggressive audits and rely heavily on a strengthened Internal Affairs division, recently empowered to conduct spot checks and sting operations designed to catch bad cops.

``We trust 99 percent of our employees, but clearly we cannot rely on the systems we have to catch the other 1 percent.''

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Photo: (color) Officers Estanislao Rosales, left, and Ray Barron are shown leaving the West Valley station

John McCoy/Staff Photographer