LAPD TERROR EFFORTS TO BE GIVEN AUDIT.

Byline: Josh Kleinbaum and Beth Barrett Staff Writers

LAPD's chief watchdog will launch an audit of the department's anti-terrorism activities early next year in the wake of a Daily News report that found the mandatory reviews haven't been conducted for more than seven years.

Los Angeles Police Department Inspector General Andre Birotte said last week that he had not yet determined the scope of the audit, including whether it will cover only the Anti-Terrorism Intelligence Section or its larger umbrella group, the Major Crimes Division.

``The broader the scope would be ideal, but we have to take a look first before we can define it, and we have to consider our resources,'' Birotte said.

The annual audits were a key condition of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California's 1984 $1.8 million settlement with the city, and were intended to end police abuses of keeping secret dossiers on prominent individuals.

While court monitoring ended in the 1990s, the audits still were mandated under department guidelines. But the last Police Commission audit - which was to be overseen by a two-person panel - was for fiscal year 1997.

Commission staff said the audits, which aren't required under a federal consent decree, ceased amid other workload demands.

Mark Rosenbaum, ACLU of Southern California legal director and one of the attorneys who negotiated the 1984 settlement, said Commission Vice President Alan Skobin - the commission's liaison to the LAPD on terrorism matters - has assured him that the audit will be done in a timely manner.

``We'll watch it really carefully,'' Rosenbaum said, saying the ACLU will give the inspector general a reasonable time to complete a ``solid audit.''

Skobin said in an interview that he learned about a year ago the audits weren't being done but waited until more inspector general resources became available to press the issue.

Skobin said he had been briefed regularly on police intelligence activities in accordance with the department's guidelines adopted Dec. 10, 1996.

``Part of what we're going to do is to institutionalize the audits through the Inspector General's office as an additional layer of civilian oversight of anti-terrorism. We've already had several meetings on the audit. Everybody's going to be very pleased with the thoroughness and safeguards put in place so audits happen in the future. Strong civilian oversight of the anti-terrorism division - that is solved.''

Skobin said he would be personally involved in the upcoming audit.

Under department procedures, the commission president or his designee serves as the board's ``Undercover Investigation Committee'' to ensure civilian oversight of LAPD's covert operations.

The committee must approve a handful of activities, including undercover investigations, undercover Internet activity, use of restricted equipment such as audio recording devices and transmitters, and the infiltration of nontarget organizations to gain access to target organizations.

Skobin said he had been notified by LAPD properly on those matters in accordance with the guidelines.

Beth Barrett, [phone]

beth.barrett(at)dailynews.com