PARKS PUSHES ZERO-TOLERANCE LAPD DRUG POLICY RELAXED HIRING CHALLENGED.Byline: KERRY CAVANAUGH Staff Writer Concerned that 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 . hired six officers who experimented with hard drugs as teens, Councilman Bernard Parks will introduce a City Council motion to reinstate the city's zero-tolerance drug policy. Parks' proposed motion was announced Monday during a debate in the council's Public Safety Committee over the city's background hiring standards. If approved by the council, the motion could reverse a 2003 Civil Service Commission decision that gave the Personnel Department more freedom to weigh experimental drug use against an applicant's accomplishments. LAPD 1. LAPD - Link Access Procedure on the D channel. 2. LAPD - Los Angeles Police Department. Chief William Bratton and the city's Personnel Department have said they support the 2003 standards that give them more flexibility in a competitive market. ``The chief of police is happy with these changes,'' said Cmdr. Kenneth O. Garner, who oversees hiring. ``They're 21st-century changes. They're progressive and they're in line with most other police agencies in the country.'' However, former police chief Parks and council members Dennis Zine and Greig Smith Greig Smith is a Los Angeles City Councilman, representing the 12th District, which includes Granada Hills, Northridge and other parts of the Western San Fernando Valley. Smith is also a reserve officer for the Los Angeles Police Department. -- both LAPD reserve officers -- said they oppose hiring any recruits who have committed a felony by using hard drugs. Drug use, even if a person just tried something once, shows he or she is susceptible to peer pressure and has a character weakness, Smith said. ``I'd rather not have the cops than have the wrong cops,'' he said. As a result of the city's new ``whole person'' analysis, the LAPD hired six officers even though they had experimented with hard drugs, such as cocaine, while minors. That's less than 1 percent of the 818 officers hired in the past 2 1/2 years. And police officials said the department has stricter hiring standards than most law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is a term used to describe any agency which enforces the law. This may be a local or state police, federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). , including the FBI. That should provide some comfort when ``the law enforcement agency Noun 1. law enforcement agency - an agency responsible for insuring obedience to the laws FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation - a federal law enforcement agency that is the principal investigative arm of the Department of Justice that has the front-line responsibility on the War on Terror This article is about U.S. actions, and those of other states, after September 11, 2001. For other conflicts, see Terrorism. The War on Terror (also known as the War on Terrorism has arguably lower standards than the LAPD,'' Councilman Jack Weiss said. Personnel General Manager Margaret Whelan said she is confident the six new officers hired have been thoroughly questioned during polygraph An instrument used to measure physiological responses in humans when they are questioned in order to determine if their answers are truthful. Also known as a "lie detector," the polygraph has a controversial history in U.S. law. tests and do not pose a risk to the department. kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com (213) 978-0390 |
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