PARTIAL DEAL OK'D IN LAPD SUIT : CITY FLESHING OUT DETAILS OF SETTLEMENT IN DISCRIMINATION, HARASSMENT CASE.

Byline: Rick Orlov Daily News Staff Writer

Seeking to gain more time to negotiate, the Los Angeles City Council on Friday approved proposing a partial settlement in a lawsuit aimed at ending discrimination and harassment in the Los Angeles Police Department.

Left on the table for further negotiations are the goals the city should have in hiring women and minorities in the Police Department and what damages could be paid for past discrimination.

``This is an effort to show good faith that the city is willing to move forward,'' Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg said. ``More than a bare majority of the council wanted us to continue to discuss the major issues, particularly the damages the city might be forced to pay.''

The city has been in negotiation over a settlement in the 2-1/2-year-old Tipton-Whittingham case in which the American Civil Liberties Union has sued the city in federal court charging civil rights violations in LAPD hiring and promotion patterns.

The ACLU has pushed for a consent decree which would set goals for hiring and promotions of women and minorities over the next 18 years, while a settlement on financial damages in the case will be worked out over the coming months.

Councilwoman Laura Chick, who chairs the council's Public Safety Committee, said the counteroffer outlines what the city and LAPD already have committed to do themselves to reduce discrimination and harassment in the department.

The counteroffer doesn't deal with an ACLU proposal to allow it and outside consultants to take over a major role in reworking how the department recruits and promotes women and minorities.

``It's radically different than what was before us,'' Chick said. ``Basically, what we did was we took out all of the consultants and giving jurisdiction and authority to outside entities, making a very strong statement that we feel these are our goals and policies, and we need to be in charge of them.''

Goldberg said she hoped the city offer will convince the federal courts the city is serious and will give it the two to three months needed to negotiate the final details.

Confronted with estimates that damages and other costs could go from $28 million to $38 million - as well as opposition from Mayor Richard Riordan and the Police Commission - the council agreed to forestall the major portions of the proposed consent decree proposal.

``What we are saying is, look, we have come this far - give us time to work out the rest,'' Goldberg said.

The city and the ACLU are scheduled to have a status conference next Tuesday on the issue with federal Magistrate Judge Rosalyn Chapman.

Chick said the City Attorney's Office will now meet with plaintiff attorneys to see what they say about the counteroffer.

``In terms of this being a definitive offer on our part, we want to approve the final wording on Tuesday,'' Chick said.

Carol Sobel of the ACLU said attorneys suing the city will meet with their clients to determine what the next step should be.

``We'll meet with the City Attorney's Office on Monday to see exactly what they're proposing and then determine our course of action,'' Sobel said.

Riordan released a statement in support of the council's changes, saying it reflected what the LAPD already was doing.

The mayor's criticism of the consent decree has been that it removes the Police Commission's authority to make changes in hiring and promotional practices in the future without spelling out the city's liability.