POLICE ORDINANCES PUSHED.

Byline: Deborah Sullivan Daily News Staff Writer

Los Angeles should adopt an ordinance to protect the rights and confidentiality of police employees who contact the LAPD inspector general, a City Council panel recommended Monday.

The council's Public Safety Committee also referred to the full council a proposed ordinance to require city boards, including the Police Commission, to report all closed-session actions to the city clerk except in extremely sensitive cases.

The committee approved the recommendation on the inspector general and sent it to the full council for a Friday vote.

``Employees should be free to contact the Inspector General or respond to queries from the Inspector General without having to fear that their employment might be adversely affected,'' according to the measure. ``No employee shall be harassed or suffer adverse employment action because he or she contacted or was contacted by the Inspector General.''

At the committee's request, that provision will be expanded to include peer harassment.

``That, I think, needs to be beefed up,'' said Councilman Mike Feuer.

In addition, the ordinance states that information provided to the inspector general shall be confidential.

The proposal embodies protections the council deemed necessary for the inspector general to oversee the Police Department's disciplinary procedures and complaint handling process.

It follows a set of six recommendations the council proposed last month to strengthen the authority of the position.

The city attorney issued a report last week asserting that several of the suggestions fell outside the jurisdiction of the council, but Special Assistant City Attorney Frederick Merkin said the measures protecting witnesses from harassment come under the council's authority over the city's workplace environment.