With the Los Angeles Police Department confronted with intense criticism for its policies of secrecy, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Police Chief William Bratton called for changing state law to ensure that police disciplinary board meetings and some records are reopened to the public, says the Los Angeles Times. Community activists and city officials expressed outrage that the police department held a secret hearing to clear the officer who fatally shot 13-year-old Devin Brown. Bratton likened the process to a “star chamber.” Said the chief: “The public has no access to it. The media has no access to it. That’s crazy, absolutely crazy. We have nothing to hide in the Los Angeles Police Department.”
Bratton will meet with state Sen. Gloria Romero today and offer support for a change in state law; he predicted it would be an “uphill battle” because of opposition from police union leaders. Bob Baker, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, said, “Although these are confidential meetings that are closed to reporters, the public is absolutely represented, both by civilian board of rights members, and by the inspector general.”
Link: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lapd12jan12,1,5099057.story?coll=la-headlines-ca