Los Angeles Police Commission
Vice President and former President of the Los Angeles Police Commission, a five-member civilian panel that oversees the LAPD's operations and policies; chairman of ParksSave, a group that advocates for protecting and restoring funding for city parks; former head of the City of Los Angeles' Recreation and Parks Commission
The City of LA Pays Millions to Wrongfully Convicted Men The LA City Council has agreed to pay $24 million to settle lawsuits by two men whose wrongful convictions for murder cost them years of their lives in prison. In a memo obtained by the LA Times, the City Attorney’s office called one case "extremely dangerous" and said the other was even "more problematic." Matt Lait is City Editor of the Times and a long-time police and investigative reporter.
Will Police Body Cams Make the LAPD User Friendly? When police departments around the country have mandated body cameras, both uses of force by officers and public complaints have often dropped dramatically. Starting Monday, the LAPD will issue 860 body cams — the first of a planned 7000. But, even though the Police Commission, the police department and the police union agree they’re a good idea, many questions remain.
Violent Crime in LA on the Rise Violent crime is up 27 percent across the city so far this year, compared to the same period last year, according to new numbers from the Los Angeles Police Department. Within that, the biggest spike has been in aggravated assaults. And the neighborhood that’s seen the biggest jump is in and around Skid Row. There, violent crime’s gone up 73 percent, almost three times more than in the rest of the city. What’s driving the numbers?
Chief Beck, His Future and the Future of Drones at the LAPD Charlie Beck became Chief of the LAPD five years ago, and he's asked the Police Commission for another five-year term. In the meantime, Chief Beck has been very cautious about the use of two unmanned drones the LAPD has been given by the City of Seattle. Joel Rubin covers the LAPD for the Los Angeles Times .
Are LAPD Officers Trying to Hide Something? At this week's meeting of the LA Police Commission, questions were raised about officers removing 72 out of 160 antennas on video cameras mounted on police cars to monitor their behavior. That's both to discourage police misconduct and protect the cops themselves from false claims of abuse. Most of the tampering occurred in the Southeast Division, where the LAPD once was regarded as an occupying army. When it occurred, last summer, Chief Charlie Beck did not order an investigation and didn't immediately tell the Commission. Steve Soboroff is the Commission Chairman.
Soboroff Named New President of the LA Police Commission The LA Police Department was once known as an "occupying army" in minority neighborhoods, and that helped spark the Rodney King riots of 1992. Republican Mayor Richard Riordan agreed to a consent decree from a federal court, but when the court recently released the city from the decree, it said, "The Question is: will the institutions of Los Angeles, under new management, be able to protect and enhance the reforms that have been achieved?" Yesterday, Mayor Eric Garcetti's newly appointed Police Commission chose Steve Soboroff as President, and he quoted those words. Soboroff is a successful businessman and developer, who once ran for Mayor himself.
Steve Soboroff Pushes for Park Funding Last night, we asked mayoral candidates Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel how long the city could go without a tax increase. We didn't get any answers. One popular department that's been stripped of funding in recent years is Recreation and Parks. Steve Soboroff is a former Department Commissioner and one-time mayoral candidate who's got some ideas about future funding.
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
