Which Way, L.A.?
The LAPD: Racial Profiling and the Federal Government
The US Department of Justice has warned the Los Angeles Police Department it's not doing enough to end the practice of racial profiling. The Police Commission is reportedly impatient because so few officers have been called to account for a practice the Commission thinks is continuing. We talk with Chief Charlie Beck about that and other issues. Also, LA County's Board of Supervisors bans plastic bags, and increasing tension over the ballot count for State Attorney General. On our rebroadcast of To the Point, can the lame duck Congress get anything done?
By Warren Olney • • 52m ListenThe federal Department of Justice has warned the Los Angeles Police Department it's not doing enough to end the practice of racial profiling. The Police Commission is reportedly impatient because so few officers have been called to account for a practice the Commission thinks is continuing. We talk with Chief Charlie Beck about that and other issues, including cooperation with the FBI and the decreasing rate of crime. Also, LA County's Board of Supervisors bans plastic bags, and increasing tension over the ballot count for State Attorney General. On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, it's down to the wire for the lame-duck session of Congress with Democrats still in control but drastically weakened by Republican victories in the mid-term elections. We get a preview.
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In this episode
4 storiesLos Angeles County Bans Plastic Bags
The LA Board of Supervisors today banned plastic bags from all stores in the unincorporated parts of the County. It also approved a 10-cent surcharge on paper carry-out bags. Elizabeth Marcellino reports for the City News Service .
Read the story7 minLA Police Chief Beck Discusses Racial Profiling
After the Rampart scandal in 2001, the Los Angeles Police Department was under a federal consent decree that required monitoring of various reforms. When Judge Gary Feess lifted the decree last year, he said the Department of Justice should continue its oversight of the LAPD’s effort to get rid of racial profiling.
Read the story13 minAttorney General Campaigns Focus on the Ballot Counting
The recent election is by no means over for District Attorneys Steve Cooley of Los Angeles and Kamala Harris of San Francisco. Their race for State Attorney General is so close that provisional ballots that are still being counted will decide the winner, unless one side demands a recount.
Read the story5 minCan the Lame Duck Congress Get Anything Done?
Democrats postponed some of their most important business until after the mid-term elections. Now, they’re facing a lame-duck session with no appropriations bills passed and the Bush tax cuts about to expire before the end of the year.
Read the story26 min
