Letters
to the
Editor
James K. Hahn
Los Angeles City Attorney
City Hall East, Room 1800
200 N. Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Dear Mr. Hahn:
I have enclosed copies of my
struggle to obtain fairness and
equal opportunity for officers on the
Los Angeles Police Department.
It has been a year since the
M.A.L.D.E.F. and Hispanic Advisory Commissions findings were
made available to the Los Angeles
Police Commission showing discrimination towards Hispanic Officers.
On March 10, 1987, the Los
Angeles Police Commission accepted these recommendations and
ordered the police chief to implement the changes.
Among these recommendations
were to improve and establish data
collection, bookkeeping and
monitoring procedures. Establish
goals for promotion of Latinos. Implementation of the "three whole
score" in the selection process, and
to prepare an annual public report
of this data.
The Department to this date has
not implemented or distributed any
special orders pertaining to the
Commission's findings or directives.
Chief Gates' statement of March
10, 1987, in rejection of the three
whole score for personnel selection,
"We believe the system we have is
a fair system and one that everyone
in the Department considers to be
devoid of manipulation," indicates
why there has not been any Department procedures outlined and implemented.
On July 14,1987, the Los Angeles
Police Commission directed Police
Chief Daryl Gates to draft a policy
statement which would prohibit
religion from influencing police
promotions. A policy which is necessary because of the abuses and
manipulation within the Office of
Operations by the second most powerful staff officer on the Department.
The Mayor and the police Commission continue to promote these
conditions by not enforcing the recommendations they themselves
acknowledged and directed.
Mayor Bradley signed an ordinance banning discrimination at
most of the large private clubs in
Los Angeles and City Controller
Rick Turtle called upon you for
"quick and stringent enforcement."
You were quoted in the Los
Angeles Times, "I'm putting
everyone on notice in the City of
Los Angeles it's time for organizations with discriminatory membership requirements to join the 20th
Century."
We have had in existence within
the history of the Los Angeles
Police Department discriminatory
policies directed at minorities. If
the article in the August 16, 1987,
Los Angeles Times is correct, "there
are few reins on city general managers and city general managers
have little accountability."
I request that you help implement and enforce the same type of
ordinance towards our police officers that serve our community.
The current police administration can and has stalled any reforms it deems not necessary (regardless of fairness) and in spite of
the police Commission and Mayor
Bradley directives.
If it takes specific ordinances to
bring us into the 20th Century,
please draft such laws and make
our city managers responsive to
them.
Sincerely,
Ernest F. Valdez