If you thought the problem was being ignored, the LAPD's News Release below is proof positive that it is not. It is so important when there is a problem to move towards a solution. If you are passionate about an issue, make sure to express yourself in an intelligent, articulate manner in the proper forum. Anything less diminishes your message and detracts away from whatever statement you are trying to make.
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and Law
Enforcement Leaders in Washington, D.C. NR15360jr
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Washington DC: Today, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck joined
President Obama and Bill Keller, Editor-in-Chief of The Marshall Project, for a
conversation on criminal justice reform with US Attorney John Walsh from
Colorado. The focus of the discussion was how to make America's law enforcement
and correctional practices more just and effective.
Said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, "There is an important and necessary
national conversation happening right now about use-of-force and the role of
police, especially in communities of color.
Though L.A. has a painful history and still experiences difficult moments
today, we have taken extraordinary steps to break from the past - and our
achievements and commitment to continuing progress have earned our city a place
among America's leaders in 21st century policing and criminal justice reform.
That is affirmed by Chief Beck's conversation with President Obama today at the
White House, as they discuss ways that America's law enforcement and
correctional practices can be made fairer and more effective.
Cities across the nation can find transformative lessons in L.A.'s story - as
we deepen our police department's relationships with the communities they
serve, emphasize de-escalation tactics and transparency through what will be
the nation's largest body-camera program, and provide pathways to second
chances for nonviolent offenders instead of pipelines to prison."
Said LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, "We have to recognize that all crimes do not
carry the same weight and some crimes involve addiction and mental illness and
have other pathways that can be more effective than incarceration. We are a
reflection of a much larger issue in America. There is racial disparity in
housing, in employment, in the entire economic system… We have to look at these
things in totality and address them as a nation."
The Los Angeles Police Department has embraced the recommendations from the
President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing Interim Report released earlier
this year. A key pillar of the Interim Report pertains to developing policy and
oversight with regard to Police Training and Education. This summer, Chief Beck
unveiled a five-hour block of training to every field officer in the LAPD on
the topic of reverence for life. The training utilized historical reference
points including the 1992 Riots and the Rampart Corruption Scandal, as well as
national use of force incidents to highlight key transformational moments in
the department's history. The course included a block on building our capacity
to engage the mentally ill. Officers took away the reminder that reverence for
all life is the cornerstone to constitutional policing.
Chief Beck addressed a second pillar of the report - Community Policing and
Crime Reduction - through continued growth of the Cadet program, establishing
an LAPD Headquarters Cadet Post in order to recognize the voice of youth in
community decision-making. The Department is also spearheading a Juvenile
Arrest Diversion Program in Operations-South Bureau designed to keep first time
offenders from jail time through social engagement, education, and job
training.
The panel discussion at the White House was live-streamed at 2:00 PM Eastern
Time Thursday. It can be viewed at The Marshall Project and Yahoo.
*
Source of official information in this posting is the Los Angeles Police
Department; NR15360jr.
