As the LAPD’s Cooked Books Prove, LA is No Mayberry

Parks Place-Now that the comatose glow from the holidays has worn off, for some it’s back to trying to run away from the problems created in 2014 and several years prior. 

Last month, The Los Angeles Times covered several stories concerning LAPD ‘cookbooks’ as I call them, where violent crime statistics were categorized incorrectly and underreported to paint a picture of LA as kind of a Mayberry with no hard crime.  

If the public can't believe LAPD's crime stats, can they believe the department's arrest report, probable cause, search warrant affidavits, or court testimony? The LAPD stats have been suspect for over a decade- not only the reclassification issues, but the initial reporting that reports burglaries as thefts, auto thefts as embezzlement or domestic violence cases classified as Part II crimes regardless of the circumstances (just to name a few). 

You can read the May 2006 advisory I released here that criticized the way domestic violence and other offenses were categorized. 

The real goal of these crime stats irregularities was to manufacture a Part I crime picture that reflected a consistent crime reduction on "paper." It's unfortunate that this city with its significant investment in public safety cannot rely on its law enforcement officials to accurately and honestly report its crime stats which is the most basic of its responsibilities.

After all that cooking, you gotta set the books out to cool. Although the Times reported that violent crime has risen in the city the first time in 12 years, given the shoddy recordkeeping, I could go to Vegas or Pechanga with my bet that 2014 was not the first year the city experienced such a crime increase. 

I hope the Times continues to monitor this issue, specifically the length of time these reclassification errors covered, identifying personnel that were responsible for these errors and corrective actions that will be taken and what efforts will be made by LAPD to correct prior years’ stats so that there is an accurate historical comparison.

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Our dear friend Emily Alpert Reyes wrote about the influence the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE) has on City Hall. For those of you unfamiliar with the organization, they are, according to their website, "a leading advocacy organization dedicated to building a new economy for all." In reality, they are a squawk box for unions and like roaches, you may not see them all the time, but they’re there and will come out when food, or for sake of my analogy, when any union issues are on the table.  

Maybe I’m biased, because you all know I think LAANE is LAME, but the only things missing from this puff piece were icing and sprinkles. There was one quote, yes just one quote from a worker who has supposedly benefitted from LAANE’s efforts. For an organization that is all about economic justice for all, it sure is hard to find beneficiaries of LAANE’s promised bounty of fair wages and rainbows. 

Maybe the key to LAANE's 'success' lies in the fact that they are equal-opportunity when it comes to the courtroom. Not only are they are a key reason why the city is being sued, thanks to the ludicrous minimum wage hike for hotel workers they fronted. They're also suing the city because Walmart superstores are not unionized the way they want them to be. In this scenario, LAANE is both the chicken and the egg.

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Lastly, civil rights, ‘post-racialism’, equality, Ferguson, "I can’t breathe"...these aren’t just of-the-moment buzzwords, they’re reminders of how this country and this world, is still a work in progress when it comes to how we handle the racial and religious differences between us. On Friday, January 15, we wish Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. a happy birthday and on Monday, January 19, we honor and celebrate the contributions he gave to us.

This will be the last parade I participate in as a Councilmember, and the last Kingdom Day Festival (located at the end of the parade route just south of Vernon Ave to 48th Street on Crenshaw Blvd.) of my term following the parade. There will be live entertainment, information booths, and more.

I hope you’ll all come and invite your family, friends, and acquaintances to enjoy this special day.

 

(Bernard Parks is Los Angeles Councilman for the 8^th Council District. He is also  former Los Angeles Police Chief. He can be reached at [email protected]) 

-cw

 

 

 

CityWatch

Vol 13 Issue 4

Pub: Jan 13, 2015