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Rampart: Feds give L.A. Isaac H. Cubillos
LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Justice Department’s chief civil rights attorney bluntly told the Los Angeles City Council they had two
choices to resolve police corruption: agree to the federal consent decree or face a civil rights lawsuit with dire consequences. U.S. Assistant Attorney General Bill Lann Lee, gave the ultimatum at the council meeting
as it begins reviewing recommendations from city staffers and the Justice Department. Lee chastized the city for failing to reform the police department when problems began surfacing and implementing recommendations
made almost 10 years ago. “This time, police reform must remain at the top of the city’s agenda for as long as it takes to get the job done,” Lee said. Lee said the only way to change the police culture of
corruption was to quickly accept the consent decree monitored by the federal court. Mayor Richard Riordan has opposed the decree, as has Police Chief Bernard Parks. The two have held up the council voting on the
matter until now, when the Lee gave the ultimatum. City Attorney James Hahn supports the decree citing that a lawsuit – which he believes the city would not win – could strap the city with severe restrictions. Lee
said, “We have been negotiating with the city for four months. We have been investigating for four years. We need to get this done. It is a solemn decision for me when it comes to filing litigation. We do it because we
mean it.” It is estimated that any reform of the police department will cost up to $45 million a year. “We have taken the best ideas from the city of Los Angeles and put that in the consent decree,” Lee said. “As
for costs, the Los Angeles Police Department has a more- than- $1 billion budget. We believe the funds can be found.” The corruption investigation of the police department’s Rampart Division found that dozens of
Latinos were set up by police officers with false testimony and evidence. Many Latinos were sentenced to prison based on false police testimony. Over 60 cases have already been overturned and hundreds of other cases are
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