July 26, 2007 - The Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Police Protective League today announced a transition in leadership. Bob Baker, who has been League President since 2002, will be retiring from the Los Angeles Police Department after 37 years, and will be stepping down from his post on July 31. He will be replaced as League President by Board Vice President Tim Sands, who has served as a Board member and League officer since 1997.
Detective Baker has spent his entire career with the LAPD. With 37 years in the Department, including 23 years as a narcotics Detective, he will be retiring as a senior supervisor. He was first elected to the Board of Directors in 1999. He has since been reelected three times and has been president of the League since 2002. Baker will be joining the staff of District Attorney Steve Cooley, where he will be working as a liaison with law enforcement, including the LAPD, the Sheriff's Department and other municipal and county agencies, to expand and improve law enforcement training within Los Angeles County and statewide.
District Attorney Steve Cooley is looking forward to Baker's arrival on his team. "He will be a real asset to what this office is trying to accomplish," says the District Attorney.
Officer Sands is a 33-year department veteran who spent 18 years working on the streets in patrol, traffic, vice and narcotics, before spending five years representing officers at administrative boards of rights hearings. He has been Board Vice president for five years; previously he was Board treasurer for five years. He has also been League legal chairman since 1999.
Other continuing Board members include Sergeant Paul Weber, Board Treasurer; Officer Corina Lee, Board Secretary; Detective Jack Cota; Officer Ray Espinoza; Lieutenant Brian Johnson; Officer Scott Rate; and Officer Peter Repovich.
"Bob has been an immeasurable asset to this League. In the past five years, under his leadership, we have made great strides in fighting off attacks on our pensions, maintaining flexible work schedules, and working to create workable solutions to the impositions of the consent decree. We have also gone through several contract negotiations and walked away with good results despite a difficult fiscal environment," says Sands.
"It is going to be hard for me to walk away from this Department and the men and women of the LAPD, but I am thrilled to be leaving the League leadership in the capable hands of Tim and the other Board members," said Baker. "Tim is a terrific leader whose expertise in protecting officers' legal rights is a great benefit to the League. I know that under his leadership the Board will continue to achieve success in protecting officers' rights and benefits."
Editor's note: Reporters wishing to speak to District Attorney Cooley about Bob Baker and his new position as law enforcement liaison should contact District Attorney Media Relations Department. (213) 974-3525.
About the LAPPL
Formed in 1922, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents the more than 9,000 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education. The LAPPL can be found on the Web at www.LAPD.com.
Showing posts with label los angeles police. Show all posts
Showing posts with label los angeles police. Show all posts
Friday, July 27, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
LAPPL MAKES SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE THE LAPD
The Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Police Protective League today issued the following statement regarding ways in which the LAPD might improve training and command and control in the wake of the incident in MacArthur Park on May 1st.
"Training is the backbone of good police work. Constant, updated training ensures that officers know not only what to do, but can implement the Department's policies, procedures and expectations for any given incident. The May 1 incident revealed the downside of the Department's cost-based decision over the past several years to abandon introductory training for new Metropolitan Division (Metro) officers, and to not train all officers for large tactical situations. Moving forward, the LAPD leadership also needs to evaluate the training of command staff to respond to large demonstrations."
The LAPPL recommends that any command, control and training changes in the wake of theMacArthur Park incident should include the following:
All new Metropolitan Division (Metro) officers attend "new person school" in their first deployment period assigned to Metro. Class size should be limited to 18 officers, the maximum number that can effectively be trained at one time.
All Bureau-dedicated officers assigned to the Mobile Field Force (MFF) citywide should attend a Metro-coordinated MFF training class on a quarterly basis. Thereafter, Metro training cadre should conduct random realistic readiness audits of each Bureau MFF.
A clear use-of-force policy regarding the use of batons in crowd control procedures needs to be reiterated as part of on-the-job training and disseminated to MFF officers during pre-event briefings.
All Command officers should be required to attend a full day of crowd control management classes on a yearly basis.
All LAPD officers deployed to a major crowd event should be allowed to carry on their person appropriate safety equipment, including helmet with face shield, batons and protective masks.
Anytime LAPD officers are deployed to a major incident, undercover officers should be deployed into the crowd-however, only for intelligence gathering purposes.
Anytime undercover officers are deployed into the crowd for intelligence gathering purposes, an adequate number of high-ground officers should be utilized.
Media procedures (consistent with the Crespo settlement) should be communicated to all officers assigned to an event during pre-event briefings.
In order for media to be credentialed, members of the media should be required to attend a yearly LAPD media training where they will be informed of proper procedures concerning safe areas. The continued goal of the LAPD should be to provide full and safe access to events in the city.
Officers authorized to use 37 millimeter (less lethal munitions) should receive quarterly or semi-annual training.
Metro officers should continue to test and evaluate modernized protective equipment for crowd control purposes, to ensure that the Department is using the most effective equipment at all times.
Officers assigned to reserve resources at a standby staging area during an event should not be re-assigned to non-event duties until after the event has concluded peacefully and the crowd has cleared.
Endorsing and implementing these measures will help to prevent the repetition of the kind of missteps that were made on May 1.
About the LAPPL
Formed in 1922, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents the more than 9,000 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education. The LAPPL can be found on the Web at www.LAPD.com.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
"Training is the backbone of good police work. Constant, updated training ensures that officers know not only what to do, but can implement the Department's policies, procedures and expectations for any given incident. The May 1 incident revealed the downside of the Department's cost-based decision over the past several years to abandon introductory training for new Metropolitan Division (Metro) officers, and to not train all officers for large tactical situations. Moving forward, the LAPD leadership also needs to evaluate the training of command staff to respond to large demonstrations."
The LAPPL recommends that any command, control and training changes in the wake of theMacArthur Park incident should include the following:
All new Metropolitan Division (Metro) officers attend "new person school" in their first deployment period assigned to Metro. Class size should be limited to 18 officers, the maximum number that can effectively be trained at one time.
All Bureau-dedicated officers assigned to the Mobile Field Force (MFF) citywide should attend a Metro-coordinated MFF training class on a quarterly basis. Thereafter, Metro training cadre should conduct random realistic readiness audits of each Bureau MFF.
A clear use-of-force policy regarding the use of batons in crowd control procedures needs to be reiterated as part of on-the-job training and disseminated to MFF officers during pre-event briefings.
All Command officers should be required to attend a full day of crowd control management classes on a yearly basis.
All LAPD officers deployed to a major crowd event should be allowed to carry on their person appropriate safety equipment, including helmet with face shield, batons and protective masks.
Anytime LAPD officers are deployed to a major incident, undercover officers should be deployed into the crowd-however, only for intelligence gathering purposes.
Anytime undercover officers are deployed into the crowd for intelligence gathering purposes, an adequate number of high-ground officers should be utilized.
Media procedures (consistent with the Crespo settlement) should be communicated to all officers assigned to an event during pre-event briefings.
In order for media to be credentialed, members of the media should be required to attend a yearly LAPD media training where they will be informed of proper procedures concerning safe areas. The continued goal of the LAPD should be to provide full and safe access to events in the city.
Officers authorized to use 37 millimeter (less lethal munitions) should receive quarterly or semi-annual training.
Metro officers should continue to test and evaluate modernized protective equipment for crowd control purposes, to ensure that the Department is using the most effective equipment at all times.
Officers assigned to reserve resources at a standby staging area during an event should not be re-assigned to non-event duties until after the event has concluded peacefully and the crowd has cleared.
Endorsing and implementing these measures will help to prevent the repetition of the kind of missteps that were made on May 1.
About the LAPPL
Formed in 1922, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents the more than 9,000 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education. The LAPPL can be found on the Web at www.LAPD.com.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
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