Broad Review of LAPD Use of Force Urged

The head of the Los Angeles Police Commission called Monday for a broad review of policies governing the use of force after last week’s fatal shooting by an officer of a 13-year-old boy in a stolen car.

The comments by President David Cunningham III came the day before the commission is to consider a proposal to severely limit officers’ authority to shoot at moving vehicles.

“I don’t want to stop at this one change. Now is the time to review all the use of force policies. I want a wholesale examination of the force policies,” Cunningham said. “We need to begin to rebuild trust with the community.”

The shooting of Devin Brown, an African American, by Officer Steve Garcia, a Latino, has rekindled concerns in the black community about the LAPD’s tactics.

Cunningham said he supports Police Chief William J. Bratton’s proposal, which came after a public outcry over the Feb. 6 killing of Brown in South Los Angeles as he backed a stolen car toward a police cruiser.

Bratton wants to prohibit officers from firing at moving or fleeing vehicles unless the people inside have weapons that threaten others. Officers would not be allowed to consider the car itself a weapon, and would be required to get out of the path of the vehicle.

Anticipating today’s meeting, Police Commissioner Rick Caruso said he wanted to tighten the policy but also wanted it clarified under what circumstances officers may fire at vehicles.

“I am not seeing those circumstances here in the proposed policy,” he said.

Cunningham also said he expected some of the language proposed by Bratton to be modified by the five-member commission.

Bratton has said the new policy would greatly reduce car shootings but not eliminate them, and he predicted there would be some cases with “exigent circumstances,” in which shootings would be justified.

Existing LAPD policy generally prohibits firing at or from moving vehicles. However, officers are entitled to use deadly force to protect themselves or others from death or serious injury. They are allowed to consider a vehicle a deadly weapon.

Bob Baker, president of Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents officers, said the organization considered current policy to be sufficient.