A cluster of public speakers used the Sept. 18 special Los Angeles City Council meeting to press elected officials to go beyond a consent decree and back independent review and criminal accountability for alleged police misconduct.

Who spoke: Erwin Chemerinsky, a constitutional law professor, urged approval of the consent decree but said it should be only the beginning of reform and that the city should pursue other measures including stronger civilian oversight. Local lawyers from the National Lawyers Guild and the Coalition for Police Accountability urged the council to endorse a request for a special prosecutor in the state attorney general’s office, arguing the district attorney’s office has an inherent conflict when investigating police officers.

Other speakers included Don White, a retired LAUSD teacher, who supported motions by Councilmembers Wax, Goldberg and Chick for an independent, fully authorized review; members of the Police Protective League and the Police Command Officers Association who warned against federal takeover and urged bargaining and careful review; and multiple community members who said consent decrees alone were not sufficient to restore confidence.

Why it matters: Public comment framed the council’s consent-decree debate as a larger demand for accountability, with multiple speakers urging criminal as well as civil responses. Some civic groups said existing local institutions — including the district attorney’s office — cannot be expected to investigate police misconduct impartially, and asked the council to publicly support a state-level special prosecutor.

Notable testimony:
- Cynthia Anderson Barker, National Lawyers Guild: urged a special prosecutor in the state attorney general’s office because local district attorneys rely on police as witnesses and therefore face a conflict in prosecuting officers.
- Professor Erwin Chemerinsky: recommended approving the consent decree but warned it should not be the end of reform; he recommended broader structural changes including charter revisions to strengthen civilian oversight and an inspector general.

What the council did: The council opened a wide public hearing covering the day’s agenda items and heard dozens of comments. Those public comments were entered into the record and were explicitly cited by council members who supported a vigorous review and rapid implementation of reforms.