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Council asks Police Commission to study separating criminal and administrative internal affairs investigations
Summary
The council approved a motion asking the Police Commission to review whether the Los Angeles Police DepartmentInternal Affairs should split criminal investigations into a separate unit mirroring the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department model; the motion was amended to remove a 45-day deadline and passed unanimously.
The Los Angeles City Council voted to ask the Police Commission and LAPD to evaluate separating criminal from administrative investigations within the department's Internal Affairs function, reflecting a model used in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
The motion, introduced by Councilmember Chick, followed a briefing from Merrick Bobb, former legal counsel to the Police Commission and then special counsel to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Bobb described the sheriff's model, under which an Internal Affairs division handles administrative matters while a separate Internal Criminal Investigative Bureau (ICIB) handles potential criminal misconduct. "That reformhas facilitated communication and facilitated cooperation with the district attorney's office," Bobb said, arguing the split preserves the integrity of each investigation.
Councilmembers debated whether a separate unit would be practical for LAPD, which faces stringent charter time constraints. Several members endorsed the idea as a useful "prophylactic device," while others urged folding any change into the broader Board of Inquiry report and the department's planned comprehensive reforms to avoid piecemeal work. Councilmember Goldberg moved to remove a 45-day reporting deadline and instead asked the commission to report back "as soon as is feasible," so the Commission can decide whether to respond within the larger board-of-inquiry process.
Councilmember Holden cautioned that structure alone cannot prevent misconduct and urged careful reliance on criminal prosecutions and district attorney action in specific cases. After discussion the amended motion (deleting the 45-day time period and asking for a timely report as feasible) was approved by the full council; the roll call recorded 13 ayes.
The council action is a request to the Police Commission and is not itself a directive to reorganize LAPD. The commission and LAPD were asked to study and report back on possible structural separation and any related legal, contractual and practical constraints.
