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City Council approves four police psychologist appointments after public comment
Summary
The City Council approved four emergency appointments for police psychologists, 10-0, after a public commenter urged clarity on the roles these positions will play in training officers and assisting in crisis responses.
The Los Angeles City Council approved appointments for four police psychologists on an emergency basis and ordered the appointments be made permanent forthwith, recording a 10-0 roll call.
During the public hearing on item 18, public commenter Mr. Shapiro told the council the backup material did not clearly explain whether the psychologists’ roles would focus on training officers, providing crisis intervention during incidents involving people with mental-health conditions, or providing aid to officers themselves. “Are these psychologists…supposed to give training to the police officers so that the police officers don't get involved in incidents with mentally handicapped people…or are they trained to give aid to the police officers who have psychological problems? It’s not explained explicitly in the back of material,” Shapiro said.
Shapiro argued the psychologists could be used both to train officers and to accompany officers to emergency events, and cited the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s use of psychologists as a model.
Council member Ridley-Thomas moved the item; council member Wax seconded. The motion to approve the four appointments passed on the roll call with 10 ayes. The council indicated the appointments are to be recorded “forthwith.”
Why it matters: the council’s action adds four professional psychologists to the police department’s roster. Public comment requested clearer documentation of the positions’ duties; the record before the council indicates the positions are being categorized as professional, scientific and technical and were presented as emergency appointments to be made permanent.
