The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously on March 17 to endorse the Police Commission
nd reaffirm its position that the Los Angeles Police Department must cooperate fully with prosecuting authorities in the investigation related to Rampart and that proposed changes to department policy must be reviewed by the Police Commission before implementation.

The vote came on a special, same-day motion, introduced by the council
s a response to a Police Commission meeting earlier that morning. Councilmember Sekowsky (motion introducer) asked the council to make findings that the need to act had arisen after the agenda was posted and to publicly confirm the commission ecision; the findings were approved and the council then debated the substantive motion before approving it by a recorded vote.

Why it matters: Councilmembers who spoke during the debate framed the action as an effort to restore public confidence, keep investigative work confidential where necessary and to clarify civilian oversight of the LAPD. The discussion also opened the door to follow-up work on resources and possible structural changes to civilian oversight.

City Attorney James Hahn, in related remarks later in the meeting, also urged use of federal resources where appropriate and described ongoing coordination with state and federal authorities. Councilmembers who spoke during the debate included Feuer, Wax, Padilla, Holden, Burton, Ridley Thomas, Goldberg and others. Feuer said he rose "in strong support of this motion," saying leaders must "stand together with one voice" so the probe is not imperiled by internal disputes. Councilmember Holden urged an end to divisive public argument, saying, "This divisiveness must stop and stop now." Councilmember Goldberg emphasized the need to define and resource civilian oversight and suggested potential charter or structural changes after the immediate investigative steps.

What the motion does and does not do: The resolution reaffirmed the commission's statement that department policy changes affecting cooperation with prosecutors should not occur without Commission direction. The council instructed relevant committees to pursue follow-up actions: the Public Safety Committee signaled it will take up motions on Rampart and related oversight and Budget and Finance will consider funding requests to support an independent investigative capacity for the commission and inspector general. Several members urged the commission to use outside federal resources, including the U.S. Department of Justice, to help complete the inquiry.

Outcome and next steps: The council adopted the motion on a unanimous recorded vote (13 ayes). Members also said the item marks the start of further work, including committee hearings and coordination with the Police Commission, the City Attorney, the DA's office and federal authorities to clarify the roles, funding and procedures needed to ensure a sustained, independent review and to protect the integrity of criminal prosecutions.

Ending: Council leaders said they would return with committee reports and budget requests to give the Police Commission and inspector-general functions the resources to complete the work without political interference.