Outraged by the Los Angeles Police Department's handling of sexual harassment and domestic abuse allegations involving its officers, leaders of a women's advocacy group Wednesday called for an independent investigation of what they contend is "a culture within the Police Department that is opposed to women."
"The prevailing attitude at the LAPD seems to be that it is acceptable to beat your wife, harass women co-workers and lie to cover it all up. Well, enough is enough," said Katherine Spillar, national coordinator of the Feminist Majority Foundation. "Now is the time to clean the department from top to bottom."
Councilwomen Jackie Goldberg and Rita Walters joined Spillar at a City Hall news conference, announcing that they will ask the City Council to urge the Police Commission to review the LAPD's handling of domestic abuse allegations against officers. Legal documents show that more than 60 officers investigated by the department after having been accused of domestic abuse during a five-year period ending in 1992 were not arrested.
"We are very concerned as a council, and I am personally very concerned that there never be a double standard on domestic violence," Goldberg said.
Spillar said the foundation is demanding that sexual harassment, intimidation, discrimination and retaliation against women officers be investigated by a "blue ribbon" panel of citizens, similar to the Christopher Commission, which proposed departmental reforms after the Rodney G. King beating in 1991.
Spillar said recent news developments on gender issues require immediate attention. Among them: the pending release of a report on the investigation of former LAPD Det. Mark Fuhrman, which sources say found evidence of a secret anti-female club within the department; the overturning of a five-day suspension for a police commander who was accused of making an inappropriate remark to a female subordinate; and published reports on the department's handling of domestic abuse allegations against its officers.
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After the news conference, Goldberg and Walters introduced their motion urging that the Police Commission instruct the LAPD's inspector general to investigate the department's handling of domestic violence incidents involving LAPD officers and report back to a City Council committee within 30 days.
A spokesman for the Police Commission said the panel will consider the request.
