Los Angeles Police Commission

The Los Angeles Police Commission voted Tuesday to approve an ambitious plan for expanding the Los Angeles Police Department and to request $14.9 million to begin implementing it. The plan, which was unveiled last month by Mayor Richard Riordan, calls for expanding the LAPD by 2,855 officers during the next five years. It also proposes beefing up the department's street presence by hiring more civilians to free up officers and by paying officers to work overtime and on their days off.

Developer Rick Caruso said Friday that he had turned down Mayor Richard Riordan's request to take Gerald Chaleff's place on the Los Angeles Police Commission. Caruso said he was "deeply honored" that the mayor asked him to serve on the civilian oversight panel, but wants to continue his work on the city's Department of Water and Power commission. "I feel compelled to remain on the board to help craft a statewide solution to our energy crisis," Caruso said.

The Los Angeles Police Commission rescheduled interviews with candidates for interim police chief, authorities announced Thursday. The interviews were abruptly canceled last week because commissioners said they needed to review the City Council's rejection of any buyout plan that would facilitate an early departure for Chief Willie L. Williams. After discussing the matter with the chief, commissioners said they have decided to proceed with the interviews.

The Los Angeles Police Commission on Tuesday directed the Police Department to be more accountable for the use of search dogs, and asked that the panel be notified if anyone is seriously injured by a canine. With little discussion, the commission approved the directive to Police Chief Daryl F. Gates that a supervisor be present when a police dog is sent to a search scene. The commission also directed that once a dog is dispatched, an "after-action report' be sent to the commission.