T Warren Jackson

Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan on Wednesday announced his choice of corporate attorney T. Warren Jackson to fill a vacancy on the pivotal Police Commission.

Los Angeles Police Commissioner Edith R. Perez was unanimously elected president of the five-member civilian panel Tuesday and immediately unveiled an ambitious agenda aimed at improving the Police Department's morale, reducing crime, increasing officer accountability and pressing forward on key LAPD reforms. Perez, a 43-year-old real estate attorney, takes over from Commissioner Raymond C. Fisher, who is leaving the panel after being nominated for the No. 3 post in the U.S. Justice Department.

Los Angeles Police Commissioner Edith R. Perez was unanimously elected president of the five-member civilian panel Tuesday and immediately unveiled an ambitious agenda aimed at improving the Police Department's morale, reducing crime, increasing officer accountability and pressing forward on key LAPD reforms. Perez, a 43-year-old real estate attorney, takes over from Commissioner Raymond C. Fisher, who is leaving the panel after being nominated for the No. 3 post in the U.S. Justice Department.

Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan on Wednesday announced his choice of corporate attorney T. Warren Jackson to fill a vacancy on the pivotal Police Commission.

LAPD Commission President Edith Perez makes a statement demeaning and lacking in tact when she says neighborhood councils have become "booster groups" (Jan. 24). Perhaps if she attended the Hollywood Community-Police Advisory Board meetings she would see, firsthand, the tremendous contribution it makes to those residents they represent, without slapping each other on the back. Division Commander Connie Dial consistently fills vacancies with active members of the community representing business, property owners, youth, seniors and service organizations, with the co-leadership of Merle Singer and Gary Minzer.

Attorney Gerald L. Chaleff on Tuesday was reelected president of the Police Commission, the civilian panel that sets policy for the Los Angeles Police Department. The five commission members, appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the City Council, choose their own president at the start of each fiscal year. Chaleff, a well-known criminal defense lawyer appointed to the panel in 1997, was tapped last year to fill the post vacated by Edith R. Perez, whose term had expired.

Scandal and corruption test the mettle of any government. When the allegations are as serious as those facing the Los Angeles Police Department, the spotlight is trained on the mayor, the City Council, the police chief, the district attorney, the city attorney and the Police Commission. This is a list rife with rivalries, insecurities and competing interests, but all of these must be put aside to get to the heart of the problem and correct it.

The Los Angeles Police Commission Tuesday broke with Police Chief Bernard C. Parks' justification of the fatal shooting of a homeless woman by an LAPD officer last year. In so doing, the commission showed that it would support its inspector general and stand up to the chief when warranted. It appears poised to give a tough review of the LAPD's internal investigation of the still-burgeoning Rampart Division scandal.

Despite criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union, the Los Angeles Police Commission on Tuesday praised new departmental discipline guidelines drafted by Chief Bernard C. Parks. The chief's document replaces one approved by the commission last year. The five-member civilian panel backed away from its own guidelines after the chief told commissioners that they had overstepped their authority under the city's charter and the city attorney backed him up. Commissioner T.

The city Police Commission decided Tuesday to substitute a moment of silent personal reflection for the traditional public prayer at Police Academy graduation ceremonies. Commissioner Raquelle de la Rocha, who proposed the change, said it was prompted by last year's U.S. Supreme Court decision barring prayer at public school gatherings.

The Los Angeles Police Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to reappoint President Edith Perez to a second term, making her the first commission president in a decade to succeed herself in the civilian oversight body's top job. Vice President T. Warren Jackson also was unanimously reelected. Perez, who is admired for her tenacity but who has been criticized for exercising too little oversight since the board named Police Chief Bernard C.

There is a lot going on regarding the Los Angeles Police Department's corruption scandal. The City Council awaits Mayor Richard Riordan's signature on a federal consent decree that will govern sweeping reforms and appoint an outside monitor to ensure they are accomplished. The council is also set to approve Rampart-related legal settlements that will bring the direct payouts by taxpayers to about $13 million.