LA Councilwoman Demands Accountability From LAPD For Role in Protests

LOS ANGELES, CA — City Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez introduced three motions Friday calling for increased transparency, legal review and structural reforms related to the Los Angeles Police Department's protest response and its role in federal immigration enforcement.

The three motions were referred to the council's Public Safety Committee, and one of them related to potential liability costs was also referred to the Budget and Finance Committee. After consideration by these panels, the motions are expected to be sent to the full City Council for a vote.

"Being a Sanctuary City means protecting our communities, not turning on them," Hernandez said in a statement.

"When our City institutions fail to keep that promise, leadership has a responsibility to step in, demand answers, and take action," the statement continued. "These motions are about defending the Constitution, restoring public trust, and making sure that no one in our city is above accountability."

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell has maintained that the department does not assist or collaborate in federal immigration enforcement, citing a decades long policy, which prohibits the use of personnel and resources for such activity.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents LAPD officers up to the rank of lieutenant, described the councilwoman's motions as "harmful political grandstanding."

"Councilmember Hernandez's grab bag of half-baked policy proposals relies on rumors, innuendo, and self-interested anonymous sources," according to a statement from the LAPPL Board of Directors.

"One of her ideas would prohibit police officers from responding to and providing aid to a federal officer who was shot while on duty," the statement continued. "The Councilmember should answer as to why the Federal Official's life is worth less to her than anyone else's?"

The LAPPL Board of Director echoed McDonnell, saying the department has maintained it's standing policy, Special Order 40. The board also defended the department for responding to a call for help from federal agents in the initial days of ICE operations.

"Seems like Councilmember Hernandez is in re-election mode doing what she can to generate a deadline that serves her goal of more divisiveness," the statement read.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity began June 6, resulting in raids across the city and the detainment of at least 45 Angelenos with another 300 residents taken into custody, which the councilwoman stated was done "without due process" by the weekend's end.

There were multiple reports of LAPD officers providing support for these federal operations despite the city's sanctuary city status, according to Hernandez.

In response to these reports, and some videos circulating on social media captured by protesters and journalists, Hernandez is calling for answers from LAPD and the City Attorney on how to reconcile with the city's sanctuary law.

One of Hernandez' motion calls for details on outside agencies' request for LAPD response, LAPD actions taken and tools deployed to address protests, names of commanding officers on scene, and an evaluation of how policy and ordinance changes can ensure constitutional protections.

She aims to determine whether LAPD is legally obligated to support federal agencies, and called on the Board of Police Commissioners to consider further limiting or prohibiting LAPD's response to federal immigration enforcement activity beyond what is required by the city's sanctuary city law.

The second motion is asking for accountability for LAPD's crowd control tactics, which have included the utilization of "less-lethal munitions" such as rubber bullets and pepper-balls, chemical weapons like tear gas and pepper spray, and baton rounds.

This motion calls for daily written memos from all LAPD crowd dispersal activity since LAPD began responding to protests on June 6. These reports would cover the following information: deployment times, crowd sizes, officer counts, weapons and tools used, justifications for each crowd control tactic used, and documentation of review of Use of Force policy ahead of each crowd control deployment.

The third motion aims to verify city spending related to the LAPD's response to anti-immigration enforcement protests. If the motion is approved, top officials would be tasked with providing a full account of LAPD overtime expenditures, a breakdown of LAPD deployments related to protest response, curfew enforcement, looting suppression, personnel numbers, locations and duration of activity.

Additionally, staff would provide information related to the number of legal claims filed against LAPD personnel.

The city and LAPD are facing mounting lawsuits from journalists and protests, who alleged officers violated their rights and injured them during anti-immigration enforcement protests.

City News Service