The Los Angeles Police Department gathered together members of the African American community during a recent forum held to discuss the state of the department.

Chief William Bratton and Assistant Chief Paysinger used the meeting as a platform to enlighten members of said community on changes and improvements within the department as well as fresh strategies currently in progress.

After acknowledging the status of personnel throughout the department, including 26 recently announced promotions, Bratton noted, "We also have a department that after years of neglect in terms of infrastructure and technology, we are arriving at a point where we are going to be the premier department in America in our facilities." He spoke on the remodeling of headquarters located in varies parts of the city, jails, emergency operations centers, bomb unit centers and emergency facilities. And in terms of technological advances, he touched upon the acquiring of new tasers in order to reduce the number of times officers use their fire arms as well as new radio systems to improve the safety and response time.

He added, "A significant importance is the acquisition of digital cameras in police cars that face out and also record what's going on in the car through audio systems." This, he explained, will address the issue of racial profiling that is a major concern to minority communities in Los Angeles and cities throughout the country.

"We have been tracking the information for years on the stats, but nobody can analyze it and say for certainty what it says. ...We will have the actual video evidence to see what happened and what was said," Bratton explained, noting the system will cost nearly $20 million.

Assistant Chief Paysinger further touched on the department's use of technology when he spoke on COMPSTAT (computer statistics). Paysinger said, "The COMSTAT session is essentially designed to help the police department understand the organic nature of crime and respond to it in a much more efficient way. ...This particular procedure allows us to evaluate via computer data and other information to evaluate crime in real time, work with the community, and seek real answers as to how we address crime in our communities."

An added dimension to the COMPSTAT session is the voice of the community. "We see these pockets of theft, robberies or burglaries in your neighborhood," said Paysinger. "When the police department looks at those pockets, we see it perhaps in a different way, through a different lens. ...We have to reach out to others in the community - members, leaders, neighborhood councils, clergy councils, schools, people whom we don't necessarily deal with on a regular basis. It's important to reach out to them. And as a collective intelligence, find ways to deal with crime in our communities."

Each police bureau holds a COMPSTAT session once a month, where every third session is open to the community.

Paysinger also explained the department's strategies of addressing the heated topic of gang violence, an area he again urged the community's involvement.

"We developed 35 gang initiatives, the principle of which was putting together an investigative team," he said. "That 120-member team is comprised of LAPD, FBI, DEA, ATF, district attorney, city attorney, probation and parole officers, etc. It is truly a law enforcement enterprise." And added, "The goal is if a gang member murders, know this: we will hunt you down, and we will put you in jail. ...but they can't do it without you (the community)."

Paysinger noted the community's help in another of the department's approach: identifying the top targeted gangs and the top targeted gang members. Within a three-week period after posting the "10 Most Wanted" list, the police were able to arrest three gang members. But, he added, "We're not going to arrest our way out of the problem."

He said it will also take efforts that call for intervention and prevention, some of which are already in place. The department initiated a program referred to as "elementoring" where officers on probation adopt an elementary school and mentor the students long before they may find themselves in risky environments or behaviors.

Commander Kenneth Garner, who became involved in the department's recruitment efforts in 2005, spoke to the attending community members of the police officer recruitment incentive program and how the community itself can be of help. Through this program, recruitment officers are able to train community members that want to understand the process as well as train the community in what the department is looking for and the kind of questions they are asking. The department has also expanded their recruitment efforts in advertising; looking towards those in the military; having officers mentor candidates throughout recruitment process including entering including entering the academy until they graduate; and seeking to offer $1000 to non-profit organizations who successfully recruit an officer.

Addressing the issue of improving the city Los Angeles Urban League President Blair Taylor spoke on behalf of his organization's efforts. "You have to understand that if you want to transform a community, you have to look at it holistically and focus in on education, health, safety, housing and employment all at the same time," he stated. In October 2006, the Urban League soft-launched its strategic plan in a 70-block area of the Crenshaw District that surrounds Crenshaw High School. Commented Taylor, "We have seen in the first four months of the soft-launch phase of this program, a 24 percent reduction in violent crime in this community. We can do something about this and we have to look at it holistically. The Urban League is working on hard-launching this program next month in April. We need help," he added.

Former Los Angeles Urban League President John Mack, who is now president of the five-member Police Commission, was also on hand to comment on the city's increasing gang problem. He said, "We are in a war for those youngsters who are on the margin, who can go either way - either join the gang or go another way. But they have to see a way out. There has to be some hope and real opportunities. ... As long as I am where I am, I'm going to try to be a part of the solution."

The next African American Community Forum is scheduled for September 6, 2007, at 6p.m. with the location to be determined.

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