City, OPS Chief Found Guilty of Di$crimination

At a time when thousands of City employees are facing layoffs and pay cuts, the City of Los Angeles will be paying out more than $1.3 million to three African American officers who were illegally passed over for promotions by the Chief of the City's second police force, the Office of Public Safety.

OPS was created to consolidate security forces in the City, an effort that would have completely dissolved the Library police, the Zoo police, the Park Rangers, and the old GSD Security police in favor of a "one-size-fits-all" juggernaut if the process had gone strictly as planned.

Upon the creation of OPS in 2002, Chief Gary Newton hired and promoted friends and coworkers who were either less qualified, unqualified, or were his biggest personal supporters. Captain Richard Musquiz, hired by Newton, was the most obvious liability. In an incident reminiscent of two recent widely-publicized police violence incidents, Musquiz had previously been found guilty of seriously beating a suspect who was detained and in handcuffs. He was fired by the City of Huntington Park for the incident and later lost his appeal in court.

Newton, himself, had allegedly been illegally promoted to chief of the Department of Recreation and Parks' Ranger unit only a little over a year earlier. When made chief, Newton had been a senior officer less than the required two years.

Gary Newton's activities as chief of OPS were far from news to City officials. The City, the Mayor, and Councilmember Wendy Greuel clearly knew the man they had chosen to run their new police force was a risk back in 2005. At that time, security officers in GSD presented a detailed letter to the City Council outlining Newton's illegal activities and questionable hiring practices. This letter formed the basis of the lawsuit settled today. Greuel allegedly admitted knowledge of the issues with Newton in discussions with private parties, union representatives, and City employees as early as 2003.

It's curious that today, Gary Newton remains firmly in place as the Chief of the Office of Public Safety. Meanwhile, Ed Boks was forced by Villaraigosa to resign as general manager of Animal Services for being found guilty in March 2009 of eerily similar activities in his prior job with the City of New York. The Office of Public Safety's Oversight Committee does meets tomorrow evening and this verdict may be discussed there.

The creation of OPS as a deadly-use-of-force agency* was the brainchild of Wendy Greuel and Jim Hahn, supposedly as an efficiency measure that the CAO claimed would save the City less than $1 million annually. In 2008-09, LA's second police force was budgeted at an incredible $27 million, a budget that has been inflated every year with little comment from the City Clowncil since the force's inception.

The City can now add $1.3 million to OPS's total financial burden. Then add the outcome of the impending lawsuits to recover court costs and attorneys' fees. Now that's efficiency, LA City Clowncil-style.

So what's the over/under that our new City Controller will do an impartial audit of OPS anytime soon? At least Mayor Sam knows where Antonio can get some more police officers real cheap.




*OPS officers are definitely armed. Although OPS has some
unarmed security officers, the office is a POST-accredited
armed agency patrolling the Zoo, parks, libraries,
and public buildings. They are authorized to use
deadly force under specific circumstances.

Letter Details Alleged OPS Discriminatory Practices

As we reported earlier this week, the City of Los Angeles and Office of Public Safety Chief Gary Newton are co-defendants in an extensive discrimination lawsuit.

Mayor Sam has obtained a letter sent to the City Council from a group of concerned GDS/OPS employees in 2005 extensively detailing the alleged actions named in two of the three recent court cases against Newton and the City, including the one going to trial on November 12th. Many of the OPS officers alleged in the letter to have been hired for positions that they were not qualified for are now in major leadership roles within the department.

Why should anyone care about this?

If you read the somewhat sedate comments from earlier this week, you have to wonder. When people aren't angry about discrimination, that's pretty sad. But consider this: since its inception as a money-saving move in late 2004, the Office of Public Safety has quietly grown to become the second major fully-armed and empowered police force in Los Angeles with hundreds of officers patrolling all of LA's 90 libraries, 400 parks and recreation facilities, and more than 1,000 public buildings and spaces.

In City parks and recreational facilities alone, OPS may make contact or interact with more than 20 million parks visitors each year, most of them families with children. If it is proven that there are OPS officers in the chain of command who aren't qualified, everyone -- the public and other, qualified peace officers -- may be endangered.

Finally, if the lawsuit proves legitimate as the first one allegedly was, LAPD should probably care since as happened in the Leimert Park incident, OPS uniforms look a great deal like LAPD, and few seem to consciously recognize that there are two different police forces out there. If the uniforms say "police" on them, then it must be LAPD.

What follows is a reprinting of the letter received by Mayor Sam. The letter is the opinion of, and in the words of the author(s) only. Readers may decide for themselves whether the content is valid or not.

It's worth noting that since this letter was written, one of the concerns mentioned was addressed and an oversight committee for OPS was actually formed and does meet. The next meeting of the committee is Tuesday, September 16 from 5:30 p.m. -- 7:30 p.m at City Hall in room 1035.


----------------------------------------
DATE: June 15, 2005

To: Honorable Members of the Los Angeles City Council Council District’s 1-15

From: Concerned Employees of The City of Los Angeles, Department of General Services Security Services Division

SUBJECT: DISCRIMINATION WITHIN SECURITY SERVICES DIVISION



To Whom It May Concern:

The events and incidents outlined below are a chronological account of events that have occurred within Security Services Division (SSD) since October 2002. This document depicts unethical and unfair hiring and promotional practices that have occurred in the past three years and continue to take place even today. While it may be hard to believe, it cannot be misunderstood that there is conspiracy, collusion, corruption and ethical improprieties at the higher levels of City management, as it relates to General Services’ Security Services Division. Employees have described the working conditions and race relations as being “similar to how things were before Tom Bradley was Mayor.” Within Security Services Division exists a covert hostile environment that employees are apprehensive to discuss. One of the primary contributors to this environment is the fact that, there have been no African Americans promoted under General Services Police Chief Gary Newton since December 2002. Nor have there been any African Americans selected for any special assignments or administrative positions. This is the case, despite the fact that there are approximately 100 police and security personnel employed within this Division (many of them African American) and despite the fact that there have been numerous promotions, appointments and assignments within this three year period. It is worth repeating that none of these promotions, appointments or assignments were filled by African American employees. This hostile environment has been further perpetuated by a combination of favoritism, cronyism, good-ole-boyism and institutionalized discrimination. The African American employees of General Services-Security Services Division are demanding a thorough investigation into the events and allegations outlined below. The information described below in precise detail.

The Security Services Division (SSD) of The Department of General Services employs both police and security officers within their Division. Security Services Division (SSD) is responsible for providing both police and security functions for City of Los Angeles facilities. We are responsible for ensuring the safety and security of City employees who work at these facilities as well as the visitors and vendors who conduct business at these facilities. These facilities include but are not limited to City Hall, City Hall East, City Hall South, San Pedro Municipal Building, Marvin Braude Municipal Building, and the Los Angeles Constituent Services Center. We also provide security for various City Council members, City Council Chambers and the Mayors Office. The police officers employed by the Division are recognized as sworn, armed peace officers in the state of California. Peace officers employed by the Department of General Services are employed under the following City of Los Angeles job classifications: Special Officer (Police Officer), Senior Special Officer (Sergeant), Principal Special Officer (Lieutenant) and Chief Special Officer (Chief and Captain).

In October of 2002 the Department of General Services hired a new Chief to oversee the Security Services Division. Prior to this, Security Services Division had been under the direction and management of LAPD for approximately two years. Chief Newton was a sworn peace officer and had joined the Department with previous experience as a former City of Los Angeles Park Ranger (where he was a supervisor and had served as “acting” Chief) He also had approximately one year experience as a Henderson Nevada Deputy Sheriff.....


Read the rest of the letter at MS2.