Los Angeles: In response to numerous requests from Los Angeles community leaders and politicians, Los Angeles City Mayor Jim Hahn, on December 14, 2001, convened a meeting between Los Angeles Chief of Police Bernard C. Parks and Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) President Mitzi Grasso. At the conclusion of the meeting, Chief Parks and Mitzi Grasso, in the presence of the Mayor, publicly announced that the Department and the League would work together in an effort to effectively serve the people of the Los Angeles community and the men and women of the Department.

Unfortunately, today, the League has chosen to abrogate that agreement by issuing a press release filled with misinformation and an announcement of a divisive course of action. One cannot help but see the surreptitious motives of the League and its President, Mitzi Grasso, when considering the fact that they chose a time when the Chief of Police is out of town on vacation [something that he rarely does] to engage in this latest string of divisive and counterproductive behavior.

The issues raised by the League, today, are all a regurgitation of old issues and misinformation that the Department has, on numerous occasions in the past, addressed and refuted. Interestingly enough, the League, in the past has talked about the eroding morale of officers because of the lack of a flexible work schedule and a competitive pension system, the presence of a harsh disciplinary and complaint system and the need to re-work the Senior Lead Officer System. After intense efforts by the Department, the Los Angeles City Council, the Mayor’s Office and the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners, all of those requests have been granted. Nonetheless, the League still sees the need to undermine the hard work and efforts of the dedicated members of the LAPD, by their unfair and unnecessary attacks on this City’s Chief of Police.

This press release was prepared by Lieutenant Horace Frank, Officer in Charge, Media Relations Section, 213-485-3586.