Monday Morning Bullpen: Police Investigations and Housing

Two items to discuss this week, one from this week and one is a holdover from last week.

Let’s do the current stuff first. 

The City Council will hear a report on the police department’s officer-involved shooting policy on Monday.

Time after time, there have been calls for the council to take action in the Anthony McClain case. Simply put, the council cannot hire or fire police officers or set policy in the police department. 

That’s pretty much the end of the information item.

Yes, The city council can tell the city manager to do all administrative reviews in a timely fashion, but that’s about it.

That’s just the way it is. The only way to change it is to change the city charter.

Here’s how it works, following an officer-involved shooting (known as an OIS), an in-custody death, and other critical incidents, Pasadena detectives and the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office conduct separate criminal investigations.

The D.A.’s response team rolls out at the same time as local detectives after the shooting occurs. 

The D.A. produces a finding based on both the police investigation and their investigation to determine if the officers acted within the framework of the law.

If it is concluded the officers acted outside that framework, prosecutors next decide if criminal charges should be filed against the involved officers.

This item went to the City Council’s Public Safety Committee in October. At that meeting,  Javan Rad, chief assistant city attorney, was pretty clear.

According to Rad,  the city’s charter prevents the city council from imposing deadlines on the administrative review by the Police Department of officers involved in fatal shootings.

“Under the administrative service of the city manager, the manager hires the chief, chief hires employees within the police department, and so for the council to direct the timing of how the chief might conduct an administrative review, we believe that would interfere with the charter.” 

“With that being said, I think particularly with the officer-involved shooting, I think there’s some convening factors and also some considerations that really would suggest that it may be best to leave things to the chief,” said Rad. 

That is what we hire a police chief for (that part is mine, not Rad’s).

In the end the phone calls will continue even after this item is presented, but facts are facts. 

Last week the Planning Commission discussed a zoning code amendment that would allow affordable housing on church, hospital and school property.

As has been well documented, the state is in the midst of a housing crisis.

Great discussion and good ideas all around. There are plenty of sites where smart, responsible housing can be built locally. 

But that’s the point. Local residents should be able to attend hearings to support and oppose conditional use permits for projects.

I can’t get down with any policy that lessens or removes the people’s voice.  

I think Planning Commissioner Jason Lyon had the best point here. 

We need to do ‘close to’ by-right housing. There has to be rules for developers that allows for smart affordable housing on these properties.

Yes, I believe housing is a right, but “building housing” is not.