In the face of LAPD 's adamant defense of every aspect of Special Order 40, former LAPD Chief Daryl Gates said Mondaythat officers were
being handcuffed by City Hall politicians (click here gatesclip.mp3)from using it against illegal immigrant gang members.
In a hearing put off for six months by the council's Public Safety Committee Chairman, Jack Weiss, the wannabe City Attorney, emotional statements flowed freely from the family of Jamiel Shaw Jr. -- the South L.A. youth slain allegedly by a illegal immigrant gang member last spring -- and others who wanted tougher law enforcement and those who defended Special Order 40 and how it's being used.
Police Commission member Andrea Ortin, who was the U.S. Attorney for L.A. when Gates adopted Special Order 40 nearly 30 years ago, gave no ground in her defense of the policy or LAPD's use of it.
LAPD officials took the same tack, conceding only that it was being applied unevenly in different parts of the city by officers. Training is now under way so officers will understand that they are to report when they believe people arrested for felonies or multiple misdemeanors might be in the country illegally
They argued they aren't authorized to enforce federal laws -- a contention that was challenged by Councilman Dennis Zine who introducted a motion to stregthen Special Order back in April shortly after the murder of Jamiel Shaw Jr. .
Gates traced the reasons he adopted Special Order 40 to the failure of federal officials to collaborate in his efforts to crack down on gang activity. He said it was necessary to get illegal immigrants who were victims of crime or witnesses to cooperate with police. It was never intended to protect gang members who engaged in crime from immigration law enforcement
In the end, the committee decided to do nothing more than ask the LAPD to provide periodic reports on training of officers in Special Order 40 without suggesting any changes to it.
So nothing changed. The Shaw family will continue to try to qualify Jamiel's Law for the ballot through the petition drive and the controversy over illegal immigration and the protection of the civil rights of all immigrants will continue.
being handcuffed by City Hall politicians (click here gatesclip.mp3)from using it against illegal immigrant gang members.In a hearing put off for six months by the council's Public Safety Committee Chairman, Jack Weiss, the wannabe City Attorney, emotional statements flowed freely from the family of Jamiel Shaw Jr. -- the South L.A. youth slain allegedly by a illegal immigrant gang member last spring -- and others who wanted tougher law enforcement and those who defended Special Order 40 and how it's being used.
Police Commission member Andrea Ortin, who was the U.S. Attorney for L.A. when Gates adopted Special Order 40 nearly 30 years ago, gave no ground in her defense of the policy or LAPD's use of it.
LAPD officials took the same tack, conceding only that it was being applied unevenly in different parts of the city by officers. Training is now under way so officers will understand that they are to report when they believe people arrested for felonies or multiple misdemeanors might be in the country illegally
They argued they aren't authorized to enforce federal laws -- a contention that was challenged by Councilman Dennis Zine who introducted a motion to stregthen Special Order back in April shortly after the murder of Jamiel Shaw Jr. .
Gates traced the reasons he adopted Special Order 40 to the failure of federal officials to collaborate in his efforts to crack down on gang activity. He said it was necessary to get illegal immigrants who were victims of crime or witnesses to cooperate with police. It was never intended to protect gang members who engaged in crime from immigration law enforcement
In the end, the committee decided to do nothing more than ask the LAPD to provide periodic reports on training of officers in Special Order 40 without suggesting any changes to it.
So nothing changed. The Shaw family will continue to try to qualify Jamiel's Law for the ballot through the petition drive and the controversy over illegal immigration and the protection of the civil rights of all immigrants will continue.
Ron Kaye is the former editor of the Los Angeles Daily News where he spent 23 years helping to make the newspaper the voice of the San Fernando Valley and fighting for a city government that serves the people and not special interests.
Twice in recent years, Los Angeles Magazine listed Kaye among the city’s most influential people, specifically in the area of politics. Kaye has been variously described in the media as the “accidental anarchist,” “the Patrick Henry of the San Fernando Valley” and a “passionate populist.” He is now committed to
carrying on his crusade for a greater Los Angeles as an ordinary citizen. Previously, Ron worked at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner,
Associated Press, Cleveland Plain Dealer and The Australian as well as papers
in Fairbanks, Alaska and Yakima, Wash. He also wrote for Newsweek magazine, The Guardian in London and the National Enquirer.
Wow... Public Safety Committee just adjourned without doing a damn thing.
Cute.
JACK WEISS can kiss his hopes for becoming the city attorney "goodbye".
He could have gotten this same ridiculous result in the first month that it was assigned to his committee. He could have looked good and had it sent to the council at large and let THEM look like the fools they are.
Now he stalled it for six months and showed his true ineptness for working on crime fighting approaches; at least with the time it took for this, he could have taken some positions and have some rationale presented to justify what he did. (Which again turns out to be nothing.)
But JACK has taken one for the team, keeping the heat off the council colleagues to allow emotions to cool, they hoped, and then sweep it under the carpet. WEISS, I would think, has SOME kind of strategy for these maneuvers that make it worthwhile to risk looking like the completely wrong person to be in charge of any crime fighting, least of all the entire City Attorney's Office.
Now it's really, "Fool me once, (with ROCKY) shame on you; Fool me twice (by electing WEISS), shame on me."
There is absolutely no semblance of responsiveness to constituents by the elected (and don't forget, "appointed") city officials. Do they think this is going to be tolerated forever? Maybe they expect it to last just as long as their term limits hold out, I guess; "Mission accomplished, paychecks duly received, bring on the next public office."
JACK WEISS can kiss his hopes for becoming the city attorney "goodbye".
He could have gotten this same ridiculous result in the first month that it was assigned to his committee. He could have looked good and had it sent to the council at large and let THEM look like the fools they are.
Now he stalled it for six months and showed his true ineptness for working on crime fighting approaches; at least with the time it took for this, he could have taken some positions and have some rationale presented to justify what he did. (Which again turns out to be nothing.)
But JACK has taken one for the team, keeping the heat off the council colleagues to allow emotions to cool, they hoped, and then sweep it under the carpet. WEISS, I would think, has SOME kind of strategy for these maneuvers that make it worthwhile to risk looking like the completely wrong person to be in charge of any crime fighting, least of all the entire City Attorney's Office.
Now it's really, "Fool me once, (with ROCKY) shame on you; Fool me twice (by electing WEISS), shame on me."
There is absolutely no semblance of responsiveness to constituents by the elected (and don't forget, "appointed") city officials. Do they think this is going to be tolerated forever? Maybe they expect it to last just as long as their term limits hold out, I guess; "Mission accomplished, paychecks duly received, bring on the next public office."
Illegal alien gang members and criminals at large, 1; legal law abiding, tax paying citizens, O.
They keep playing the game their way; they and the gangs keep winning. But nobody maintains a winning streak for ever.
'They argued they aren't authorized to enforce federal laws...'
Memo to bank robbers: LAPD will no longer go after you or investigate your bank robbing crimes, because they are under federal law.
That will insure that L.A. remains the "bank robbery capital" of the country. What a claim to fame!