L.A. City Council to Reconsider Verified Response Policy
LOS ANGELES
LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Police Commission Jan. 7 unanimously approved the police department’s proposed verified response policy, but the city council has moved to reconsider the commission’s order based on widespread concern on the council about the policy change.
On the same day as the city council meeting, Councilwoman Janice Hahn filed a petition to veto the ordinance. According to the Los Angeles Times, Mayor Jim Hahn—the councilwoman’s brother—has not taken a position on the policy change.
Alarm industry representatives, many whom spoke in opposition of the policy at the commission meeting, are confident they will have enough support to have the council take up the issue. However, it is still uncertain whether they can muster the 10 council votes needed to overturn the commission’s decision.
“Media coverage has been reporting broad opposition from the community to this policy. Business organizations and homeowner associations are also organizing in opposition of the LAPD policy,” stated a letter sent out from the Greater Los Angeles Security Alarm Association (GLASAA) to its members. With the councilwoman looking for a tally of those who oppose the policy, GLASAA is urging its members’ customers to send letters prepared by the association to the city council and the mayor.
Like most critics, Bob Harris of Pacific Alarm Systems in Culver City, Calif., who also attended the commission meeting, told the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) in an interview that he believes the commission based its decision solely on information provided by commission Executive Director Joe Gunn, who seemed to have made this ordinance his personal vendetta. “While I have an extreme amount of respect for the police department, and the commission members, I’m really of the opinion that their decision was based in part on faulty information and on only half of the true story. It would benefit the city of Los Angeles citizens, police and the alarm industry if the police commission would have at least allowed us to try to implement some of the changes we requested to dramatically reduce false alarm dispatches,” Harris says.
Councilwoman Hahn’s motion will bring the issue to the city council Jan. 14.
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