Los Angeles Takes a Step Toward Criminal Justice and Police Reform. Let's End Qualified Immunity Next!

The Los Angeles City Council took the first step toward aligning with California SB2 and providing the LAPD Chief of Police with the power to immediately fire officers who act with gross misconduct.

Jun 26, 2024

In a jerky and uneven way as only the Los Angeles City Council can, today they took the first step to placing an initiative on this November’s ballot that will allow the people of Los Angeles to provide the Chief of Police with the ability to immediately fire police officers for certain conduct. The fireable offenses are provided by California SB2 and the State of California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST).

The City Council took until the last second to make the first procedural vote required to place the measure on the upcoming ballot. A second confirmation vote is necessary next week. The last second stumbling blocks after 16 months of negotiations was over whether or not the measure should conform to SB2 and POST guidelines, or should be broadened to include even more offenses.

The body chose to hue to SB2, meaning that other misconduct must still go through the civilian Board of Rights, although this measure would change the makeup of the board from 3 civilians to 2 civilians and 1 LAPD representative. Historically, civilian commissions are too lenient with officers who have committed obvious misconduct, so much so that the Chief of Police has recommended a punishment to begin with.

At Revolution Today, we celebrate even the potential for minor police reform that holds the LAPD and officers more accountable. Assuming the measure passes the second vote at Council next week, we look forward to voting Yes in November.

That said, we look forward to major criminal justice and police reforms, too. At the top of our list is ending Qualified Immunity for police officers and other government workers who violate citizens Constitutional and civil rights. Ending Qualified Immunity—a judicial doctrine with no basis in the Constitution or law, other than police departments, justice departments and courts around the country decided without legislative input that it should exist—would make citizens safer. Which should be an obvious goal of a public safety institution like the police.

Police and other government officials do not need special protections to do their job well and as professionals. In fact, providing them protections that no one else receives puts the life, liberty and property of all of us in more danger.

It’s time to use California’s ballot initiative system to put an initiative in front of voters to end the pernicious Qualified Immunity doctrine and enforce the same rules and regulations on our police that every other member of the community must follow.

In addition, we need people to run for office at the local, state and federal level who will push to end Qualified Immunity through legislative means, and who will appoint judges that will not entertain the doctrine.