The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - A computer program designed to identify problem officers in the Los Angeles Police Department is far behind schedule, a delay that could hurt the city’s chances of having a court-ordered oversight program lifted by a 2006 deadline, officials said.
The delay in setting up an early warning system to identify problem officers will likely cause the U.S. Department of Justice to extend the department’s consent decree with the federal government beyond its June 2006 expiration date.
The department already has spent $18.3 million to develop the computer system, but doesn’t expect it to be fully functional until the end of 2005 - about four months to six months behind schedule, Deputy Chief David Doan said.
The LAPD has another $16.4 million earmarked for the system but not yet spent it.
Doan, who is in charge of the system, told city officials the LAPD is committed to building a reliable and accurate computer system, even if it can’t do it by the deadline.
“We did not succeed in getting everything done in the first phases,” Doan said. “The key for us always has been getting it done right.”
The system is supposed to link data on police officers - including civilian complaints and reports on officers’ use of force - to flag potential problems.
The monitor overseeing the federal consent decree, Kroll Associates, wrote in a Nov. 15 report that the LAPD’s delays on the program “may very well necessitate” extending the consent decree beyond June 2006.
U.S. Circuit Court Judge Gary Feess is expected to rule in June 2006 on whether the LAPD has achieved “substantial compliance” with the 152 provisions of the consent decree.
Overall, Kroll Associates found that the LAPD achieved full compliance on 27 of 55 monitored provisions, but failed to achieve compliance on 18 provisions. Kroll did not offer a judgement on 10 provisions.