LAPD consent decree case

July 17, 2009

California: Federal judge Gary Feess lifted a decade-long consent decree on the Los Angeles Police Department on July 17, 2009.

The consent decree happened after the Rampart scandal which affected the anti-gang unit of the police force. The scandal was one of a number of incidents that bruised the image of the department during the 1990s. In 1999, a federal judge ordered that the Los Angeles Police appoint an independent monitor and to comply with 100 reforms including a ban on all racial profiling.

After noted improvements on how the LAPD conducted their operations, the independent monitor asked the judge for an end to the decree. In ending the decree, the judge approved a transition agreement that would move oversight of the department to Los Angeles Police Commission. The agreement orders units of the department to report to the police oversight body. Judge Feess told the parties that the court will keep jurisdiction over the agreement.