POLICE DEPARTMENT

Los Angeles City Charter tit. I, art. V, pt. POLICE DEPARTMENT

in effect

Los Angeles City Charter § 570 Powers and Duties of the Department.

Sec. 570. Powers and Duties of the Department. The Police Department shall have the power and duty to enforce the penal provisions of the Charter, City ordinances and state and federal law. In the discharge of these powers and duties, the members of the department shall have the powers and duties of peace officers as defined by state law. The officers and employees of the Police Department shall have the power and duty to protect lives and property in case of disaster or public calamity. The scope and extent of those emergency powers and duties and the manner of their exercise shall be prescribed by ordinance consistent with Section 231(i).

Los Angeles City Charter § 571 Board of Police Commissioners.

Sec. 571. Board of Police Commissioners. (a) Members of the Board of Police Commissioners shall serve for a maximum of two five-year terms, except that a member may serve up to two years of an unexpired term plus two terms of five years. A member of the Board of Police Commissioners shall be limited to two consecutive one-year terms as President of the Board of Police Commissioners. (b) The Board of Police Commissioners shall have the power to: (1) issue instructions to the Chief of Police concerning the exercise of the authority conferred on the Chief of Police by the Charter, other than the disciplinary authority conferred by Section 1070; (2) evaluate the Chief of Police annually, set or adjust the compensation for the Chief of Police within the salary guidelines established by Council after recommendations concerning those guidelines have been made to the Council by the City Administrative Officer; and forward a copy of the evaluation and salary determination to the Mayor and Council for information; (3) appoint and remove an Executive Director whose position shall be exempt from the civil service provisions of the Charter and who shall not be a member of the Police Department; and (4) appoint and remove an Inspector General of the Police Department subject to Section 245, whose position shall be exempt from the civil service provisions of Article X of the Charter and who shall not be a member of the Police Department. SECTION HISTORY Amended by: Subsec. (b)(2), Charter Amendment II, approved November 5, 2024, effective January 8, 2025.

Los Angeles City Charter § 572 Executive Director of the Board of Police Commissioners.

Sec. 572. Executive Director of the Board of Police Commissioners. Subject to the provisions of the Charter, the rules of the Police Department, and the instruction of the Board of Police Commissioners, the Executive Director of the Board of Police Commissioners shall have the power and duty to: (a) administer the affairs of the Board of Police Commissioners as its chief administrative officer; (b) appoint, discharge, discipline, transfer and issue instructions to employees appointed as independent staff of the Board of Police Commissioners, except for employees under the direction of the Inspector General, all subject to the civil service provisions of Article X of the Charter; (c) expend the funds designated by budgetary appropriations or appropriations made after adoption of the budget for expenditure by the Board of Police Commissioners or its staff, in accordance with the provisions of those appropriations; (d) recommend to the Board of Police Commissioners prior to the beginning of each fiscal year a budget covering the anticipated revenues and expenditures of the board and its staff, conforming so far as practicable to the forms and dates provided in the Charter in relation to the general City budget; (e) certify the expenditures of the Board of Police Commissioners and its staff to the chief accounting employee; and (f) exercise further powers in the administration of the Board of Police Commissioners conferred upon the Executive Director by the board. The authority of the Executive Director shall not extend to authority over the Chief of Police nor encroach upon the authority of the Chief of Police to administer the affairs of the Police Department as its general manager and chief administrative officer.

Los Angeles City Charter § 573 Inspector General.

Sec. 573. Inspector General. The Inspector General shall report to the Board of Police Commissioners and shall have the same access to Police Department information as the Board of Police Commissioners. The Inspector General shall have the power and duty to: (a) under rules established by the Board of Police Commissioners, audit, investigate and oversee the Police Department’s handling of complaints of misconduct by police officers and civilian employees and perform other duties as may be assigned by the board; (b) conduct any audit or investigation requested by majority vote of the board; (c) initiate any investigation or audit of the Police Department without prior authorization of the Board of Police Commissioners, subject to the authority of the board by majority vote to direct the Inspector General not to commence or continue an investigation or audit; (d) keep the board informed of the status of all pending investigations and audits; and (e) appoint, discharge, discipline, transfer and issue instructions to employees under his or her direction.

Los Angeles City Charter § 574 Powers and Duties of the Chief of Police.

Sec. 574. Powers and Duties of the Chief of Police. The chief administrative officer of the Police Department shall be known as the Chief of Police. Subject to the provisions of the Charter, the rules of the Police Department, and the instruction of the Board of Police Commissioners, the Chief of Police shall have the power and duty to: (a) suppress all riots, disturbances and breaches of the peace, and to that end may call on any person for aid. The Chief may pursue and arrest, within the limits of the City, any person fleeing from justice, and shall without delay bring all persons arrested by the department before a judge of the proper court for trial or examination. The Chief may receive and execute any proper authority for the arrest and detention of criminals fleeing or escaping from places outside the City; (b) administer the affairs of the department as its chief administrative officer, except as to matters under the control of the Executive Director of the Board of Police Commissioners; (c) appoint, discharge, discipline, transfer and issue instructions to the employees of the department, other than the Secretary of the Board, the chief accounting employee of the department, the Inspector General of the Police Department and his or her staff, the Executive Director of the Board and his or her staff, all subject to the civil service provisions of the Charter; (d) expend the funds of the department, except those funds under the control of the Executive Director, in accordance with the provisions of the budget appropriations or of appropriations made after adoption of the budget; (e) recommend to the Board of Police Commissioners prior to the beginning of each fiscal year an annual departmental budget covering the anticipated revenues and expenditures of the department, except the anticipated revenues and expenditures under the control of the Executive Director, and conforming so far as practicable to the forms and dates provided in the Charter for the general City budget; (f) certify all expenditures of the department to the chief accounting employee, except those expenditures under the control of the Executive Director; (g) exercise further powers in the administration of the department conferred upon the Chief of Police by the Board of Police Commissioners; and (h) execute, personally or by deputy, and return all writs and processes issued by any court having jurisdiction of criminal cases arising upon violations of the provisions of the Charter or ordinance. The Chief’s jurisdiction and that of his or her deputies in the service of process in all criminal cases, and in cases of violation of City ordinances, shall be co-extensive with that of the County of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles City Charter § 575 Appointment and Removal of the Chief of Police.

Sec. 575. Appointment and Removal of the Chief of Police. The Chief of Police shall be appointed, shall serve, and shall be removed in accordance with the following provisions: (a) Recruitment and Selection. The recruitment and selection of qualified candidates for the position of Chief of Police shall be administered by the general manager of the Personnel Department, in cooperation with the Board of Police Commissioners, through a system of open competition based on professionally accepted recruitment and selection standards. The general manager of the Personnel Department shall refer a group of at least six highly qualified candidates to the Board of Police Commissioners, which shall then provide a list of three recommended candidates, in ranked order, to the Mayor for review and for appointment of one of them to the Office of Chief of Police. At the request of the Mayor, the Board of Police Commissioners shall provide the Mayor with an additional list of three candidates, in ranked order, from the group of candidates previously provided by the general manager of the Personnel Department. The Mayor’s appointee shall be subject to confirmation by the Council. Should the Council fail to confirm the appointee, and if any additional candidates remain, the Mayor may request and receive from the Board of Police Commissioners one additional candidate, who will be selected from the group of candidates previously provided by the general manager of the Personnel Department. The Mayor may appoint that candidate or one of the candidates on the list or lists previously provided to the Mayor by the Board of Police Commissioners, subject to Council confirmation. (b) Term. The Chief of Police shall serve a five-year term and may be appointed, in the manner described below, to a second five-year term. No person shall serve as Chief of Police for more than ten years altogether. Time accrued as Acting Chief of Police or as a temporary Chief of Police shall not be included in calculating the ten years. (c) Reappointment. If the Chief of Police wishes to be considered for appointment to a second term, he or she shall apply to the Board of Police Commissioners for that appointment at least 180 days prior to the expiration of the first term. At least 90 days prior to the expiration of the first term, the Board of Police Commissioners shall, in its discretion, respond affirmatively or negatively to that application. If the Board of Police Commissioners acts, affirmatively or negatively, on the application for appointment, that action shall be subject to the provisions of Section 245 and the Council may assert its jurisdiction over the matter of the application for appointment. Should that jurisdiction be asserted, any affirmative or negative action on the appointment shall be final. If the Board of Police Commissioners fails to respond to the application within 90 days prior to the expiration of the first term, the Mayor shall, at least 60 days prior to the expiration of the first term, act in lieu of the Board. Should the Mayor so act, the Council, by two-thirds vote, may act within 30 days thereafter to override the Mayor’s action. If the Council does not act within 30 days to override the Mayor’s action, the action shall be final. If the request of the Chief of Police for appointment to a second term is not approved as provided in this section, there shall be no reappointment and a vacancy in the Office of the Chief of Police shall occur at the expiration of the first term. (d) Removal by Board. The Chief of Police shall serve at the pleasure of the City, as set forth herein, and shall not attain any property interest in the position of Chief of Police. The Board of Police Commissioners may remove the Chief of Police from office at any time prior to the expiration of a first or second five-year term. Should the Board of Police Commissioners so act to remove the Chief of Police, it shall promptly notify the Mayor of its action. If the Council has not asserted its jurisdiction over the matter of the removal of the Chief of Police as permitted under Section 245, the Mayor shall have five days from the last date on which the Council could have asserted jurisdiction to reverse the action of the Board of Police Commissioners. Upon the Mayor’s failure to act within that period, the removal shall become effective. By a letter received by the City Clerk within five days of the effective date of the removal, the removed Chief of Police may request a hearing on the removal before the Council which, by two-thirds vote, may override the removal and restore the Chief of Police to office. If the Council asserts jurisdiction over the matter of the removal of the Chief of Police and acts to retain the Chief, the action shall be final. If the action of the Council is to remove the Chief of Police, the removal shall be effective immediately. Should the provision of an appeal from the removal be required by law, the Council shall, by ordinance, provide an appellate procedure in conformance with the law. The Chief of Police may request an appeal by letter to the City Clerk within five days of the effective date of the removal. (e) Removal by Council. The Council may remove the Chief of Police from office in accordance with the following procedures. The Council, by two-thirds vote, may initiate removal proceedings by giving ten days written notice of a public hearing on the proposed removal to the Mayor, the Board of Police Commissioners and the Chief of Police. At the hearing, the Mayor and the Board of Police Commissioners shall appear to discuss with the Council whether the Chief of Police should be removed from office. The views of the Chief of Police shall be heard and considered at his or her request. Thereafter, the Council, by two-thirds vote, may act to remove the Chief of Police from office, and the removal shall be effective immediately. Should the provision of an appeal from the removal be required by law, the Council shall, by ordinance, provide an appellate procedure in conformance with the law. The Chief of Police may request an appeal by letter to the City Clerk within five days of the effective date of the removal.

Los Angeles City Charter § 576 Acting and Temporary Chief of Police.

Sec. 576. Acting and Temporary Chief of Police. (a) The Chief of Police, by a letter to the Board of Police Commissioners, shall designate a person or persons who shall serve as Acting Chief of Police for those periods of time that the Chief of Police is out of the City or is temporarily unable to perform the duties of the office. (b) The Board of Police Commissioners is authorized to appoint a temporary Chief of Police during a vacancy in the office and pending the regular appointment of a Chief of Police. The person appointed as temporary Chief of Police shall be entitled to compensation appropriate to the position of Chief of Police for the duration of the appointment. The length of the temporary appointment shall not exceed 12 months and shall terminate when a regular appointment is made. The appointment of a temporary Chief of Police shall terminate the authority of an Acting Chief of Police.

Source: City of Los Angeles, Charter and Codes (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/los_angeles/latest/laac/0-0-0-2621Fetched: 10/24/2026