LOS ANGELES, Sept. 20, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Los Angeles Police Protective League is incensed over comments made Friday by State Senator Gloria Romero regarding the recent LAPD shooting of a knife-wielding man who threatened a pregnant woman and police officers.
"Senator Romero seems to have forgotten the adage 'better to keep your mouth closed and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt,'" said Paul M. Weber, President of the Los Angeles Police Protective League. "In her shocking and outrageous comments, she decried the shooting as part of the 'shoot to kill' policy of the LAPD, and demanded the LAPD update its shooting policy.
"As the former Chairwoman of the Public Safety Committee, Ms. Romero's remarks about the LAPD shooting policy are an embarrassing public display of her ignorance of law enforcement. She obviously lacks even basic knowledge of the studies and standards that go into developing these policies.
"The LAPD does not have a 'shoot to kill' policy. Has Ms. Romero forgotten that this is one of the most closely scrutinized police departments in the country? LAPD's guiding value when using force is reverence for human life," continued Weber. "The LAPD's detailed use-of-force policy, which Ms. Romero is apparently unfamiliar with, allows officers to 'shoot to stop,' and states officers may fire their weapons in defense of their lives or the lives of others, until the deadly threat is neutralized.
"The LAPD shooting policy is a model policy that was updated three years ago following an extensive best practices review with experts from around the United States, and reaffirmed in July of 2009," said Weber. "The research supporting the policy is readily available and consistent with the standards of the International Chiefs of Police. In fact, the policy is stricter than the law allows.
"As we have said repeatedly in the past days, when individuals threaten police officers with a deadly weapon, they alone are responsible for the consequences of their actions. If you don't want to get shot by a police officer, don't try to stab one with a knife.
"We can only guess what motivated Ms. Romero to fly down from Sacramento to hold a news conference, but we do note the irony of her advising others on how to do their jobs the same week that marked the longest failure in history to pass a state budget.
"Having failed spectacularly in the job she was elected to do, we consider Senator Romero's actions and comments to be nothing more than cheap political theater. It's an empty publicity stunt that will achieve nothing except further fanning the flames of misplaced outrage against our officers," concluded Weber.
About the LAPPL
Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents the more than 9,900 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education. The LAPPL can be found on the Web at .
CONTACT: Englander, Knabe & Allen Eric Rose (805) 624-0572 Paul Haney (626) 755-4759