The City has a serious liability problem and urgently needs better risk management. In the last fiscal year alone, it has paid out $45 million in liability claims and a total of $140 million in Workers’ Compensation claims. About half of these claims involved LAPD and LAFD personnel.
In an effort to do its part to reduce liability and improve risk management, the LAPD has proposed creating a position within the Department to be in charge of all risk management and liability issues. There is merit to this idea, but there are a few things to keep in mind.
The City has already implemented variations of this approach with no success. Under the City’s current head of risk management, claims have actually skyrocketed. To avoid repeating this failure, the new position must be different.
The position must encompass oversight of liability cases, training, and advising the Chief of Police. More importantly, the position must have teeth. It can be effective only if it is given power and authority to institute changes and hold individuals accountable. If, as under the present system, this person cannot actually implement changes and prevent abuses, the Department will simply have added yet another expensive layer to an already bloated and inefficient bureaucracy.
The League has made a number or recommendations to Councilmember Dennis Zine, chair of the Council’s Audits & Governmental Efficiency Committee.
Our recommendations are that the Risk Management Specialist:
League President Paul M. Weber wrote in a letter to Zine:
The LAPD is a multibillion dollar entity and should be treated as a corporation with comparable payroll and assets. As such, it is suggested that we undertake a nationwide candidate search to ensure that the role is filled by the most qualified candidate available.
We urge the Department and City Council to expedite creation of the recommended position as part of a comprehensive approach to addressing this troublesome and costly issue. The concept is to be applauded. The devil is in the details.
