“I have a running joke,” attorney Gregory Smith told LA Daily News reporter C.J. Lin. “If I sue a supervisor, they’re going to get promoted within the next six months.” Smith should know. He’s filed dozens of lawsuits on behalf of LAPD officers against the Department.

It’s disheartening to the rank-and-file when managers are promoted or given coveted assignments after being found culpable by a jury. Adding to the morale problem is the perception of a double standard in which the rank-and-file receive unequal treatment in similar cases.

Now L.A. City Councilmember Dennis Zine, head of the Council’s Audits and Governmental Efficient Committee, is determined to understand why promotions or preferential treatment are given after lawsuit judgments or settlements. He has called on the City’s risk management task force to ensure LAPD is holding managers accountable for misconduct.

“The investigation will look at the discipline meted out for supervisors who were the focus of lawsuits in which the city had to pay out judgments or settlements, and whether those managers were promoted, demoted, fired or temporarily suspended,” according to the Daily News story.

"You cost the city millions of dollars, and you're getting promoted? What the heck is that about?" Zine asked. "We want to support strong supervision, but we also have to be sensitive to those who have cost us millions in mismanagement. You don't want to reward misconduct."

We welcome Zine’s determination to get to the bottom of this long-standing issue and we support the LAPD’s move to hire a risk management specialist.

There needs to be a sense of urgency here. Los Angeles cannot afford to continue paying out six- and seven-figure judgments or settlements for internal harassment and discrimination suits. In the last three years alone, the payouts have totaled more than $40 million. That’s taxpayer money that can better be spent to maintain public safety services and keep residents safe.

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