LAPD Commission Refuses to Release Name of Police Officers who Killed Devin Brown

The Police Commission unanimously rejected a Public Records Act request Tuesday to release a pair of reports that name the officer who fatally shot 13-year-old Devin Brown last year. However, in an attempt at a compromise, the commission also voted 5-0 to direct the Los Angeles Police Department to issue news releases naming officers involved in all categorical use-of-force incidents, which includes shootings, head strikes or any other confrontations that could lead to death or injury."This clearly is a very difficult, challenging matter because we have two major competing interests," Commission President John Mack said. "On the one hand we have the public's right to know -- and on the other hand, we also want to protect the rights of the officers involved in these types of incidents. It's a collision course."Los Angeles Times reporters Scott Glover and Matt Lait submitted a records request to the commission Feb. 15, asking for two documents that would name the officer who fatally shot Devin Brown after a short pursuit in south Los Angeles. One document was a report written by Police Chief William Bratton, while the other was the LAPD's officer-involved-shooting evaluation of the incident.The commission adopted a policy two months ago to withhold the names of officers involved in shootings and other uses of force. The move was made so the commission could post details of use-of-force incidents without compromising the officer's identity. Commissioners Andrea Ordin and Anthony Pacheco said they studied the matter with city lawyers and others familiar with California Public Records laws and said they considered the documents requested by The Times as personnel records, because they comment on the officer's actions. Times attorney Susan Seager argued that neither document requested by the newspaper should be considered part of a personnel file, since medical information, the officer's home address or other personal items are not included in the paperwork. Ordin and Pacheco noted that officers are usually named in press releases issued immediately following officer-involved shootings and "other newsworthy categorical use of force incidents.""If you do the research, the names are already out there," Ordin said. [MORE]