City Council approves L.A.’s next police commissioner, attorney Cynthia McClain-Hill
Mayor Eric Garcetti’s latest appointment to the Police Commission was unanimously approved Tuesday by the City Council, clearing the way for her to join the civilian oversight board.
Council members praised the work of Cynthia McClain-Hill, an attorney with deep ties to L.A. civic leaders and community activists, saying they believed she could play a pivotal role in strengthening the relationships between police and the city’s residents.
“We’re involved in a very touchy, volatile situation right now,” said Herb Wesson, the council’s president. “It takes a special kind of leader that would volunteer to be involved and engaged.”
“When your name was first mentioned,” Wesson told McClain-Hill, “I could see you doing it, without pause.”
McClain-Hill joins the five-member panel at a tumultuous time. Police commissioners are pushing to curb the number of shootings by LAPD officers while facing weekly criticism from activists angry over the killings, reflecting the heated national debate over policing and race.
She will be one of two black commissioners on the panel, as well as its third female member. McClain-Hill is taking the seat of longtime Commissioner Robert Saltzman, a retired law professor whose second term on the board has expired.
In an interview after her confirmation, McClain-Hill said she hoped to drawn upon a “broad and deep range of relationships” — particularly among residents “feeling most aggrieved” — to better connect the community, the commission and the LAPD.
Her goal, she said, is to “advance the conversation and dialogue between the parties.”
The Police Commission oversees the operations of the 10,000-officer force, sets LAPD policies and has an inspector general who investigates and audits the department on its behalf.
In one of its most important roles, the board decides whether police shootings and other serious uses of force were appropriate. It’s a responsibility that has come under greater scrutiny as police officers across the country have been criticized for how they use force, particularly against African Americans.
McClain-Hill’s appointment comes as the commission has taken an increasingly hands-on oversight role, especially when it comes to use of deadly force. The board recently directed the LAPD to find ways to reduce shootings by officers by revamping department rules, revising training and making more less-lethal devices available.
McClain-Hill has previously served on the California Coastal Commission, the California Fair Political Practices Commission, the National Assn. of Women Business Owners and the board of directors of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.
Follow me on Twitter: @katemather.
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