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| NEWS > 28 April 2006 |
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Groups Push LAPD Reform Effort
Saying changes have been inadequate, civil rights organizations ask a judge to extend a mandate requiring oversight of the LAPD.
A coalition of civil rights groups asked a federal judge Monday to extend the consent decree mandating reform of the Los Angeles Police Department, citing the city's failure to substantially comply with that decree and arguing that the department's own data show minority motorists are still more likely to be ordered out of their cars and frisked during traffic stops.
The U.S. Department of Justice joined the city in filing a separate report. In... Read more
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Hawaii Reporter - Kailua,HI,US
28 April 2006
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New Director Lays Out Plan to
Dewey Kim, Jr. the newly appointed City Liquor Inspection Agency Executive Director, knows he’s taken on a monumental task.
The former investigator with the state attorney general’s office was hired two weeks ago to rid the notoriously corrupt city enforcement agency of ethically challenged inspectors and supervisors who historically have accepted bribes and extorted cash, food and drinks from bar owners; relished sexual favors from prostitutes; and taken advantage of their position in ways no self-respecting city official would.
Most challenging, Kim has to regain the trust of both the 1,400 liquor commission’s clients, the restaurants and bars the agency licenses, and the public, which funds the agency with tax dollars -- no small task given the agency’s torrid history over the last decade and a half.
Kim also will continue to work with federal agents investigating corruption in his department for the last 5 years, in hopes of preventing a federal takeover of the city agency. U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo has been highly critical of the Liquor Commission since 2002 when the FBI and his office arrested, indicted, prosecuted and convicted 8 liquor inspectors for various and sundry deeds; and indicted, just days ago, a former police officer turned liquor inspector, who replaced one of the very inspectors who is now serving time in federal prison.
In a related matter, he has to contend with ongoing federal and state investigations into an organized crime ring promoting illegal gambling and drugs that potentially involves 5 other of his Liquor Inspection employees named in a federal wiretapping investigation.
City Council Member Charles Djou agrees Kim will have his challenges. He pushed for Kim’s predecessor, Wally Weatherwax, to resign. Under Weatherwax, he says eight of its 12 inspectors went to prison on corruption charges; Weatherwax was cited for "inadequate" and "ineffective" management by the City Auditor. The commission was investigated for abusing its overtime appropriation, because almost 25% of its budget was devoted to overtime pay. The commission settled a sexual harassment lawsuit for $250,000 and a whistle-blower lawsuit for $350,000; and was sanctioned for violation of the ethics code for improper acceptance of gifts.
Kim is well aware of this history. Laying out the situation to reporters in as much detail as he can legally, Kim says he is confident he is up to the big challenges ahead, and will look to the FBI, former Honolulu Police Major Dan Hanagami and newly contracted private detective firm, AKAL, now headed by former police chief Lee Donahue, for backup.
Part of Hanagami’s duties will be to redo the night time enforcement procedures – a shift where the vast majority of the corrupt activity has occurred.
"We are going to restore ethical and professional behavior and make sure there is no recurrence of what has gone on here in the last four to five years or more," Kim says, noting AKAL received a $25,000 contract to start with.
Current and former employees of the Liquor Commission will be interviewed about the problems that came before. Current investigators will be reminded of city ethics rules; all investigators will be re-screened. The recent highly critical city audit of the Liquor Commission will also be carefully reviewed, in the effort to restructure the agency, Kim says.
"There were former employees here who tried to stop what was going on and who turned in bribe money at a high cost, like getting beaten up. We want to talk to them, to acknowledge them and to find out more about what they know."
This is not a problem isolated to a couple of years, it has been going on a long time. "There are people who are not getting compensated really well and who are exposed to an extreme amount of money isolated in these bars. There also is a huge drug and prostitution problem in some of the bars. No matter how much we clean the system, we will still potentially have a problem of inspectors being tempted by money and whatever else is available to them."
To add to his problems, Kim says there are people posing as liquor inspectors trying to get money from bar owners.
"I encourage licensees to report any bribery or extortion on our confidential hotline -- 523-4194. Just so it is clear, we do not allow inspectors to accept any tickets, dinners, drinks, any of that. We’ve sent letters to all licensees detailing this policy and saying our people are to take nothing. And we are giving all of our inspectors business-size cards with this policy printed on them, which they can hand to licensees if they are offered anything." Those bar owners who persist in attempting to give inspectors money, gifts or other items that can be perceived as bribes, will be written up.
First step toward stopping inspectors from either being impersonated or getting into trouble is to track their whereabouts. "Inspectors will have to call in. We will know where our people are and what they are doing."
Besides cleaning up long standing corruption in the small enforcement division of 13 inspectors, Kim will restructure the department so that it more aggressively investigates restaurant and bar owners for serving alcohol to minors -- and so it better serves the employees at the licensed businesses by going on site to register them. "We are here to serve our customers first," Kim says. He also is looking to hire new investigators.
Overall his primary focus is to ensure the city has a "clean" liquor inspection agency -- something he says the "public deserves."
Transparency also is important to this former investigator. He also plans to release any available documents related to prior investigations of the agency and its personnel. "If we know where we have been, the harder it is to go back there."
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