Public Interest Briefs

Decades of sex and race discrimination that excluded virtually all women and most minorities from the sworn ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department will be coming to an end as a result of the landmark settlement the Center achieved in its eight-year class action lawsuit (Blake v. City of Los Angeles). The consent decree was formally approved by the federal district court on March 23, 1981. The Settlement will turn the Los Angeles police force into a well-integrated and more representative organization better able to serve the complex needs of the Los Angeles community. The settlement was hailed by Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and other public officials at a City Hall reception in honor of lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, Fanchon Blake.

The terms of the settlement are unique. Legal experts have termed Blake “the most successful prosecution of an employment discrimination case in California and probably in the West.” Former U.S. Attorney General Benjamin R. Civiletti characterized the $2,000,000 back pay award to victims of illegally discriminatory practices as “the largest ever negotiated with a police department in an employment discrimination case.”

In brief, the Blake settlement calls for the LAPD to achieve the long-range goal of hiring and promoting women and minorities in sufficient numbers to “eliminate the effects of past discrimination.” The decree makes it clear that the LAPB is not being asked to hire or to promote any person who is not fully qualified nor to displace any existing police officers in order to meet these goals. A 25% goal for the hiring of qualified women will be in effect until women constitute 20% of all sworn officers. Currently, women comprise barely 2% of the force, and accelerated hiring is projected to continue for approximately 20 years. The Department must also “make up” for a potentially disproportionate number of women who may drop out of the Training Academy, and must eliminate various physical requirements that have previously been found illegal. The 5’6” minimum height requirement will be reduced to 5’0”. Finally, the Department will promote six women to the rank of lieutenant to equalize female representation above the rank of sergeant and will review continually all hiring and promotional standards and tests to ensure that they do not discriminate against women.

Minority hiring will also be stepped up dramatically. A 45% hiring goal for qualified blacks and hispanics will be in effect until their representation in the LAPD ranks reaches their proportions in the overall labor force of the Los Angeles area (nearly 12% and 26% respectively). Currently blacks and hispanics comprise only 7% and 11%, respectively, of the LAPD workforce.

Los Angeles must establish a $2,000,000 relief fund for the female and minority victims of past discriminatory practices. $750,000 of this will go to LAPD officers denied promotions because of discrimination to compensate them for lost income. (For example, before 1973 all policewomen, including named plaintiffs Fanchon Blake and Leola Vess, were prohibited from being promoted above the rank of sergeant.) Another $750,000 will be distributed to female and minority applicants who failed to pass discriminatory LAPD tests and requirements. The remaining $500,000 will fund special recruitment and training procedures designed to ensure the accelerated integration of the Department.

Additionally, during the next decade, more than $200,000,000 of income and benefits will be redirected to the 1,800 additional women and minorities who will be hired, trained, and deployed as LAPD officers, investigators, and detectives as a result of the accelerated hiring requirements established in the consent decree.

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