LAPD Chief Michel Moore wants more power to fire officers

Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore wants to concentrate the power to fire officers in his own hands, saying the board that reviews his disciplinary decisions is overly lenient. At a meeting Thursday with The Times editorial board that focused on police reforms in the wake of the George Floyd killing, Moore said the current system “always seems to default in favor of the officer.” When Moore recommends that an officer be fired, whether for a fatal shooting or for driving drunk off-duty or some other misconduct, the case goes to a three-member Board of Rights. And so that is, in my view, terrible.” Craig Lally, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents rank-and-file LAPD officers, said the Board of Rights system is working well and that checks on the chief’s power are needed. It’s not that the chief gets to have an investigation, and then the officer is terminated.” Despite the Board of Rights, Moore has still been able to fire a number of officers, Lally said.