22 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: JULY 2017 Officer in need of assistance I n Los Angeles, police officers and support- ers are celebrating a major victory. A ballot measure that impacts the way the Los Angeles Police Depart- ment handles serious officer misconduct won easily. The Los Angeles Police Protective League says the measure will increase the chances that an officer gets a fair shake. Charter Amendment C was supported by both May- or Eric Garcetti, the City Council, and the League. The measure will allow “more civilians” on the panels that review officer terminations. Officials with the Los Angeles Police Protective League have complained for years that the disciplin- ary proceedings handled by the three-member Board of Rights are not fair to LAPD officers. In the past each board consists of one civilian and two LAPD command staff, including a captain or some- one higher up. League spokesman Dustin DeRollo said the measure’s victory was a clear sign that the public supports police officers and wants them to get fair treatment after allegations of impropriety or criminal- ity. “We’re pleased that the voters are choosing in- creased civilian oversight and are going to help fix our broken disciplinary system,” he said. Opponents of the measure say it is a giveaway to the League and a step back- wards for police account- ability. Peter Bibring, director of police practices for the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern Califor- nia, said the measure was misunderstood and that was no accident. “Many voters thought they were voting for greater police accountability, when in fact this does just the op- posite,” he said. Charter Amendment C lets officers choose which kind of disciplinary review they prefer. It gives LAPD officers the option of having their disciplinary cases heard by boards composed entirely of civilians or they can choose the old system where the agency’s command staff had representation. The League spent thou- sands of dollars on the cam- paign for Charter Amend- ment C, and had a powerful ally in Mayor Garcetti, who did a lot of the legwork in terms of PR and promo- tion. City Council President Herb Wesson was also a tireless supporter of the measure. He said he’s working on plans to get more retired officers on the panels. “I think that people do want to begin a serious conversation about reform,” Wesson said. “And I think this is what cracks the door open to have a larger con- versation.” Huge win in L.A. L APD officer Mat- thew Medina is a loving husband and father to two daugh- ters and has been diagnosed with aplastic anemia. A life-saving marrow trans- plant is his only chance for a cure, so we are hoping to share his story with the hope of finding him a match. Matthew is of Filipino de- scent, meaning his chances of finding a matching donor are smaller in this country. Hun- dreds of people have already joined the “Be The Match” Registry in hopes of being a matching marrow donor for Matthew, but doctors have yet to identify a match. Because of Matthew’s heri- tage, it has made his search for a donor more difficult. This is why we are ur- gently encouraging as many potential marrow donors as possible to join the registry to help Matthew and all pa- tients in need of a marrow transplant. We’re hoping everyone in law enforcement will help spread the word, share Matthew’s story and help him (and other searching patients) find a matching marrow donor. You can take action and join the “Be The Match” Registry as potential marrow donors by visiting BeThe- Match.org. In particular, there is a great need for more ethnically diverse and young women, ages 18-35, to join the registry, as doctors request younger donors for their patients more than 95 percent of the time.