We are pleased that Judge Gary Feess is allowing the City and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to terminate the original consent decree issued by the Federal District Court, and transfer the primary oversight of the Los Angeles Police Department back to the Police Commission and Office of the Inspector General. The Department has been in compliance with most all of the decree requirements for five years, while officers have been pulled off the streets to perform auditing tasks and the City has continued to pay millions of dollars to the federal monitor. The Department's outstanding performance under the Decree requirements and the current budget crisis support the conclusion that it is time to end the decree once and for all.

The consent decree, implemented by the court on June 15, 2001, was intended to improve the internal integrity among police officers and create a checks and balances system to prohibit actions may deprive individuals of their rights. We are thrilled that the court has acknowledged the numerous reforms the LAPD has established.

We are pleased the court has acknowledged the members of the LAPD have risen to the challenge of working persistently to obtain consent decree compliance. Today's ruling demonstrates the LAPD has restored its historic position as the premier municipal law enforcement agency in the nation.

With the City's financial resources stretched to the limit right now, we hope that the money that is currently being paid to the federal monitor can be made available to the Department to further reduce crime.