by Laura Conaway

A federal judge has released the Los Angeles Police Department from a consent decree with the U.S. Justice Department. The LAPD signed the decree in 2001 after the Rampart scandal, in which anti-gang officers allegedly committed crimes including the framing of suspects. The court ruled that the department has made significant reforms under Chief William Bratton, who joined the force after the Rampart decision.

As NPR's Ina Jaffe reports:

The decree called for more than 100 specific reforms, including improvements in training, the monitoring of police officers and an end to racial profiling. In recommending an end to the decree, the LAPD's court-appointed monitor wrote that in many areas of policing, the department "has become the national and international ...standard."

 

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa praised the decision, saying that now "residents of our most crime-plagued neighborhoods view our brave men and women in blue as partners, not adversaries."

The American Civil Liberties Union expressed disappointed with the judge's ruling. [T]here's still too much evidence that skin color makes a difference in who is stopped, questioned and arrested by the LAPD," Mark Rosenbaum told the LA Times.

The paper says a policy governing financial disclosure by officers remains an issue. The policy is supposed to help identify corrupt officers who profit by seizing contraband from suspects. It took effect only recently. A transition agreement calls for a commission to monitor the department's compliance on that issue and on any further signs of trouble that might crop up.