Los Angeles Police Reform: 1980 - Present

Watch the Link Voices documentary, "South Bureau Homicide," on our website. The film explores the roles of LAPD homicide detectives and a local community's anti-violent crime activists, who together investigate and cope with the violence that plagues parts of South Los Angeles. 

Policing practices within communities, particularly in areas of inner-city America, have proven to be a controversial topic. In the City of Los Angeles, this relationship between officers and residents has been tumultuous, with tensions climaxing at events like the Rodney King beating and 1992 L.A. Rebellion. In response to such incidents, Los Angeles police agencies have sought to improve their policing tactics. Over the past few decades, these agencies have disbanded aggressive CRASH units that dominated the 80s and 90s, implemented community policing strategies, and became one of the first major cities to use body cameras on all officers. Despite efforts to re-establish trust within communities, however, more recent abuses have left policing methods open to criticism and controversy.

The timeline below highlights some of the major events that have shaped Los Angeles police reform since 1980.

Top Image: Steven Straiton/Flickr/Creative Commons Attribution 2.0