Los Angeles Municipal Code § 22.252 Creation of the Account

There is hereby established a Hate Crime Investigation Account to be administered by the Chief of Police as General Manager of the Department of Police. All appropriations made to the Department of Police for hate crime investigation shall be placed to the credit of said account.

SECTION HISTORY

Added by Ord. No. 167,429, Eff. 1-6-92.

Money in said account may be used by the Chief of Police for the Chief’s expenses incurred in criminal cases arising in the City of Los Angeles involving acts reportable to the Department of Justice pursuant to California Penal Code Section 13023, referred to hereafter as hate crimes, in which the people of the City or people of the State of California are interested, and for such expenses necessarily incurred by the Chief in the detection of such crimes. Payment from said fund shall not preclude an otherwise eligible person from receiving payment of a special reward pursuant to Chapter 12 of Division 19 of this Code. The Chief of Police shall not disburse or permit any of said Hate Crime Investigation Account to be used:

(1) for augmenting the salary or allowance of any member of the Department of Police for personal services;

(2) for any fixtures, equipment or supplies for the general use of the Department;

(3) for the employment of any personnel otherwise required to be supplied from the classified civil service.

SECTION HISTORY

Added by Ord. No. 167,429, Eff. 1-6-92.

Amended by: Ord. No. 173,342, Eff. 7-15-00.

As required, the Chief of Police may draw demands against said moneys, payable to the Chief of Police, and upon receipt of said moneys shall thereafter safely keep them and expend them for hate crime investigation purposes. It shall be sufficient in drawing demands on the Hate Crime Investigation Account to designate the purpose thereafter as “for hate crime investigation” and the Controller may audit any such demand or warrant and the City Treasurer may pay the same without further specification as to object. Expenditures for investigations of hate crimes shall not exceed $500.00 per incident.

SECTION HISTORY

Added by Ord. No. 167,429, Eff. 1-6-92.

The Chief of Police shall submit to the City Controller, monthly or more often, a detailed account showing amounts and general purposes for which the Chief expended or caused to be expended the funds so paid to the Chief. So far as possible and consistent with the public safety, the City Controller may require such statement to specify each expenditure made, the receipt thereof and the investigation of cause involved.

SECTION HISTORY

Added by Ord. No. 167,429, Eff. 1-6-92.

When, in the opinion of the Chief of Police, the public interest would suffer by the disclosure of the name of any person to whom any sum or sums were paid or advanced, or the cause for which the same was expended or advanced, such record shall be maintained confidential, in the public interest. For accounting purposes, the Chief of Police may indicate the name of such person or describe the police operation by an appropriate key or symbol. The Chief of Police shall not be compelled to disclose the identity of such operative or operation to any officer or person except to the Board of Police Commissioners, the City Controller, or to the Chairperson of the Budget and Finance Committee of the City Council, or the Chairperson of the Public Safety Committee of the City Council, on their written request; and any disclosures made as required hereunder shall be maintained confidential by the City Controller, Board of Police Commissioners or Chairperson of the Budget and Finance Committee of the City Council, or to the Chairperson of the Public Safety Committee of the City Council, excepting where such

disclosures reveal illegal use of such funds or malfeasance in relation thereto.

SECTION HISTORY

Added by Ord. No. 167,429, Eff. 1-6-92.

The Controller shall not authenticate any demand upon the Treasurer, drawn by or payable to the Chief of Police for hate crime investigation purposes as aforesaid, until the Chief of Police shall first have accounted to the Controller in person, as required herein, for all amounts previously advanced, showing the balance of such account still in the Chief of Police’s hands and unaccounted for, and it shall be the duty of the City Controller to inspect and approve such accounting.

SECTION HISTORY

Added by Ord. No. 167,429, Eff. 1-6-92.

Any person, other than a regular employee of the City of Los Angeles who for a consideration or otherwise furnishes special information to the Department of Police in individual instances or for limited periods, shall not be deemed to be an employee of this city for any purpose. Such persons paid by the Chief of Police from the Hate Crime Investigation Account for information shall have no right to Workers’ Compensation, leave, vacation, or retirement, or any other emolument, right or privilege of employees of the City of Los Angeles; and it is further found and declared that such special services do not permit competitive bidding under Charter Sections 371 and 372, because of their special nature.

SECTION HISTORY

Added by Ord. No. 167,429, Eff. 1-6-92. Amended by: Ord. No. 173,290, Eff. 6-30-00, Oper. 7-1-00.

Whenever the City Controller or Chief of Police is mentioned herein, the powers and duties conferred may be exercised or performed by a deputy of either officer, as designated by the City Controller or Chief of Police.

SECTION HISTORY

Added by Ord. No. 167,429, Eff. 1-6-92.

Any person who violates any of the provisions or fails to comply with any of the mandatory requirements of this article is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be punishable by a fine of not to exceed One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) or by imprisonment in the County Jail for a period of not to exceed one hundred eighty (180) days, or both by such fine and imprisonment. It shall be a misdemeanor for any person to expend or cause to be expended funds from the Hate Crime Investigation Account for political purposes.

SECTION HISTORY

Added by Ord. No. 167,429, Eff. 1-6-92.