Morgan Lewis Partner Named to Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners

Morgan Lewis is proud to announce that Los Angeles litigation partner Andrea Ordin was recently appointed to the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners. Ms. Ordin was chosen by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to serve on a five-member committee that will act as the oversight board for the Los Angeles Police Department. Her appointment was announced on July 14 at a press conference held by Mayor Villaraigosa. In addition to Ms. Ordin, Mayor Villaraigosa announced the four other appointees: John Mack (recently retired president of the Urban League), Anthony Pacheco (partner with Manatt, Phelps and Phillips and a former Assistant U.S. Attorney), Shelley Freeman (regional president of Wells Fargo's Los Angeles Metro Community Bank) and Alan Skobin (vice president and general counsel of Galpin Motors).

The Board of Police Commissioners serves as the head of the Los Angeles Police Department, functioning like a corporate board of directors, setting policies for the department and overseeing its operations. As Mayor Villaraigosa stated at the press conference, "The LA Police Commission is the civilian head of the department and is responsible for overseeing the LAPD. Its job is not to manage the department, but rather to set tall goals and ensure accountability. It provides strong civilian oversight, reviews and adopts policies to guide the department's work and oversees the implementation of the Consent Decree. Their work is essential to furthering the progress that Chief Bratton has made in recent years."

Ms. Ordin's background in police reform issues began in earnest more than a decade ago when she was appointed to the 10-member Christopher Commission, headed by former Secretary of State Warren Christopher, investigating the Police Department in the wake of the Rodney King beating.