LAPD launch review after 'alarming' rise in officer-involved shootings

Officers have opened fire 45 times in 2015, compared to 23 such incidents by the same time last year

Protesters express their anger over the fatal police shooting of an unarmed homeless man, in Los Angeles earlier this year (Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Police Commission has called for new efforts to reduce the use of force by LAPD officers, after what its president called an “alarming” rise in the number of officer-involved shootings. LA police officers have opened fire 45 times in 2015, compared to 23 such incidents by the same time last year; 19 people have been killed including one man who was shot dead by an officer this week.

Matt Johnson, the commission’s president, demanded an in-depth analysis of use of force by police in Los Angeles and other cities over the past 10 years, as well as a review of LAPD equipment and training, to try to halt the increase in violent confrontations between police and suspects. LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said he supported the proposals.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Mr Johnson, the only black member of the commission, said on Tuesday: “Despite the progress the LAPD has made, we are living in challenging times. The LAPD, like police departments across our country, is facing a crisis of confidence with minority communities, particularly African Americans... My goal is to use these challenges as turning points and make the LAPD the model for the entire nation.”