DRUG TASK FORCE MUST OPEN ITS MEETINGS

A California appeals court has upheld a ruling that requires
countywide narcotics task force L.A. Impact to open its board meetings
to the public.

The 2nd Appellate District court handed down the decision late
Wednesday. The opinion could have statewide repercussions.

"This ruling was imperative if the public is going to know where its
money is being spent," said open-government activist Richard McKee,
who, along with former Pasadena Weekly reporter Chris Bray, filed a
lawsuit last year to force the squad to open its meetings and its
books to the public.

"Anytime a government agency is able to hide itself from public
scrutiny we are inviting trouble," McKee said.

There are 41 similarly constituted narcotics squads in California that
are registered with the state Attorney General's Office. Because
Wednesday's decision is certified to be published, it could affect
some or all of these groups.

McKee said he will ask Attorney General Bill Lockyer to alert these
agencies that they must now comply with the state's open-meeting laws.

The Los Angeles County Police Chiefs' Association, which created L.A.
Impact in 1991 and oversees task force operations, is expected to
discuss an appeal in the coming weeks.

Attorneys for the organization could not be reached for
comment.

In both the original case and the appeal, the police chiefs had argued
that multijurisdictional law-enforcement agencies need to be shielded
from the public eye because of the sensitive investigative work they
do.

Pasadena police Chief Bernard Melekian said there is also a concern
the case will set a precedent for other narcotics squads, saddling
them with new clerical duties and potentially compromising undercover
investigations.

"Our concern was not as much for L.A. Impact as it was for the idea of
narcotics task forces throughout the state," Melekian said.

The court disagreed with these arguments.

"L.A. Impact urges that public policy requires that its meetings not
be open to the public," the court wrote. "What L.A. Impact ignores,
however, is that not all of its meetings are required to be open to
the public."

The court specifically cites an exemption in the Ralph M. Brown Act -
the law governing public meetings - that allows for
multijurisdictional law-enforcement agencies to meet behind closed
doors to discuss ongoing investigations.

L.A. Impact first came to attention of Bray and McKee three years ago
when the task force wanted to broaden its drug-enforcement mandate to
include domestic terrorism investigations.

As the two men took a closer look at how L.A. Impact was formed, they
said they became convinced it should be compelled to follow the same
open-meeting and public records guidelines as any other local
government agency.

L.A. Impact had a budget of more than $9 million last year, most of
which came from asset forfeitures. All cities in Los Angeles County
are members of the group and can call for assistance.

"It is extraordinarily effective," Melekian said. The Pasadena Police
Department provides helicopter support for the task force. "We have
used them in several major investigations. They are an incredible resource."

Over the years the group has made 3,700 arrests and taken in 70,000
pounds of cocaine, $78 million in forfeited cash and one Learjet.