In the wake of the accidental fatal shooting of 14-year-old Valentina Orellana-Peralta by an officer of the Los Angeles Police Department at the Burlington store in North Hollywood last month, Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian and several of his colleagues introduced a motion that calls on the LAPD to immediately release to the public all body camera footage, 911 calls, radio transmissions and other recordings related to the incident.

“As the city grieves over this horrendous and tragic accident,” said Krekorian, “it is imperative that the public learn all the facts, including how the deaths at the Burlington store might have been avoided, and also the circumstances that endangered the public because of the suspect’s vicious and brutal attacks on innocent people.” 

“There are no words that can offer comfort to the family on the loss of their beloved daughter,Valentina,” said Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, co-sponsor of the motion. “As a mother, I am at a loss. As chair of the Public Safety Committee, I will ensure that we receive a full account for the procedures and actions taken and I ask the Police Commission to engage in a full review and amend procedures to ensure that no family ever suffers this loss in the future.”

“It’s not enough to acknowledge that the tragedy of Valentina’s death should never happen again,” said Councilmember Kevin De León, who also co-sponsored the motion. “Preventing another loss of innocent life in this crushing way is our responsibility as leaders and it requires substantive action. We must be capable of balancing the need for real policing reforms, with making sure all Angelenos are safe –  and that crime is not a threat to our quality of life.”

The motion instructs the LAPD to report on the status of the internal investigation of the December 23 incident, including the anticipated time-frame for each step in the process, and the Department’s  cooperation with the investigation being conducted by the California Attorney General’s office. 

Krekorian’s motion, co-presented by Councilmember Kevin De León and Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, and seconded by Councilmember Curren Price, also calls on the LAPD to report to the Council on its policies and practices for (i) pursuing a suspect believed to be an active shooter or otherwise violent in a contained area; (ii) protecting victims and bystanders from a suspect believed to be an active shooter or otherwise violent; (iii) reducing the risk to victims and bystanders from an officer’s discharge of weapons.  The motion asks the City Council’s Chief Legislative Analyst to develop and present to the Council recommendations for potential changes to these policies based on best practices implemented by other law enforcement agencies.

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