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RULES CHANGE - After twenty-three years as an LAPD sergeant, I’ve seen policies come and go — some good, some bad, and some that quietly chipped away at the core of what policing is supposed to be. But none have frustrated me quite like Special Order No. 3, the department’s new directive on so-called pretextual stops. This policy, sold to the public as “reform,” is in reality a dangerous political maneuver that undermines both public safety and the men and women sworn to protect it.
At its heart, Special Order No. 3 tells officers that they may no longer make traffic stops for most equipment violations — things like broken taillights, expired tags, or illegal modifications — unless they can also articulate a specific public-safety threat or reasonable suspicion of a more serious crime. On paper, this may sound like a small procedural tweak. In practice, it’s a seismic shift that discourages proactive policing and invites lawlessness on our streets.
The Chilling Effect on Patrol
Every officer knows that traffic stops save lives. They’re not just about issuing citations — they’re often how we catch dangerous felons, recover stolen vehicles, seize guns, and interrupt violent crimes before they happen. Countless murderers, gang members, and drug traffickers have been taken off the streets because an officer stopped a car for a minor violation and discovered something much worse.
But Special Order No. 3 changes the calculus. It sends a clear message from LAPD leadership and City Hall: “If you pull someone over and can’t justify it beyond the equipment violation, your career might be on the line.” Officers now have to worry not just about the stop itself, but about how their decision will be perceived by command staff, city politicians, and activists looking for a reason to accuse them of misconduct.
The result? Hesitation. Good cops start second-guessing themselves. They drive past cars with no headlights at night, expired tags months overdue, or windows so dark they could hide anything — because they’re not sure if enforcing the law will get them written up, disciplined, or labeled a problem. And once hesitation creeps in, proactive policing dies.
Political Pressure, Not Public Safety
Let’s be clear: this policy isn’t about safety or effectiveness. It’s about politics.
City politicians and police commissioners — most of whom have never spent a night in a patrol car — have grown terrified of public backlash. They’ve watched activists condemn traffic enforcement as biased and claim that pretext stops are inherently unjust. Instead of defending their officers and educating the public on why those stops are essential, LAPD leadership has chosen to appease critics and shield themselves from controversy.
It’s no coincidence that LAPD chiefs serve at the pleasure of the mayor, city council, and police commission. That structure virtually guarantees that major policy decisions will be driven by politics, not policing. Chiefs are incentivized to write policies that protect their jobs — even if those policies compromise public safety.
This is why I’ve long argued that chiefs need true civil service protections. Only when they’re insulated from political retaliation can they lead based on what’s right, not what’s popular.
Mixed Messages and a Demoralized Rank-and-File
Perhaps the most damaging consequence of Special Order No. 3 is the message it sends to the rank-and-file: We don’t trust you.
That’s what officers hear when their department ties their hands. That’s what they feel when policies imply that enforcing the vehicle code could cost them their career. And that’s why so many officers today — even the most dedicated ones — are leaving early or disengaging from the work they once loved.
We’re already seeing the ripple effects: recruitment is suffering, morale is plummeting, and the department’s most experienced officers — the ones who know how to use discretion wisely — are hanging up their badges. And who pays the price? The citizens of Los Angeles.
The Community Deserves Better
Los Angeles residents deserve more than a politically neutered police department. They deserve a department empowered to enforce the law fairly, consistently, and proactively. They deserve leaders who will stand up for the Constitution and the California Vehicle Code — not sidestep them for fear of a press conference.
Special Order No. 3 is more than a bad policy. It’s a symptom of a deeper problem: a police department that has become too beholden to City Hall and too afraid of public opinion. If we truly want accountability — real accountability — we need to start at the top. We need leadership willing to protect both the public and the people who risk their lives to serve it.
A Final Warning
If Los Angeles continues down this path — stripping officers of discretion, politicizing police leadership, and refusing to grant chiefs the civil service protections they need — the consequences will be inevitable. The thin blue line will grow thinner still, as dedicated officers leave faster than the department can replace them. And one day soon, if this city isn’t careful, the Chief of Police himself will be out on the boulevard writing fix-it tickets and making traffic stops — because there won’t be anyone left willing to do the job.
(Michael Barone is a retired LAPD Sergeant, Serial #33210, with 23 years of service. He writes about public safety, law enforcement history, and civic accountability.)
Author’s Note: This article is part of a continuing series on LAPD and civic accountability. In “Why Veteran Cops Are Leaving the LAPD Early — and What Los Angeles Is Losing,” I explored the human cost of losing experienced officers. In “Why Los Angeles Needs to Revisit Civil Service Protections,” I argue that real reform requires insulating chiefs of police from political pressure. And in “How CompStat Failed Los Angeles — and Why the Numbers Can’t Be Trusted,” I show how data manipulation undermined public safety and accountability. Together, these articles expose how Los Angeles has failed both its officers and its citizens — and what needs to change to restore integrity.
