The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents Los Angeles Police Department officers, has retained public relations and public affairs consulting firm Vectis D.C. to handle police reform legislation, according to lobbying registration documents filed with Congress in June.
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The LAPD has been a focus of public scrutiny amid nationwide cries for police reform in the wake of the George Floyd protests. Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti in June announced a proposal to slash the LAPD’s annual $1.2 billion budget by up to $150 million. LAPPL director Jamie McBride responded by calling Garcetti “clearly unstable,” and being “more interested in his image and how he's looked upon, as opposed to being a leader in difficult times.”
According to a June 25 New York Times analysis of police groups’ influence in Congress, a half-dozen police organizations in the country have spent a combined $2.9 million lobbying the federal government since 2017.
Vectis is the firm founded by former California Democratic congressman and House majority whip Tony Coelho, along with Ron Packard, a Republican who was chairman of the Appropriations Committee on Energy and Water.
The firm, which maintains offices in Los Angeles and Washington, focuses on privacy/cybersecurity, environmental initiatives, municipal infrastructure/transportation and media relations.
The LAPPL account will be managed by senior partner and managing partner Don Polese, who was formerly Packard’s district chief of staff.
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