On Monday, June 29, U.S. District Judge Gary A. Feess may finally rule on whether the LAPD consent decree should be lifted. He should not delay or hesitate in lifting it. In times past, I have been a fierce and relentless critic of the LAPD on excessive use of force, its lackluster and indifferent handling of citizen complaints, rigid military style command, failure to weed out or discipline problem officers, racial profiling, tepid recruitment of and promotion of minority officers, and half measured community policing. But that was the LAPD of a decade ago, not today.

In the crucial areas from use of excessive force to discipline to community policing, the LAPD has raised its game to a level of professionalism, integrity, and racial sensitivity that is a model for police departments nationally. The proof is in a recent poll that shows a decisive majority of Latino and African-American L.A. residents praise the department for its crime fighting and community outreach. The LAPD has shed its dreaded image of an occupying army in these communities.

The LAPD has done the heavy lifting to fulfill virtually everything mandated by the consent decree. It has taken a giant step toward burying its odious past. Judge Feess should recognize the new department reality and lift the decree.