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to the jury, well, you know, if you think it was really bad conduct, I agree with you, it was <br />horrible. You know, this person had his skull fractured, and you should punish the officer by <br />assigning punitive damages and not special or general damages, which would be you're arguing <br />against your own client. So the determination was made that because of that potential, that unless <br />the County agrees to fully indemnify the officer, we got to have both -, normally, the Corp. <br />Counsel represents the County and an outside person representing the officer. Now, we have, in <br />the past, fully indemnified officers when we fully believe that they were within the scope of their <br />duties, and our preliminary investigation leads us to believe that there was -, that there is a small <br />likelihood of punitive damages, and we go to the Council and they approve that, and we represent <br />both. <br />But, however, when we do have a situation -, if we had a Rodney King situation in this County, I <br />don't think we would want to agree to fully indemnify all the officers. I think we would argue <br />that they had stepped outside their -, the bounds of their duties and that the taxpayers should not <br />be punished for what they did, and that Rodney King should be compensated by punitive <br />damages, which would create the conflict, which means you have to have separate counsel. <br />IRVINE: Would it be clearer if the Corporation Counsel's office just took care of the <br />County and we mandated private counsel -? <br />WURDEMAN: It would be clear, but it would be more expensive. <br />IRVINE: Okay. <br />RAY: Any other questions? Okay. Mr. Wurdeman. <br />WURDEMAN: Okay, the Safety Coordinator, 5-6.2, if you look at the Charter as it reads <br />today, the Safety Coordinator has a wide scope of duties, including investigation of all accidents <br />involving anything to do with the County. But, historically, the Safety Coordinator's office has <br />been very small and, once again, it's a question of do we want to create a bureaucracy to do these <br />nice -to-do things where there's been 110 bureaucracy in the past? So, my recommendation is that <br />the functions of the Safety Coordinator be reassigned to other departments or that somehow that <br />department be geared up to be -, to fully carry out its duties. <br />RAY: Any questions on that? <br />WURDEMAN: You guys have gotten together, haven't you? We've had that suggestion <br />before. <br />RAY: Well, I think this -, what this -. Let's see, we've had the suggestion to <br />make that position a Civil Service position, right? <br />HERKES: And Parks and Rec, Julie had a suggestion. <br />10 <br />