By Linda Taaffe

Santa Clara County’s top cop, Laurie Smith, will have a say in how police statewide should conduct themselves.

The state Assembly earlier this month handpicked Smith to serve on the newly formed Speaker’s Commission on Police Conduct that Assemblyman Herb J. Wesson of Los Angeles created in July following release of the videotaped beating of a handcuffed youth in Southern California.

The incident created a public outcry for police reform throughout California.

The commission’s aim is to improve policies and procedures that will ensure the safety and civil rights of those who are arrested, Wesson said in a press release.

“I formed this commission with a clear determination to take action, protect the civil rights of every Californian and provide additional support for the dedicated professionals who risk their lives every day to protect us all,” Wesson said. “I am confident these new commissioners feel as I do, that the work of this commission is more than a responsibility - it is a sacred duty - and we intend to strengthen the bond that developed after Sept. 11 between law enforcement and the citizens they protect.”

Smith, with 17 other commissioners, will sit on at least one of five subcommittees scheduled to hold public hearings throughout the state over the next four months. They will examine the current training police officers receive and methods to eliminate the use of unnecessary force. Subcommittees include: Training and Personnel; Past Findings and Reforms; Community Policing; Police Psychology and the Use of Force; and Police Accountability.

The commission is set to gather the subcommittee reports early next year and recommend new legislation for 2003.

The commission held its first meeting in Los Angeles earlier this month.

Smith said she “relishes being a part of the progressive stance law enforcement is taking on protecting its citizens, as well as its officers.”

The commission includes members of the State Assembly, law enforcement experts, civil rights advocates and community activists.

Smith, who has spent her entire career with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, has served as sheriff since 1998. She is the first woman in the county’s 150-year history to hold the position, accountable for more than 500 officers and a $119 million budget.

Her patrol includes unincorporated Los Altos and Los Altos Hills.

During her tenure, she has initiated numerous programs related to crime prevention.

Smith earned her bachelor’s degree from San Jose State University and a master’s degree in management from Cal Poly.

The Assembly plans to name additional commissioners to the panel at a later date.