officers - The Black Vault

FD-350 (Rev. 5·8·81)
••
•(Indicate page, name of
newspaper, city and state.)
Gates says
he'll retire,
but not now
By John Polich
THE LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS
Without setting a definite
date, Los Angeles Police
Chief Daryl F. Gates
says he will retire once he
restores public confidence
the Police Department
lost because of the beating
of motorist Rod~ey King.
Gates decision - announced
Thursday night
in a speech to public relations
executives in Sherman
Oaks - comes as he
faces mounting pressure
from civil rights and black
community groups and national
outrage concerning
the videotaped beating of
King on March 3.
"Once the prestige of
this department is returned,
once we are satisfied
that we have whatev-
' er answers we might be
able to find, once I'm assured
that we have reduced
this to the point
it~t it's humanly possible to reduce
the possibility of this ever
llappening again, once we
'achieve that - and I think that
:can be done 'in a very short
i>eriod of time - then I will be
satisfied an I'll go ahead and go
!retire," Gates said.
i Gates insisted that he will re­
~iSt demands for his immediate
.resignation but said he will retire
once the department imple­
-ments reforms to ensure that
·the King incident will not happen
again.
·· Later, when questioned by
'Teporters in the lobby of the
'Valley Hilton Hotel on Thurs­
.day, Gates refused to be more
·specific.
(Mount Clipping in Space Below)
G~-ii~; Pli be 'out of here'
Questioned about the poBSibility
that he could face a recall
vote, the chief said, "My understanding
'is. that it would not be
on the ballot until 1992. I'm
going to be out of here by
~hen."
Gates' statements marked
the fll'St time he has backed
away from his pledge to remain
in charge of the department despite
widespread calls for his
ouster.
Bradley sugg~sted this week
that the chief's resignation
could begin a "healing proceBS"
between the Police Department
and the community but he
stopped short of demanding it.
When he began his speech,
Gates quipped that the controversy
has made him consider
seeking help from a profeBSional
public relatips organization.
He also joked about a seminar
on violent crimes he attended
shortly before the King beating.
. "I'm an expert, as you know,
on violence," he said sarcasti­
Cally.
: During his speech, Gates said
he regrets having said during
·ihe initial days of the crisis that
he would not paBS quick judgment
on the officers involved in
the beating. He said if he had
to do it over again, he would
decline comment on the beating
U.ntil after the ·police investigation
was completed.
"Clearly if I had come out
that very day ••. and declared
that this was a terrible thing, a
crime, then I would have judged
those officers and anything .I
would have done from that
point forward •. . would have
been questioned in court," he
said. .
'Awful nature'
'..Gates defended calling the
incident an "aberration" by
saying, "The intensity of this,
the awful nature of it ..• it was
jll.st that - an aberration, in
my judgment."
THE OUTLOOK
Date: M7\ 22 1991
Ed . . . FRI • , J.'-lnR ,
110n. 1 •
Front Sect~on, Page 1
~TES SAYS HE'LL RETIRE,
1
: BUT NOT NOW
ac er:
Civil Rights
C har t
or
Classification: 80-33B
Submitting Office:
I.OS ANGELES
In ll:nrinn·
SEARCHED
SERIALIZED
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MAR 2 ; 1991
FBI
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LOS ANGELES I
He said he believes that the
LAPD's 8,300 officers unanimously
support him, and he also·
believes he -has the overwhelming
support of the public.
The chief cited a poll conduct- ·
ed by Los Angeles CBS radio
station KNX Thursday morning
in which 78 percent of those
calling the station said he
should not resign. ·
··"People are choosing up sides
and my side is winning " he
said. ,
.Asked if any g~ had ~me
from the King beating, Gates
said the incident had re-emphasized
to officers in the LAPD
an~ elsewhere that they should
only use force when it is reason-'
able and necessary to do so.
. "If that isn't ingrained in every
brain of 8,300 officers by·
now, it never will be," -he said.
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