officers - The Black Vault

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.... You guys continue to refer to our
female police officer who was shot as a
"policewoman." That is a derogatory
term. That's why I say you don't know
much about our police department: It's a
derogatory term within the Los Angeles
Police Department among women officers.
They don)t like that. That connotes a
time when they were just that: "policewomen."
It said "policewomen" on their
badges; they could not rise above the rank
of Sergeant. All that's been changed.
They are police officers . . . . And we did
.. it before most departments in the country-they
were still calling them policewomen
....
. . . . We've got a Hispanic in charge of
the Academy. I bet no one knew that in
this room-that a Hispanic has been
running the police academy for some
time. That blacks run the· recruits
through the academy. I bet you didn't
know that Internal Affairs was run by a
black captain-matter of fact, two black
captains-for over a year.
I look at all these things and I say to
myself, "I don't know how much more I
can·do in the Los Angeles Police Department
to create an atmosphere of imparliality
of atmosphere that produces a
department that is sensitive to the community
and that is that looks like the face-
• of the community than I have done.
I've hired more blacks, I've hired more
Hispanics, I've hired more women than .
any other chief in the history of the Los
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Angeles Police Department. Some say,
that, "Well, that's because there's a
consent decree.': ·
Well, that's baloney! Just because . . .. . . . _ .
there's a consent decree doesn't mean you · · within. But maybe we need someone trom
have to hire. To hire you have to go out the outside. Do you think that would help?
·and find them; you have to talk them into A: .... I, ask: )Vho you're going to get
becoming police officer; you have to be to come in that can do a. better job. I don't
enthusiastic, and you ... have to make thjnk you can. You bring people in from
sure that they understand they-have good the outside when you don't have the
opportunities within the department. So talent from the inside. It destroys you.
that means you have to create an envi- Ask any FBI agent how they feel. They
· ronment in the department that says you. go in the FBI. and .there's no way ·in the
.have opportunity in the 9,epartment. And world they can reach the top. unless they
we've creat~d that environment. : . . . go into the law and become a judge and
The Urban League and th.e National then become on the appellate bench and
Conference of Christians and Jews put out then they can become the head of the
, a report some years ago .... One of FBI. And they all feel that's why FBI
those recommendations )Vas to do.ajob of agents, aside from the age problel_ll
human relations training at the Los they've got they're gone. Just at the1r
Angeles police academy . . . . · time they're gone.
I've implemented every single recommendation
.... Yet you guys comment. Q: Your e:cample of the. FBI-some
that we have to do something about our though.tful. pe~ple argue thflt the. FBfs ·a
training. we gotta do something about better ms.ttt?ftton n~w than zt was m the old
our human relations . : . . I think, "Holy . rif;Ys w_hen z.t was msular. Do you see that
cow I don't know what else to do with nsk wtth the LAPD. . .
that' department than what I have done. A: I see the risk of not being able to
· provide leadership in the organization
Q: If you have·an these programs and .... You gotta have people who have a
they work, how do you e:cpklin the out- lot of confidence in the top-particularly
pouring at the police co_mmission today? in law enforcement. Police officers could
The ACLU is one thing, but John. Mack and shine you on and say: "Sure, sure chief,
George Will, people like that, are another. If yuk yuk yuk, we'll do it.'' : ... But if you
this is an aberration, then why is there this have leadership at the top, if you have
huge outpouring?
people that, when they say, "Do it this
A: .... I can't explain anything. I can way," they say, "You got it, chief.'' That's
only tell you this that the complaints important. I don't think the FBI has that
we've had in the last 3 years have been right no.w. . . .
coming down . . . . Civil suits have been
coming down the last 3 years. The highest
year with some kind of complaints, claims
that is, I think was back in 1985 . . . .
They've been coming do~ since . . . .
Q: But it is not th.e George Wills or the
John Macks but fh:e bookkeepers in South
L.A., the W.wyers in Baldwin Hills. Ifs
almost a joke among many bklcks in Los
Angeles-men particuklrly. What was the
e:tC'U8e this time-a flashing taillight? And
everybody W.ughs at the dinner party
because everyone has a story. fm talking
regular people who are not anti-police.
Why do all these people have stories about
their sons, their husbands, their cousins?
A: It's impossible to respond to the ·
.question because you have to deal with a
cqse-by-case basis .... I can't answer
those questions on a broad-based basis.
because there's no way to answer it in
that fashion. I do know this: While your
survey said one thing, the survey that
you had in 1988 said another thing. [It]
said that 80% of the people supported the
Los Angeles Police Department. Now if it
were that bad in any community, would
we have that kind of support.? From the
survey we just did, the Proposition 1, the
believability factor of the chief of police
was higher than any other official in
Southern California. Higher than the .
mayor's.
Q: There is a theory that .when a
institution has problems, what:s needed is a
fresh set of eyes. Los ·Angeles, because of
our civil-serv~e structu~, promotf!_s from
Q: Can you rebuild the confidence of
elected officials and bklck leadership now
calling for you to step dOwn?
A: I hope so. By taking very specific
action. I'm hopeful that they're fair minded
people and that they are willing to lead
me part of the way and recognize that I
am acting in good faith. And have acted in
good faith over a long period of time. I 1
also am very hopeful that many friends- . ,
as a matter of fact I had a couple of black
1
officers come to me . . . and said, "chief,
let me tell you, we are getting hundreds
of calls from members of the black
community who . . . are saying tell the
chief to stay there, this will pass, we want
him." 1 just think slowly but surely that
will emerge . . . . ·
Q: Could you reflect a .why you are being
singled out. Are these old scores being
settled? Is it just something about you?
A: . . .. . I'm chief of police. This was a
shocking thing, a horrible situation and so
1 think they're aiming 'it right at me. And I
understand that. I really do. I'm a little
resentful, but I understand it. I'm chief.
And you said, "The buck stops here." And
where in the hell dci you think it stops? It
never stopped with the commission. It
never stopped with the mayor. Anybody
else take any of the heat on any of these
issues? No. Always been the chief of
police. And that's the way it is . . . . It's
just the nature of the job . . . .
Q: Can you envision any scenario wher:e
it would he bettEr fttrc:tb