officers - The Black Vault

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offensive weapon.
J' "I'm just sick about what happened
. in Los Angeles. But, I'll tell you this:
!Every cop who saw that videotape is a
1
better cop today." ·
We've been hearing how "sick"
ieveryone is ever since the incident
!became public. But that's old news.
i A horrified San Jose Police Chief
iJoe McNamara wrote an article for the
1
Los Angeles Times citing the LAPD's
!loss of integrity and calling for Chief
.Daryl Gates to resign. McNamara's
:argument is this: "It is incumbent on
'the chief to exert the kind of leadership
·that results in his troops performing
their duties in a way that maintains
credibility in the community."
1· But most officers get the same routine
training. So, in theory, they all
1
start from the same place. Obviously,
1 though, each community is different
! ethnically, ec:onomically, etc. How
training is transferred to the streets is
still another matter. It's not a question
of whether the videotape could have
been shot in San Jose. What happens
when there is no videotape? McNamara's
~ticle doesn't answer that.
The San Jose Police Department
receives an average of 160 citizen complaints
of misco:p.duct each year. How
those complaints are handled reflects
. the department's determination to
avoid the horror in Los Angeles.
That's why City Councilwoman
Blanca Alvarado is calling for a more
citizen~friendly way of handling complaints
against the police, even suggesting
a deputy city manager track those
complaints.
Assistant Police Chief Fred Abram
appeared with her at a news conference
Monday, promising that the department
will put more emphasis on community
relatiqns. He promised more
cross-cultural training and to hire more
minority officers, including a minority
member in the department of internal
affairs, the police mechanism for exam~
ining allegations of misconduct.
He even agreed that, if it is legal, it
might be a good idea for som~one outside
the department to track citizen
complaints. It's sticky. Details of internal
investigations into police miscon~
duct are protected by state law. Today,
Alvarado will ask San Jose's attorneys
to explore ways that the city can pro­
·vide more police oversight. That would
prove to be as important to police conduct
as any amount of training with a
baton.
Pat Dillon is a columnist for the San
Jose Mercury News.
George Robeson is on vacation.
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