officers - The Black Vault

FD·350 (Rev. 5·8·81)
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(Mount Clipping in Space Below)
THE TIMES POLL
31% of Angelenos Say
~·Gates Should. Quit Now
· By SHERYL STOLBERG
about blacks, Latinos and Jews, is
TIMES STAFF WRITER
racist. Thirty-six percent said yes,
39% said no and 25% were unsure ..
Almost one out of three Los~ The poll found that six in 10
. Angeles residents believe that Po- residents believe that Gates bears
' lite Chief Daryl F. Gates should
: resign immediately over the ·police
"a good amount" or most of the
blame for the King beating.
beating of a black Altadena man, But a majority generally believe
and a majority say he bears sub- that the problems of misconduct by
; stantial blame for the incident, a the department stem rriore from
Los Angeles Times Poll has found. the "beliefs and personalities of the
,;~ Though there was not over-
;whelming sentiment for the chief
typical police officer" than from
the policies of those who run the
1to -step down right away, the poll department. The surveY, found that
indicated that -support for both 58% attribute miscond~ct to indi­
'"Gates and the Los Angeles Police vidual officers and 29% to depart-
Department continues to erode in · -ment policies. . . · ' ·
:!he wake of the March 3 beating of · Asked how· the ·departure or
motorist Rodney G. King.
Gat.eB would affect the department,
'J. The poll found that 31% want 38% said it would have a positive
.bates to resign immediately, and effect, 20% Jald it would have a
another 31% believe Gates should negative effect and 33% said it
iesign if an investigation finds that ·would have not much effect.
,:his officers committed wrongdoing. The King beating, captured on
t In a Times poll two weeks ago, videotape by an amateur photogra­
'j13% said G~tes should resign im- pher, has thrust Gates and the
;:nediately and 27% said he should LAPD into the center of a national
d!'~ign if his officers· committed uproar over police misconduct.
)!wrongdoing.
:~ ~n this week's poll, 32% said
Four officers have been indicted on
felony charges of assault with a
fbates-should not resign,. down from deadly weapon. A host of public
48%. · figures-from civil rights activist
!.'·:While public attention after the Jesse Jackson to conservative col~
'j{ing beating has focused on the · G W'll ha 11 d
..;.~ __ epartment's leadership, the poll umnist eorge 1 - ve ca e
~ on Gates to resign .
. also .found .that residents believe The beating has carried racial
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•.~ELATED STORIES: A4l,A42
.f'acism and brutality are widet;pread
within the Police Depart­
-lment and that these problems
llllight not be solved by the chief's
~eparture.
~· Two-thirds of the respondents
said they believe tha~ police brutality
is common in Los Angeles,
and two-thirds said they believe
racist feelings are common among