officers - The Black Vault

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Civil rights leaders have demanded
that Gates step down, although
his own officers and
others· have rallied around the
outspoken chief.
Bradley insists that he is noi
calling for Gates to retire outright,
saying that is a decision for
the chief alone to make. But he
has repeatedly said that the
"healing process" can only begin
with Gates' departure.
· The mayor said in the interview
that his statements and actions
over the past three weeks
reflect a sentiment he said is be­
·ing felt throughout the city. First
there was shock and horror, he
said, and now there is outrage.
"I'm basing this strictly on the
level of intensity of the protests
and demands I've been hearing
all over the city," Bradley said. "I
went to Banning High School (on
Thursday) and opened it to any
and all questions. There was not
one question about anything else.
. Everything was about Rodney
King and Chief Gates.
"In talking with people on a
casual basis, there are the same
kind of concerns 'about this incident."
But Gates said he has the same
concerns.
When he first saw the videotape,
Gates said his reaction to
the beating was that it "absolutely
cannot be tolerated by any police
department anywhere in the
country. It was horrifying."
The failure, he insisted, was
not in the department but in the
·individual officers.
"You must have a reverence
for the law - pot just an understanding
of the law - but a reverence
for the law," Gates said.
"Anything you do to bring disgrace
to your badge, to bring a
cloud to your badge, affects us
all. .
"A few police officers failed to
have a reverence for the law,
failed to protect and to serve, ••
Gates said.
When he retires, ·Gates said, it
will be after he has determined
that the problems in the department
have been solved, not because
of the pressure on him. ·
Bradley continues to deny that
his office is trying to orchestrate
the opposition to Gates.
"I've explained that.'" Bradley.
·said. "I called Chief Gates and is different from the days wher
explained that simply wasn't he was an officer.
true."
"Chief Gates has said tha1
While Bradley said he can con- there is racism in society and Wl
tinue to work with Gates if he de- draw our officers -from society;·
cides to stay on, he said changes Bradley said.
will be needed in the Police De- "And, there's been tremendour
partment.
progress since the days I was or
Early last week, after tran- the department in terms of pro·
scripts of computerized messages motions and assignments," Brad·
containing racial slurs were re- ley said.
leased, Bradley said he wanted to . "Wh
1
th bl k
I · f h d en was ere, ac s anc
see a compete review 0 t e e- whites couldn't even work to·
· partment from Gates down to officers
on the street regarding gether. How can white officers retraining
and regulations. spect blacks if they don't work
As part of that, he said he is with them in a professionai
still considering appointing an independent
commission to review Bradley recalled that when he
way?"
the training of the department. was on the department there wa~
The commission would have a an unwritten rule that no black
broad agenda and be allowed to could be promoted higher than
look not only at the training of lieutenant.
officers but at the structure of the "But the department is differ­
Police Department and its rela-' ent now," Bradley said. "We're
tionship with the Police Commis- not talking about the same de­
.sion.
partment. There's been tremen-
Bradley said he is concerned dous progress since I was on the
that racism rims throughout the department in terms of promo­
Police Department, but he said it_::: tion and assignments."