officers - The Black Vault

- ·- ~-------------- ~at might get twisted around,
'Particularly in th~s case, we're trying to complete
the investigation as quickly as possible., )'
and we don't want to get to that
point."
. Aliano said that 'the officers are
TOM JONES
being called in early to the station
FBI spokesman ,
and are being paid overtime for the
·interviews.
,..
Four Foothill officers-Laurence
M. ·Powell, Ted Briseno,
station. . that what they said would not be
While Los Angeles Police Chief used against them in a criminal
'Timothy Wind and Sgt. Stacey C.
Da,ryl F. Gates has' criticized FBI case. Dozens of officers called 'Koon-were indicted March 15 by
. plans to approach officers at home, Marr's office Monday, seeking adthe
bureau's chief spokesman -in vice, he said. ·
Jury· on charges of assault with a
the Los Angeles County Grand
Washington, Tom Jones, said the "They want to be ·coopera~ive, -deadly weapon and unnecessarily
. interview process was designed "to but also in a way. consistent with beating a suspect under the color of
cause the least amount of disrup-· 'their rights, and they don't want to authority. Koon and Powell were
tion."
be sandbagged,'' Marr said. also indicted for filing a false police
FBI officials in Washington said "The sense that I get from the
report.
that Gates initially did not want to officers I've talked to is that some The second phase of the grand
make officers' addresses available of them are offended that they've :jury investigation began Monday,
to the FBI on privacy grounds, but · .been contacted at home because as the panel began to consitlt;r the
then recognized that a federal " that's a private place and they case of those officers who stood by
subpoena for the information don't want to talk there. But most as King was·~t;aten.
would make the addresses public. are· Willing to cooperate and have According to sources, s~me of
In addition to home contacts, been directed to do .that."
agents set up appointments with . The officers believe that they
officers at the Foothill station. have been coerced into the inter-
Cecil Marr, a Police Protective views because Gates has ordered
League lawyer, was on hand in a them to cooperate with the FBI, ·
room to advise the officers of their · said Lt. George Aliano, president of
- rights. . · the Police Protective League. They
Jones said the decision to con- 'reason, he said, that because the
. duct the interviews was made .. by interviews are the product of coerthe
Justice Department's civil·. cion they should be promised at· the
rights division lawyers now in Los outset that whatever they say will
Angeles, ,iind "probably in concert not be used against them. ·
with the FBI office" in the city.
The FBI spokesman said orders · As FBI agents descended upon .
'for the interviews did not come
from FBI Director William S. Sessions
'Or other FBI top officials in
· their homes, .police officers
flooded league attorneys with
questions, said Diane Marchant, an
Washington. r . attorney hired by the league.
Jones said FBI agents have been · Marchant said some officers did
given 21 working days to complete qot find· out. that they would .. be
· ·the initial report of the investiga- questioned until they ·received
tion. That deadline stems from the telephone calls from the FBI. Oth-
. U.S. attorney general's guidelines ers'learned about th~ investigation
that govern the conduct of civil by reading newspaper accounts,
rights investigations, according to
the FBI's Baker.
·and still others were told about the
'investigation at roll call Sunday at
· "Particularly in· this case, we're the Foothill·stat.,ion. ·
trying to complete the investiga- FBI agents began knocking ori
'. tion as quickly as possible," Jones .' the doors of officers as early as 7:30
~ ·said, citing the publicity surround- , Monday morning, Marchant said. ·
·ing the issue.
Aliano of the Police Protective
The F,ai :inquiry ran into obsta- League said many officers realize
·. cles almost immediately,~ several they ·could face administrative
officers refused to be interviewed ·charges Qf insubordination if
by six federal agents at the Foothill
s.tation. · . ·
.they refuse to talk to the FBI. He
{ld~ed that the officers are taking
Marr said at least four officers at .· the position that .the FBI cannot
the station directly declined to be . use coerced information against .
interviewed after the FBI refused a them.
request from them for protection . "You have a right not to incrimifrom
criminal prosecution. · . nate yourself," he said, adding that
The attorney said he also had . ~he officers ar~ also insisting on
informed the FBI on behalf of a tape-rec;:ording the interviews to
dozen additional Foothill. officers · ,protect themselves. ·
that they did not want ;to be "We want the actual words preinterviewed
without assurances · served," Aliano said. "Who ·knows
the officers could be charged with
·filing false police reports, aiding
·and abetting in the King beating or
with violations of California civil
rights laws. · ·
Deputy Dist. Atty. Terry White,
the prosecutor, made only brief
appearances before the grand jury ,
Monday and no testimony was ,
taken, according to sources. The
panel will rec.onvene Thursday.
Times staff writers Ronald J. Ostrow
In Washington and Richard A. Serrano,
.Ronald L. Soble, Hecto'r Tobar and Lois .
Tlmnlck In Los Angeles contributed to
this rep~rt. ·