officers - The Black Vault

FD-350 (Rev. 5·8·81)
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LOS ANGELES TIMES
Date: THURS • ~-1AR 2 8 19 91
EditionMETRO SECTION, 1 PAGE 6
Ti
~ .FBI PROBE MUST PUSH
•ue. FORWARD
CIVIL RIGHTS
Character:
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Classification: 80-3 3 B
Submitting Office:
LOS ANGELES
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FBI Probe Must Push Forward
The U. S. Justice Department
must sei~e an important
opportunity to help restore
public confidence in the Los
Angeles Police Department in
·the wake of the Rodney King
beating.
Police Chief Daryl Gates has
.announced his own plan to
evaluate and improve police
services. But outside, independent
authorities familiar
with law enforcement, such as
· the FBI, can do a better job of
examining the LAPD's system
to determine if problems exist
with training, discipline or the
chain of command.
The FBI began investigating
the King incident shortly
after a videotape of the beat.,.
ing was widely televised. The
quick response was unusual
because federal authorities
typically wait until local
probes and prosecutions }).ave
been completed. But the King
case warranted special atten­
-tion, and the FBI probe now
includes contacting an· 246
officers in the LAPD's Foothill
Division.
As many as .21 LAPD officers
were at the beating
scene, and additional officers
participated in an exchange of
derogatory messages on pa- ·
trol car computers that same
night. That raises· troubling
questions. Was the verbal behavior
consistent with the
physical behavior in the King
case? Did officers feel free to
joke about racial groups, or
the use of force, in transmissions?
Was this a callous disregard
of department policy?
Were there no sanctions for
making such comments? .The
answers are best obtained by
independent investigators.
Many officers have refused
APR ta 1991
FBI -
to cooperate with the FBI
without guarantees of immunity
from future prosecution.
Officers have the right not to
make statements, but federal
.investigators must not ·be de-.
· terred by efforts to close
ranks and stymie the probe.
The FBI investigation is not
a fishing expedition. It was
prompted by a specific crime.
To determine whether discriminatory
patterns or policies
led to that incident or
other incidents that may have
.denied suspects their· civil
rights, federal agents must
interview as many officers as
possible.
The King case ~s an extreme ·
example of what many minorities
have complained about
'for 'years, and not just in Los
Angeles.· A speedy and thorough
federal probe could help'
assuage the national outrage.
LOS ANGELES I
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