officers - The Black Vault

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• •
· .nates said the incident was
; But both Bradley and Gates ."an aberration" that has demoralized
the department consid­
Q.ownplayed complaints by
black community groups, including
the Brotherhood Cru­
agency throughout the world.
er* a model law enforcement
sade, that the beating proved He called on the public to show
the department was rife with support for the 8,300-member
racism.
force.
"That issue has been raised
~ou've got a lot of police offleers
out there whose morale
here, whether or not there was
any racial effect or cause ·involved
in this," Gates said. "We · this," Gates said. "They feel it.
. has been harmed seriously by
can turn up absolutely nothing They look at those tapes, too.
except that the officers were . .
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white and the suspect was Casts a shadow on t~.
;t·
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1- ·Gates said officers involved in
black."
-They are as outraged as you a .pursuit need careful supervi­
The mayor also noted that are, as outraged as the public. . sion when they pull a motorist
both the motorist, Rodney Glen And they want something done, • over and are filled with Adrenalin
and "pent-up animosity."
King, 25, of Altadena, his family
and his attorneys have dis­
because it casts a shadow on
them and they are really down."
Counted racism in the behavior
.Sergeant blamed ·'
of the officers.
A police analysis of a 'videotape
shot by a witness foUn.d
~ He vented some of his har­
. But Bishop E. Lynn Brown of
the Christian Methodist Episcopal
Church, and other Broth­
53 times with their batons,
~eant who should have kept the
the officers struck King at least , shest words against the sererhood
Crusade members accused
Gates of setting a tone of him seven times.
Gates said. They also kicked officers under control
racism throughout the department,
which led to the beating.
They called for him to resign or
be fued.
'Klan-like action'
·"Mr. Gates created an atmosphere
and created the incentive
for this kind of Klan-like
action to take place in the city,"
Brown said. "We demand that
Chief Gates be fired."
Bradley noted, however, that
the chief was protected by civil
service regulations and could
not be fued unless there was
evidence of major wrongdoing.
Although he has sparred with
Gates in the past, the mayor
praised the chiefs quick investigation
of the beating.
.And as he has often done during
past controversies, Gates
said he would step down at a
time of his own choosing and
not give in to pressure.
:"1 have absolutely no
thoughts of resigning," Gates
said. "Please let all my friends
out there know, who think this
is. the time. I am not going. I'm
gQing to be here. If anything,
this is a time for strength of
leadership. I provide that leadetiship
in this organization."
One of the three officers was
a rookie, a second had served
three years on the department
and had been brought up on
excessive force charges but had
been acquitted in a police
Board of Rights hearing, Gates
said. The third had nine years
experience and had been disciplined
for brutality.
The chief said the officers
told investigators ~ey had been
frightened when they confronted
King because they believed
that he was under the influence
of PCP and, like some who
abuse the drug, had "super-human
strength."
Blood and urine tests had
been taken following King's arrest·
but the final results were
not ready, Gates said.
But he noted that investigators
now believe King had been
driving under the· influence of
alcohol when he was pulled over
early 'Sunday morning in the
Lake View Terrace section of
the San Fernando Valley following
a high-speed chase by
. LAPD and California Highway
~· · Patrol officers.
: "Unfortunately we had a total
.. human failure on the part of
· that sergeant and many other
officers who should have interceded,"
Gates said. "'f they re­
. ally loved their brother officers,
. they would have stepped in and
grabbed them and hauled them
back and said, 'Knock it off.'
"That is what every officer
should have done and my judgment
is that it is a cowardly
thing, it is not keeping faith
with the tenants of being a good
partner • •• to stand there and
allow people to get themselves
in this kind of trouble." J