officers - The Black Vault

FD-350 (Rev. 5·8·81)
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(Indicate page, name of
newspaper, citY and state.)
Ex-U.S. Official '
to Head Mayor's
Probe ofLAPD
By GLENN F. BUNTING
'TIMES STAFF WRITER
(Mount Clipping in Space Below)
Mayor Tom Bradley today will
appoint former Deputy Secretary
of State Warren M. Christopher
chairman of a seven-member citizens'
commission that will launch
an unprecedented investigation of
the Police Department in the wake
of the Rodney G. King beating, it
was learned Sunday.
In addition, recently retired Assistant
Police Chief Jesse A. Brewer
and noted criminologist James
Q. Wilson will be named senior
advisers to the citizens' panet
Naming of the commission is the
latest in a series of political moves
engineered by the mayor's office to
bring pressure on Police Chief
Daryl F. Gates to resign, a decision
the mayor has said he regards as a
necessary first step toward patching
police-community relations ..
Bradley is expected to announce
the commission appointments at a
news conference this morning, according
to City Hall sources who
requested anonymity. They said
the mayor and the commission will
raise more than $1 million in private
funds and donations to scrutinize
police operations as well as
allegations of police brutality.
"We believe that the members
are of such a high caliber and the
staffing and funding so well developed
that the citizens' commission
will restore confidence in the Police
Department," said a source
familiar with the panel.
Christopher, 65, is the widely
respected chairman of the Los
Angeles law firm O'Melveny &
· Myers who served as deputy attor- ·
nex_general it: the Johnson Administration
and deputy secretary of
_state in the Carter Administration.
· In 1980, Christopher was the key
nego~iator in the release of the 52
American hostages held in Iran. He
was Bradley's top -choice to serve
as chairman of tbe blue-ribbon
panel, the sources said.
· Brewer, 69, who retired a month
ago after a 38-year career with the
LAPD, was the highest ranking.
black in the history of the department.
His name has been men­
-tioned by leaders in the minority
community as an ideal interim
replacement for Gates should the
chief choose to retire any time
soon.
· Brewer will serve as one of three
senior advisers to the commission.
Joi~ing him will be Wilson, a
natiOnally recognized criminologist
who has studied crime and police
behavior for more than 20 years.
Wilson formerly taught at Harvard
University and is now the Collins
professor of management and public
policy at UCLA. ·
None of the three men could be
reached Sunday.
Bill Chandler, a spokesman for·
the mayor, declined to comment on
the makeup of the panel. ·
The mayor's commission is the
second group for)lled within the
last week to review law enforcement
training and procedures in
Los Angeles. .
Last week, Gates disclosed that
he h\ld appointed retired state
Supreme Court Justice John A.
Arguelles and retired USC President
James H. Zumberge to lead a
separate inquiry into police misconduct.
Three other panel members
are ejq>ected to be named by
Arguelles, who retired in 1989 and
currently practices law in Orange
County. ·
Gates' panel was announced as
part of a 10-point plan intended to
avoid a recurrence of the police
beating of King, who was struck
more than 50 times with nightsticks.
Gates did not address precisely
the funding or staffing levels
for the "Arguelles Panel," raising
questions about his commission's
independence. ~he panel i~ expected
to rely heavily on pollee funds
and personnel.
Date: LOS ANGELES TIMES
Edition: MON, APRIL 1 1 19 91
FRONT SECTION, PAGE 1
T~:
EX-U.S. OFFICIAL TO HEAD
MAYOR'S PROBE OF LAPD
Character:
or
Classification:
CIVIL RIGHTS
80-33B
Submitting Office:
LOS ANGELES
Indexing:
SEARCHED___ INDEXED ____ ,
SERJAUZEO,._ __ FILED ____ ,
APR 8 1991
l·~~-~-~FB~I~l~O~S~A~NG~E~L~ES~/---1
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_Since the King beating in Lake
VIew Terrace was videotaped by
an amateur photographer on
March 3, allegations of racism and
abu~ive conduct have been lodged
agamst Los Angeles police officers.
An _array of community groups and
nat10nal leaders have called for
Gates to resign, but the chief has
. stood firm, saying he has no plans
to l~ave ~efore the King scandal is
behmd h1m and his department.
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