officers - The Black Vault

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describing the King peating as an
In recent weeks, they have reviewed
their training manuals, discers
not let it impede their per- ·
isolated incident and urging officussed
the use of force at roll-call formance. ·.
briefings and shown videotapes on ... I . . . want you to guard against
how to de-escalate hostile encounters.,
·
·call for decisive· enforcement ac­
being reactive in situations which
."We are spending an awful lot of tion," read Lanza's memo. "In other
words, do what you have to do to
time at the beginning of every shift
talking about community rela­ get the job done." ·
. tions-customer service training, -if Only a handful of departments
you will-to reinforce the sensitivity
of this issue," said South Pasa­
the beating, much to the relief of
have not formally acknowledged
dena's new police chief, Thomas some officers in those agencies.
Mahoney, who assumed his post 10 "Damn, everybody already
days before the Iylarch 3 beating. knows about this," said Pomona
In other cities, officials warned Police Sgt. Larry Zambrano. "I
against indecisiveness on the don't think I need a memo from the
streets. Baldwin .Park Police Chief chief telling me this was a bad
Carmine R. Lanza ·distributed a thing."
memo to his staff on March 15! In Pasadena, Police Chief Bruce
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Philpott threw himself into the
thick of things, becoming the first
Southern California chief to publicly
call ·on Los Angeles Police
Chief Daryl F. Gates to retire.
Since then, a few Pasadena officers
have privately expressed concern
that Philpott was· getting
unnecessarily involved in a volatile
political battle. But the chief said
he spoke out because he was angry
that the King beating had made a
tough job even tougher for police
everywhere. ·
As for· the Pasadena Police Department's
own encounter with
four unforgiving camcorders, officials
said the recent stand-off ended
peacefully without much of
anything to film. . ·
"The officers were aqle to resolve
the situation without incident;"
said Lt. Wills. "I'm sure
there are four people out there in
possessi9n of a very boring videotape."
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Monrovia Police Officer Dorothy P;rtillo makes a point qf ta[king to youngsters during a recent patrol.