officers - The Black Vault

•
•
committee I chaired.
In retrospect, his position was understandable.
He was fighting for his department
and his men. If he had taken
the "politically correct" position, he
would h!J.Ve been viewed by his soldiers
as just another politician.
The view of the soldiers has changed
from Gates first few years as chief. He
has earned their respect and-as a result
of the commission's action-he is now
viewed as a martyr. The commission ·
could not have done anything worse to
:Parm the department. In its response to
the pressure from the mayor and from
-some vocal members of the commuriity,
the commission has seriously damaged
the department.
Many years ago, the City Charter was
'designed to insulate the police from
the political pressures and temptations
so visible in other cities. The
chief was given civil-service protection
so that whoever held the position
would not become the lackey .of the
mayor. The police and the charter
have served us well. Procedures are
in place to determine whether the
King incident is an "aberration" or
pervasive. The combined Christopher-Arguelles
commission investigating
police procedures can be expected
to do a scrupulous job in
examining the facts and recommending
the appropriate course of action.
No one could watch the King tape
without being sickened. But incidents
have occurred in the past-police
corruption in Hollywood, renegade
officers performing contract murders-all
of which have been dealt
'with effectively by the department
and civil authorities. When Gates has
seen a problem, he has faced it and
dealt with it. For this, he has consistently
received years of.exemplary
fitness reports.
Now, suddenly, the political time is
right to go on a witch hunt, tO destroy
careers and to fundamentally damage
the department. In times like these,
McCarthyite calls for someone's
blood must be avoided, and scx:upulous
attention must be paid to due
process. There is time enough for resignations
and discipline once the facts are
·in. But now is not the time to play to the
mob .
. Daniel M. Shapiro, a Los Angeles
attorney, in 1983 chaired the mayors
committee on city firuznce and budget.