officers - The Black Vault

• (Indicate
page, name of
newspaper, city and state.)
r-----------~(M~o~u~n~t C~l~iP:_t:P~in~gin:_:S::!:p:::a::::ce:...=B::el:_ow:.::l:...._ __________ l Date·
:. COLUMN LEFT/
:·CAROL A. WATSON
'·--------
!'Complaints
iMeetaWall
i of Silence
I
l • The only unique thing about
· Kiii_g's beating is the fact that it
~ wa;s captured on videotape.
·-
~ T·li.e clubbing and use of a Taser l)tun gun
} .on a man lying helpless on the ground
1 by Los Angeles police officers was promptlly
characterized by Chief Daryl F. Gates as
: an aberration. .
i But this atrocity is unique only in that It
· was.captured on videotap~. It is an aberra­
. tion pnly _in the sens~ t~at at least t~ree of
· the 12 officers face cnmmal prosecution.
. The truth is that any person who tries to
f evade officers is more likely than not to be
t ·beaten, shot or mauled by police dogs.
~Typically, he will then have to ?efend
1 himself against charges of assaultmg an
i officer, commonly referred to as "cover
! charges," based on a falsified po!ice r_eport.
1 The chief's claim that this kmd of
! conduct is unusual is the height of hypocrij
sy. It is well-known in law-enforcement
' circles that the end of a chase is one of the
: occasions when officers have a propensity
' to use excessive force, although in Los
~ Angleles County it is routine behavior~
: wliether or not there has been a pursuit.
: Any conscientious police administrator
· knows from numerous sources that unnecess~ry
police violence is commonplace and
· increasing.
City Council members approve settle-
. ments and pay judgments arising_ out of
lawsuits over police beatings, but they
rarely raise a whimper about the huge
exi)enditures of taxpayer money that could
have been avoided if they had performed
their oversight duties properly.
Written claims required in the filing of a
lawsuit against a public emplo~ee are ~lso
available, as are citizen complamts agamst
police officers. But there is little or no
·eff