officers - The Black Vault

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m~e the issue vanish while giving the
S:lnlpression that someone is minding the
·,:rst~. He used the same tactic to defuse the
__ Qgtcry that followed the Dalton Street
' incident, in which officers trashed two
~th-Central Los Angeles apartment
buildings, by offering up a few sacrificial
lambs for prosecution· on misdemeanor
vandalism charges ·while ignoring the
?beatings that took place and the crimes of
'the·more than 70 other officers who were
jh:Y,olved .
. :,~,P,aryl Gates is unfit to lead the Los
>1\.ngeles Police Department. His initial
·eqUivocation in the beating of King and his
"Ci.'tte'mpts to justify· it by accusing King of
1beihg intoxicated demonstrate his lack of
.J?,~q~essional standards .. But this is merely
~on13 in a series of events that should have
··lea,,.to his ouster. Previous statements by
>Gates-racist, violent ana militaristic-set
?.tfle tone for his troops. At best, he is an
.i~arrassment; at worst, a menace and
J~Pr~at to the safety of the community.
" :,;,Tpe public should demand ?. special
prosecutor to investigate and prosecute
police crimes and should demand an end to
the secrecy that shrouds the records
showing police misconduct.
As tragic as the treatment of King was, it
would be an even greater tragedy if the
public were deceived into believing that
his treatment at .the hands of LAPD
offifer.s was an isolated incident.
Carol A. Watson is president of the Los
.Angeles Chapter of the National Lawyers
:-u-uild and a meinber of the board of direCtors
of 1~he Police _Mi.scond?Act Lawyer Referra!_
· Sef:Vice. .