Ray, letter, 1991-05-23, to Logan; Logan, letter, 1991-05-20, to Christopher |
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' INDEPENDENT COMMISSION ON THE Los ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT Warren Christopher OWR John A. Arguellei. VICE OIAlll MEMBERS Roy A. Anderson Willie R. Barnes Prof. Leo F. Estrada Mickey Kantor Richard M. Mosk Andrea Sheridan Ord.Jn John Brooks Slaughter Robert E. Tranquada, M.D . Gilbert T. Ray EXECl.ITIVB DIRECTOR Prof. Bryce Nelson DIRECTOR FOR PRESS INFORMAnON May 23, 1991 Paul H. Logan, M. D., M.P.H. P.O. Box 26598 Edendale Station Los Angeles, CA 90025 Dear Dr. Logan: John W. Spiegel CEllERAI. COUNSEL DEPUTY GENERAL COUNSEL Percy Anderson Richard E. Drooyan Gary A. Feess Raymond C. Fisher Ernest J. Getto Lawrence B. Gotlieb Thomas E. Holliday Barbara J. Ke lley Louise A. LaMothe Yolanda Orozco Dennis M. Perluss John B. Sherrell Brian A. Sun On behalf of Warren Christopher and the Independent Com.mission on the Los Angeles Police Department, I am writing to thank you for your letter of May 20, 1991 . With its very short deadline and heavy responsibilities, the Com.mission hopes that you will understand that it is not possible to respond in detail to your letter. However , your letter has been read and will be made a part of the Commission files for further review by the Com.miss ioners and staff. GTR We again thank you for writing. Very truly yours, ~~//- Gilbert T. Ray Executive Director Suite 1910 400 South Hope Street Los Angeles. California 90071-2899 Telephone (213) 622-5205 Facsimile (2 13) 622-7318 PAUL H . L OGA l, ;11.0. , fll . P.H. P.O . So)t 26:::98 Edendale Station L os Angeles, C a . 90025 213/255-0431 20 May 1991 The Independent Commission On The Los Angeles Police Department 400 South Hope Street , Suite 1910 Los Angeles , California 90071 - 2899 Warren Christopher Chair Dear Commission ; SOME THOUGHTS ON THE ISSUES Most of what follows was planned before I attended the public meeting this evening at Woodrow Wilson High School (talk about a lot with a view) , the focus being on Hispanic concerns . The Commission My first concerns are on the composition of the Commission. It is regrettable- and thus ultimately and fundamentally counterproductivethat the Commission has several vital deficits in membership . It is grossly overloaded with lawyer.s , six out of ten . I assume that the **' see p5 13 people under the heading , deputy general counsel , are all lawyers. While I am in the general age group of most of the members and Black, I consider the group rather traditional and ' old boy'. There ought to be at least one or two more women, and someone who is an "activist" in the community . There are many people who are active and not the routinely called upon people . No one represents the youth of the city , a group much involved with the police . No one is expert in ethics , nor in organizational dynamics . Neither Mr . Anderson nor Mr . Estrada fit well to the dynami cs area as is needed . There is no Asian-American . * status Exact proportionaltis not my aim, there being no such thing as perfection . While more women on the staff is admirable they will not operate at the decision impact level of commission membership . Given the experience of the Chair I am a bit surprised that he accepted the job without calling for a broader spread . The Executive Director is also an attorney I discover , while the letterhead label for Bryce Nelson, professor , is a bit of an oddity. That the Director for Press Information is a professor(at USC) should not show up in his listing . The composition of the Commission does not speak well for the stated purpose and goal , " the entire scope of the problem'.' While there were many good features about the meeting , there were also difficulties . Such things as radios for instant translation were excellent . Mr . Ray the Exec . Dir . and some others should have **see~ had nametags . Microphone positioning for speakers should have had a monitor as it was hard to understand some speakers . Emily Post would have said , I think , that there should have been an accounting-apology for the short speaking time when people had been told they would have 15 minutes , not five or six. The meeting program should have stated five minutes not J to 5 . The audience needed to hear the apology regardless of any possible motivations by the speakers . These are the kind of " details" that are vital given the depth and intensity of feelings involved. This was not your first meeting . It would have been ' creative ' to have offered speakers (at . lea?t by p~o~e) a coaching service on how to make the most of their time. I~ is not in your i nterests to have people muddle through, etc . This might **see p5 @ see p4 2 have facilitated more questions from the commission members. The "bumps on a log" tone was not impressive, while granted much was not new at this point. A different style might have also promoted more focus on solution ideas and not just complaints. Relationship and confidence will have a lot to do with support for implementation of your final report. Has the Mayor visited any of the meetings , members of the City Council? While my comments may seem "technocrat", an issue raised at the meeting,my goal always,is to use technique to promote people. As the recent incident on the bus-two people killedshows , precision and exactness have their value . One has only to read the dialog of the emergency calls . The dialog around Rodney King was also telling . LAPD and Chief Darryl Gates As with the Commission in some respects there is a "generation gap" . In addition to the major changes in diversity the Chief is not nearly in touch with his younger officers , the changes in social order, as he thinks. His tendency to slogara does not meet the true needs. For all of his fairly good administrative abilities basically,the police dept . has not changed a lot organizationally since Chief William Parker set up things . Gates did not need to disown his son in order to disavow his behavior ; as a parent he bears some of the responsibility for how his son turned out. He is much more career driven than was Parker, sensing himself much more as a leader than a doer as did Parker. When at UCLA in the 60s doing graduate work I had the advantage of 3 hours or so with Parker in a behind closed doors seminar. Very useful when Watts occurred, though I was not in Los Angeles at the time . While demographics cai change a lot faster than an organization can respond in some respects, attitudes count for a great deal. The noting of the jungle attire of the SWAT team was important. One should not underestimate the abilities of ordinary people . Gates' " foot in mouth" comments are important in their own right , but also they function as the iceberg tip when it comes to the import of what he says and does day by day when the words are not so obvious. His confidence level,etc. is different from what it was when he first took the job . He has been in office for 1J years! As with other things that he does , endorsing political candidates is quite contradictory- he is a civil service employee , etc . Not that I would deny him his citizenship perogatives but a contradictory leader promotes a contradictory department. He clearly sees himself as an ''abberation", abberation in the sense of different from the rest . On the other hand one does not usually give much attention to a program abberation , as importance is not part of the definitionconcept. What a difference a few feet of TV tape made! His "arrogance" is what many people react to . Likewise for his officers, not that he started it all. While I do not always agree with their views I think that it is significant that the other people who followed Parker as chief did not stay , though they had been long in / olice work . s ·ee p4 Gates is not the whole department but at this point he is vital to what it is like~It may be time to turn the motto around from 'to protect and serve' to 'to serve and protect' . A new uniform generally? A prime concern of mine is that many of the vital answers lie not in the big-ticket items but in the small ones that tend to go unnoticed or which get labeled unimportant. Had I been on the Police Commission I would have ordered Gates to set up regular weekly attendance at such as Toastmasters . He needs impactful feedback , when he cannot use his authority position to evade impact , what perhaps most antagonizes people since the TV tape. The dept. ** seep5 **seep5 3 has hired a consultant at the Academy to work with officers on interactions with peQple , use of body language , etc. The question is did Gates and other senior people take the course? ! This is also one way to keep in touch with what is "below" one in an organization. American business and industry have paid a dear price for not learning this lesson . What is continuing education like for the top brass at LAPD? ¢ see p5 I am not ready to say that Gates must go as that should be part of a final and total plan of answers . The civil servi ce position has merit. The Community , The Charter , Etc . ;0'1ad to leave the meeting after the f irst three non- scheduled speakers . The community , City Council , and the Mayor all have responsibilities for how things have turned out. All have operated episodically , to Gates advantage . The Mayor and Counc i l also have vital political agendas , some contradic tory and quite personal.~The City Charter clearly needs to be modified so as to specify the rules for department heads such as Gates who are leaders not 9 to 5 janitors, typists , etc., or line LAPD officers . Officer s also have rules and laws that muddy things . I might note here that Gates is outdated in some r espects . The computer system was in but not being used i n a new sense to monitor things , hence offi cers were u s ing it i n old -fashi oned ways . Hence , the TV tape brought a lot to light. Santayana spoke of the consequences of not remembering history and t h i s is important when i t come to c hanges p eople i n the communi t y see as answers . Hiring non - white personnel takes time, civil service status being important to all . Ethnic officers in ethnic areas also has limits . The goal should be that all officers can operate well in any area . An areas compos i tion can chan ge rapidly , and then what? ! It appears that the LAP D rotation format needs attention in general . Obviously the Academy training and street training need to diverge a lot less fr~m each other . I hope the final report will make the connections between t h e speci f i cs-individual concerns and the overall picture . Change needs to be provided for . I have mixed feelings about a review board as success depends on how it is set up. As for history we all need to remember how the chief's position got to be a civil service pos i tion in the first place . People need to be more aware of the differenc es among goals , techni cs , strategies and programs- as well as the relationships involved. It is alsoi:paestop making an issue of the small size of LAPD compared to other cities . Those ci t ies are not exactly free of difficulties . I t is also c l ear that citi es that have seen major improvements have gotten them via attitude changes more that via other means . Non - whites i n LAPD need to be more involved and assertive in all of the affai rs of the dept. Al l have to make some c hanges . As an examp le , whi l e an abused wife h a s to stop what her spous e do es , she a l so has to change herself in i mportant ways- regar dless of ho w her husband changes . I n the fervor and clamor for change p eople often ignore this part of the process , only t o f i ndboy t later t hat the ea i ns were seriou sly flawed , or not lasting . ~ym o s neea more atten~i o n . This is especially true when diversity increases . It's of interest to see Gates and others(cornmunity) to do the same thing- to go f or the i mmed i ate , obvious answer . Little or no thought to t h e l ong-term consequences . Abberation and civi lian review board . 4 Other Concerns There are some things that are relevant to solutions that the Commission and LAPD cannot do much or anything about. However one can develop responses that prevent troubles in living with the realities. The city fathers(& mothers) paid scant attention in their drive for growth and "progress" to the preservation and enhancement of basic housing stock , especially at the more ordinary levels. Our minority 'parents' have been as about remiss asras anyone-else in the matter . The increases in population(legal and illegal) have has a major impact in the development of some of LAPD ' s problems . The Mayor ' s many tri ps are another one of those important contradictions , given what he said to get elected over Yorty . I t was of interest to hear someone at the meeting recall another of his promises. I also remember Parker's reactions when politicians left town or shunned the leadership roles when Watts blew up. I 'm well aware of Parker's flaws . Economic forces have had a major impact on the situation , as have the issues of education . I was saddened recently when Gates saw the need to show up at the latest large drug bust, another counterproductive behavior . One cannot brag in the way he did and demote substance abuse , D. A.R .E. notwithstanding . Transportation is another relevant area . Conclusion More could be said but I think that i have set my perspective . Born and reared in a segregated South I know California is not Paradise . I know what it i s to be stopped for being law-abiding but Black in ** see~ a "white" neighborhood. Restrictive covenants are not all that long gone . My basic field is clinical psychiatry but I am also a trained and experienced administrator and manager- and supervisor and teacher. I am as well, educated and experienced in systems and community organization-programming. LAPD has not made the most of its opportunities. As for law, people have sometirres thought me a lawyer. The Commission can make a vital contribution but only if it presents an integrated totali ty. The trouble with 'if' statements is that at the time of statement what comes after if does not exist. Too often people behave as though the after does exist. 'But ' is another interesting word- concept-process. It essentially destroys what predeeded its use . Yours truly , QcuJ?_ JI. gO-Oarvv 1 fh.o, 1 fh.f!;{, # p2 lihad to smile recently on reading what the jurors in the Vernon case had to say about their reaction to Gates showing up at the trial in uniform,and gun obvious . The consequences were the opposite of what he desi red, if he thought about it at all. Consideri ng the importance of what was involved it would have been wise to have changed clothes even though he had recently appeared where the attire was appropiate . @ p2 It is a contradiction to claim unimportance , etc . only to make such a large fuss, go to court,etc. when the Police Commission(wise or unwise) ordered the suspension . Pay and benefits were not at risk . The'house arrest" was a bit much. Does he still live on the beach , as I once read? ! He forgets the compromise style of our country .He could have asked for a sabbatical format , visited the chief in Charleston,S .C., etc. A missed opportunity probably. Humor always has a negative base but a bit of it might do all parties some good. 5 ¢ P3 Well before the Rodney King incident I was aware that officers were badly informed on what real people are like under drugs (PCP and others) , hit by tasers , etc . They are ill-prepared for the full range of possibilities, much less that that on how to properly manage them . There is much mythology and medical professionals are not exempt . We forget(Santayana) what people can do in emergencies, "super-human strength , etc." and that older descriptions of behavior of the mentally often included descriptions of great strength at intense moments of the i llness and drugs were not involved. But then few talk of receiving radio waves anymore when ill. lt' s TV outer space and computers . Ignorance - or mis-information- is.not h17ss : It just dawned on me that I not once used the word racism . this is the last thing written for this letter. ** p1 , 2,3, 4 Nametags,etc . do not negate one 's persona nor attire. There is communicating and then there is "communicating" . Intended or not , there are unfortunate elitism and snobbism threaded through this tragedy~ LAPD and elsewhere . STAMP AS ?llESSAGE l J ,.
Object Description
Title | Correspondence: complaints against Gates, 1991-04-04 - 1991-07-08 |
Description | Correspondence: complaints against Gates, 1991 April 4 - July 8. PART OF A SERIES: Materials in the series fall into one of several categories related to the Independent Commission's work product: (1) Commission meeting materials, which include meeting agendas, work plans, memoranda, and articles about police misconduct that were circulated and reviewed during the Commission's internal meetings; (2) public correspondence, which includes citizen complaints against the LAPD in the form of written testimony, articles, and an audio cassette tape, as well as letters drafted by citizens in support of the LAPD; (3) summaries of interviews held with LAPD officers regarding Departmental procedures and relations; (4) public meeting materials, which include transcripts, supplementary documents, and witness statements that were reviewed at the Commission's public meetings; (5) press releases related to the formation and work product of the Commission; and (6) miscellaneous materials reviewed by the Commission during its study, including LAPD personnel and training manuals, a memorandum of understanding, and messages from the LAPD's Mobile Digital Terminal (MDT) system. |
Coverage date | 1991-04-04; 1991-04-30; 1991-05-01/1991-05-03; 1991-05-07; 1991-05-15; 1991-05-20; 1991-05-23; 1991-05-27; 1991-05-31; 1991-06-05; 1991-06-07; 1991-06-08; 1991-06-14; 1991-07-08 |
Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California |
Date created | 1991-04-04; 1991-04-30; 1991-05-01/1991-05-03; 1991-05-07; 1991-05-15; 1991-05-20; 1991-05-23; 1991-05-27; 1991-05-31; 1991-06-05; 1991-06-07; 1991-06-08; 1991-06-14; 1991-07-08 |
Date issued | 1991-04-01; 1991-05-10; 1991-06-05; 1991-06-06; 1991-06-07 |
Type |
texts images |
Format | 57 p. |
Format (aat) |
articles business cards clippings (information artifacts) correspondence envelopes memorandums postcards resolutions (administrative records) |
Format (imt) | application/pdf |
Language | English |
Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
Part of collection | Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, 1991 |
Series | Independent Commission File List |
File | Complaints, suggestions, and support |
Box and folder | box 23, folder 2 |
Provenance | The collection was given to the University of Southern California on July 31, 1991. |
Rights | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained. |
Physical access | Contact: Special Collections, Doheny Memorial Library, Libraries, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189; specol@dots.usc.edu |
Repository name | USC Libraries Special Collections |
Repository address | Doheny Memorial Library, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189 |
Repository email | specol@dots.usc.edu |
Filename | indep-box23-02 |
Description
Title | Ray, letter, 1991-05-23, to Logan; Logan, letter, 1991-05-20, to Christopher |
Description | Gilbert T. Ray (Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department), 400 South Hope Street, Los Angeles, California, letter, 1991 May 23, to Paul H. Logan, Los Angeles, California. ❧ Paul H. Logan, Los Angeles, California, letter, 1991 May 20, to Warren Christopher (Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department), 400 South Hope Street, Los Angeles, California. |
Geographic subject (roadway) | 400 South Hope Street |
Geographic subject (city or populated place) | Los Angeles |
Geographic subject (county) | Los Angeles |
Geographic subject (state) | California |
Geographic subject (country) | USA |
Geographic coordinates | 34.051552,-118.255687 |
Coverage date | 1991-05-20; 1991-05-23 |
Creator |
Ray, Gilbert T. Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department Logan, Paul H. |
Contributor |
Logan, Paul H., recipient Christopher, Warren, recipient Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, recipient |
Date created | 1991-05-20; 1991-05-23 |
Type |
texts images |
Format | 6 p. |
Format (aat) | correspondence |
Format (imt) | application/pdf |
Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
Series | Independent Commission File List |
File | Complaints, suggestions, and support |
Box and folder | box 23, folder 2, item 4 |
Physical access | Contact: Special Collections, Doheny Memorial Library, Libraries, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189; specol@dots.usc.edu |
Full text | ' INDEPENDENT COMMISSION ON THE Los ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT Warren Christopher OWR John A. Arguellei. VICE OIAlll MEMBERS Roy A. Anderson Willie R. Barnes Prof. Leo F. Estrada Mickey Kantor Richard M. Mosk Andrea Sheridan Ord.Jn John Brooks Slaughter Robert E. Tranquada, M.D . Gilbert T. Ray EXECl.ITIVB DIRECTOR Prof. Bryce Nelson DIRECTOR FOR PRESS INFORMAnON May 23, 1991 Paul H. Logan, M. D., M.P.H. P.O. Box 26598 Edendale Station Los Angeles, CA 90025 Dear Dr. Logan: John W. Spiegel CEllERAI. COUNSEL DEPUTY GENERAL COUNSEL Percy Anderson Richard E. Drooyan Gary A. Feess Raymond C. Fisher Ernest J. Getto Lawrence B. Gotlieb Thomas E. Holliday Barbara J. Ke lley Louise A. LaMothe Yolanda Orozco Dennis M. Perluss John B. Sherrell Brian A. Sun On behalf of Warren Christopher and the Independent Com.mission on the Los Angeles Police Department, I am writing to thank you for your letter of May 20, 1991 . With its very short deadline and heavy responsibilities, the Com.mission hopes that you will understand that it is not possible to respond in detail to your letter. However , your letter has been read and will be made a part of the Commission files for further review by the Com.miss ioners and staff. GTR We again thank you for writing. Very truly yours, ~~//- Gilbert T. Ray Executive Director Suite 1910 400 South Hope Street Los Angeles. California 90071-2899 Telephone (213) 622-5205 Facsimile (2 13) 622-7318 PAUL H . L OGA l, ;11.0. , fll . P.H. P.O . So)t 26:::98 Edendale Station L os Angeles, C a . 90025 213/255-0431 20 May 1991 The Independent Commission On The Los Angeles Police Department 400 South Hope Street , Suite 1910 Los Angeles , California 90071 - 2899 Warren Christopher Chair Dear Commission ; SOME THOUGHTS ON THE ISSUES Most of what follows was planned before I attended the public meeting this evening at Woodrow Wilson High School (talk about a lot with a view) , the focus being on Hispanic concerns . The Commission My first concerns are on the composition of the Commission. It is regrettable- and thus ultimately and fundamentally counterproductivethat the Commission has several vital deficits in membership . It is grossly overloaded with lawyer.s , six out of ten . I assume that the **' see p5 13 people under the heading , deputy general counsel , are all lawyers. While I am in the general age group of most of the members and Black, I consider the group rather traditional and ' old boy'. There ought to be at least one or two more women, and someone who is an "activist" in the community . There are many people who are active and not the routinely called upon people . No one represents the youth of the city , a group much involved with the police . No one is expert in ethics , nor in organizational dynamics . Neither Mr . Anderson nor Mr . Estrada fit well to the dynami cs area as is needed . There is no Asian-American . * status Exact proportionaltis not my aim, there being no such thing as perfection . While more women on the staff is admirable they will not operate at the decision impact level of commission membership . Given the experience of the Chair I am a bit surprised that he accepted the job without calling for a broader spread . The Executive Director is also an attorney I discover , while the letterhead label for Bryce Nelson, professor , is a bit of an oddity. That the Director for Press Information is a professor(at USC) should not show up in his listing . The composition of the Commission does not speak well for the stated purpose and goal , " the entire scope of the problem'.' While there were many good features about the meeting , there were also difficulties . Such things as radios for instant translation were excellent . Mr . Ray the Exec . Dir . and some others should have **see~ had nametags . Microphone positioning for speakers should have had a monitor as it was hard to understand some speakers . Emily Post would have said , I think , that there should have been an accounting-apology for the short speaking time when people had been told they would have 15 minutes , not five or six. The meeting program should have stated five minutes not J to 5 . The audience needed to hear the apology regardless of any possible motivations by the speakers . These are the kind of " details" that are vital given the depth and intensity of feelings involved. This was not your first meeting . It would have been ' creative ' to have offered speakers (at . lea?t by p~o~e) a coaching service on how to make the most of their time. I~ is not in your i nterests to have people muddle through, etc . This might **see p5 @ see p4 2 have facilitated more questions from the commission members. The "bumps on a log" tone was not impressive, while granted much was not new at this point. A different style might have also promoted more focus on solution ideas and not just complaints. Relationship and confidence will have a lot to do with support for implementation of your final report. Has the Mayor visited any of the meetings , members of the City Council? While my comments may seem "technocrat", an issue raised at the meeting,my goal always,is to use technique to promote people. As the recent incident on the bus-two people killedshows , precision and exactness have their value . One has only to read the dialog of the emergency calls . The dialog around Rodney King was also telling . LAPD and Chief Darryl Gates As with the Commission in some respects there is a "generation gap" . In addition to the major changes in diversity the Chief is not nearly in touch with his younger officers , the changes in social order, as he thinks. His tendency to slogara does not meet the true needs. For all of his fairly good administrative abilities basically,the police dept . has not changed a lot organizationally since Chief William Parker set up things . Gates did not need to disown his son in order to disavow his behavior ; as a parent he bears some of the responsibility for how his son turned out. He is much more career driven than was Parker, sensing himself much more as a leader than a doer as did Parker. When at UCLA in the 60s doing graduate work I had the advantage of 3 hours or so with Parker in a behind closed doors seminar. Very useful when Watts occurred, though I was not in Los Angeles at the time . While demographics cai change a lot faster than an organization can respond in some respects, attitudes count for a great deal. The noting of the jungle attire of the SWAT team was important. One should not underestimate the abilities of ordinary people . Gates' " foot in mouth" comments are important in their own right , but also they function as the iceberg tip when it comes to the import of what he says and does day by day when the words are not so obvious. His confidence level,etc. is different from what it was when he first took the job . He has been in office for 1J years! As with other things that he does , endorsing political candidates is quite contradictory- he is a civil service employee , etc . Not that I would deny him his citizenship perogatives but a contradictory leader promotes a contradictory department. He clearly sees himself as an ''abberation", abberation in the sense of different from the rest . On the other hand one does not usually give much attention to a program abberation , as importance is not part of the definitionconcept. What a difference a few feet of TV tape made! His "arrogance" is what many people react to . Likewise for his officers, not that he started it all. While I do not always agree with their views I think that it is significant that the other people who followed Parker as chief did not stay , though they had been long in / olice work . s ·ee p4 Gates is not the whole department but at this point he is vital to what it is like~It may be time to turn the motto around from 'to protect and serve' to 'to serve and protect' . A new uniform generally? A prime concern of mine is that many of the vital answers lie not in the big-ticket items but in the small ones that tend to go unnoticed or which get labeled unimportant. Had I been on the Police Commission I would have ordered Gates to set up regular weekly attendance at such as Toastmasters . He needs impactful feedback , when he cannot use his authority position to evade impact , what perhaps most antagonizes people since the TV tape. The dept. ** seep5 **seep5 3 has hired a consultant at the Academy to work with officers on interactions with peQple , use of body language , etc. The question is did Gates and other senior people take the course? ! This is also one way to keep in touch with what is "below" one in an organization. American business and industry have paid a dear price for not learning this lesson . What is continuing education like for the top brass at LAPD? ¢ see p5 I am not ready to say that Gates must go as that should be part of a final and total plan of answers . The civil servi ce position has merit. The Community , The Charter , Etc . ;0'1ad to leave the meeting after the f irst three non- scheduled speakers . The community , City Council , and the Mayor all have responsibilities for how things have turned out. All have operated episodically , to Gates advantage . The Mayor and Counc i l also have vital political agendas , some contradic tory and quite personal.~The City Charter clearly needs to be modified so as to specify the rules for department heads such as Gates who are leaders not 9 to 5 janitors, typists , etc., or line LAPD officers . Officer s also have rules and laws that muddy things . I might note here that Gates is outdated in some r espects . The computer system was in but not being used i n a new sense to monitor things , hence offi cers were u s ing it i n old -fashi oned ways . Hence , the TV tape brought a lot to light. Santayana spoke of the consequences of not remembering history and t h i s is important when i t come to c hanges p eople i n the communi t y see as answers . Hiring non - white personnel takes time, civil service status being important to all . Ethnic officers in ethnic areas also has limits . The goal should be that all officers can operate well in any area . An areas compos i tion can chan ge rapidly , and then what? ! It appears that the LAP D rotation format needs attention in general . Obviously the Academy training and street training need to diverge a lot less fr~m each other . I hope the final report will make the connections between t h e speci f i cs-individual concerns and the overall picture . Change needs to be provided for . I have mixed feelings about a review board as success depends on how it is set up. As for history we all need to remember how the chief's position got to be a civil service pos i tion in the first place . People need to be more aware of the differenc es among goals , techni cs , strategies and programs- as well as the relationships involved. It is alsoi:paestop making an issue of the small size of LAPD compared to other cities . Those ci t ies are not exactly free of difficulties . I t is also c l ear that citi es that have seen major improvements have gotten them via attitude changes more that via other means . Non - whites i n LAPD need to be more involved and assertive in all of the affai rs of the dept. Al l have to make some c hanges . As an examp le , whi l e an abused wife h a s to stop what her spous e do es , she a l so has to change herself in i mportant ways- regar dless of ho w her husband changes . I n the fervor and clamor for change p eople often ignore this part of the process , only t o f i ndboy t later t hat the ea i ns were seriou sly flawed , or not lasting . ~ym o s neea more atten~i o n . This is especially true when diversity increases . It's of interest to see Gates and others(cornmunity) to do the same thing- to go f or the i mmed i ate , obvious answer . Little or no thought to t h e l ong-term consequences . Abberation and civi lian review board . 4 Other Concerns There are some things that are relevant to solutions that the Commission and LAPD cannot do much or anything about. However one can develop responses that prevent troubles in living with the realities. The city fathers(& mothers) paid scant attention in their drive for growth and "progress" to the preservation and enhancement of basic housing stock , especially at the more ordinary levels. Our minority 'parents' have been as about remiss asras anyone-else in the matter . The increases in population(legal and illegal) have has a major impact in the development of some of LAPD ' s problems . The Mayor ' s many tri ps are another one of those important contradictions , given what he said to get elected over Yorty . I t was of interest to hear someone at the meeting recall another of his promises. I also remember Parker's reactions when politicians left town or shunned the leadership roles when Watts blew up. I 'm well aware of Parker's flaws . Economic forces have had a major impact on the situation , as have the issues of education . I was saddened recently when Gates saw the need to show up at the latest large drug bust, another counterproductive behavior . One cannot brag in the way he did and demote substance abuse , D. A.R .E. notwithstanding . Transportation is another relevant area . Conclusion More could be said but I think that i have set my perspective . Born and reared in a segregated South I know California is not Paradise . I know what it i s to be stopped for being law-abiding but Black in ** see~ a "white" neighborhood. Restrictive covenants are not all that long gone . My basic field is clinical psychiatry but I am also a trained and experienced administrator and manager- and supervisor and teacher. I am as well, educated and experienced in systems and community organization-programming. LAPD has not made the most of its opportunities. As for law, people have sometirres thought me a lawyer. The Commission can make a vital contribution but only if it presents an integrated totali ty. The trouble with 'if' statements is that at the time of statement what comes after if does not exist. Too often people behave as though the after does exist. 'But ' is another interesting word- concept-process. It essentially destroys what predeeded its use . Yours truly , QcuJ?_ JI. gO-Oarvv 1 fh.o, 1 fh.f!;{, # p2 lihad to smile recently on reading what the jurors in the Vernon case had to say about their reaction to Gates showing up at the trial in uniform,and gun obvious . The consequences were the opposite of what he desi red, if he thought about it at all. Consideri ng the importance of what was involved it would have been wise to have changed clothes even though he had recently appeared where the attire was appropiate . @ p2 It is a contradiction to claim unimportance , etc . only to make such a large fuss, go to court,etc. when the Police Commission(wise or unwise) ordered the suspension . Pay and benefits were not at risk . The'house arrest" was a bit much. Does he still live on the beach , as I once read? ! He forgets the compromise style of our country .He could have asked for a sabbatical format , visited the chief in Charleston,S .C., etc. A missed opportunity probably. Humor always has a negative base but a bit of it might do all parties some good. 5 ¢ P3 Well before the Rodney King incident I was aware that officers were badly informed on what real people are like under drugs (PCP and others) , hit by tasers , etc . They are ill-prepared for the full range of possibilities, much less that that on how to properly manage them . There is much mythology and medical professionals are not exempt . We forget(Santayana) what people can do in emergencies, "super-human strength , etc." and that older descriptions of behavior of the mentally often included descriptions of great strength at intense moments of the i llness and drugs were not involved. But then few talk of receiving radio waves anymore when ill. lt' s TV outer space and computers . Ignorance - or mis-information- is.not h17ss : It just dawned on me that I not once used the word racism . this is the last thing written for this letter. ** p1 , 2,3, 4 Nametags,etc . do not negate one 's persona nor attire. There is communicating and then there is "communicating" . Intended or not , there are unfortunate elitism and snobbism threaded through this tragedy~ LAPD and elsewhere . STAMP AS ?llESSAGE l J ,. |
Filename | indep-box23-02-04.pdf |
Archival file | Volume73/indep-box23-02-04.pdf |