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TO:
PROM:
DATE:
RE:
KIRKLAND & ELLIS
MEMORANDUM
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The Christopher Commission, Louise LaMothe,
Julie Huffman
Tony L. Richardson and ~
Emilio Varanini
June 19, 1991
Interview of Field Training Officer 001
I. PERSONAL BACKGROUND
We interviewed Field Training Officer 001 ("Officer
001") on June 12, 1991. She hite
female. Officer 001 is a high school graduate who has studied
liberal arts courses in college, earning forty units toward
graduation. She has lived in the Los Angeles area for fifteen
years.
Prior to becoming a police officer, Officer 001 held
various office jobs, A
strong desire for job stability and greater career options lead
her to the LAPD. She had no grandiose ideas about police work,
but she did describe herself as a compassionate and caring
person. She avoided the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
because it had a reputation of being a "redneck organization."
In response to our questions concerning why she
• volunteered to be interviewed by the Christopher Commission,
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Officer 001 stated that the LAPD neither actively encouraged nor
discouraged her from being interviewed. She does not recall any
discussion at roll call, for example, in which her superiors
urged officers to cooperate with the Commission. In fact, the
majority of LAPD officers views the Commission as a nuisance and
feel that the King affair has been exploited by the media. When
she received a form letter from Chief Gates concerning these
interviews, she decided she would participate.
Officer 001 fears reprisals from her colleagues if her
candid statements to the Commission were publicized. We assured
her that the Commission would f. trea~ her stateme11ts · in ·~ ighly ... ..
confidential manner -- that for all intents and purposes her
remarks will be anonymous. Upon receiving this assurance, she
stated that she would speak openly and would even testify before
the Commission behind closed doors if that were deemed
appropriate.
Officer 001. expressed appreciation for being abl. to
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speak to us in an unsanitized way so that she could give her
impression of the LAPD. She stated emphatically ~hat the LAPD is
more concerned with the fingernail polish a woman officer wears
than it is with an officer "illegally kicking ass in an alley."
She also offered that the Foothill Division has long had a
reputation for being a bastion of "rednecked, tobacco-chewing e guys. II As a result, she was not surprised that the King incident
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She also related that she has worked with a few of the
officers who were involved in the King incident.
Officer 001 was assigned to the Foothill Division at
one time. She stated that she "caused some waves" by going to
the Women's Coordinator in Chief Gates' office to discuss her
promotion in the Foothill Division only after she had
unsuccessfully attempted to resolve this matter with the Captain
of the Division. She was termed a troublemaker and thereafter
several personnel complaints were filed against her, although she
had received outstanding ratings previously. In a haggard and
beleaguered tone, she stated that "I have gone through the mill."
II. OFFICER OOl'S LAPD HISTORY
Officer 001 became interested in the LAPD in 1983 when
a close friend, who was an LAPD officer, suggested that she apply
to the Department. At that time, the LAPD was actively seeking
women applicants. She called Parker Center to get information
and experienced no difficulties getting an application.
A. Tests
Officer 001 passed the written test the first time and
was interviewed by two or three Sergeants for her oral
examination. One question she recalls being asked concerned how
she would handle a fight at Dodger Stadium if it occurred while
~ she was off-duty. The questions were not difficult because most
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of them were vague. She received a test score of 90 on her
orals. She also recalls being given some written material at the
time of her exams, but she does not remember what they covered.
Officer 001 believes the LAPD does a good job of
screening out applicants who would not become good police
officers. This opinion is based upon her observation that she
has been assigned to a number of "sharp" probationary officers.
She acknowledges, however, that the LAPD is more rednecked than
she imagined. She believes the LAPD does a great job of
screening felons and drug abusers, but it has to employ better
methods in order to screen out rednecks. Those individuals who
have biased predispositions easily get through the Academy by
repressing their inbred and deepseated beliefs. She feels that
there are many officers who believe they can get away with even
the most serious forms of misconduct.
Officer 001 is not certain how thorough the LAPD's
background investigation of her may have been because the LAPD
apparently did not contact her father, who does not reside in
California. The LAPD did contact a manager at a bank where she
was employed and a few of her neighbors. She has no idea what
questions were asked of them.
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Assignments/Promotions
Officer 001 has been a police officer for seven years.
She has been assigned to the Central and Foothill Divisions and
was a staff Writer in the Planning and Research Division for a
year and a half.
She spoke harshly of
the "good old boy system."
Officer 001 has received at least five to six
commendations, most of them as a result of her high productivity.
She has been disciplined for misconduct. She received four
suspension days for taking too long with a DUI Report and another
four-day suspension for "contempt of supervision." She also was
administratively transferred from the Foothill Division.
III. TRAINING OFFICER SELECTION
Officer 001 has been a training officer for four years
and has been assigned to a recruit for at least 75% of that time.
She explained that she decided to take the position as training
officer because she was "bound and determined to make it out of
the Foothill Division."
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She recalls taking ten
oral examinations altogether to apply for a training officer's
position before she got one; three of those were with a Captain.
She took a one-day,
eight-hour course at Parker Center after becoming a training
officer, but she was training probationary officers for at least
three years by that time. The course covered such subjects as
the writing of reports, documentation generally and the rating of
probationary officers. She was given the Field Training
Officers' Manual then. She has attended no follow-up courses.
Officer 001 does not recall discussions about race
relations, sex discrimination or the LAPD's use of force policy
at the course she attended. Although she does recall the LAPD
offering a five-day training officer school, she has not been
offered refresher courses for training officers. Some courses
dealing with particular problems have been offered -- for
example, courses on shooting tactics, juvenile procedures and
advance officers' training. Officer 001 has received no special
training within her Division concerning how to train probationary
• officers. She cannot recall any seminars or roll call sessions
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at which the Division Captain or some other officer discussed how
probationary officers should be trained.
V. EVALUATION OF PROBATIONARY OFFICERS
Officer 001 evaluates probationary officers on the
basis of "the 30 points of observation" outlined in the Training
Officers' Manual. She does her evaluations twice a month. Some
of the factors she considers include report writing, driving,
officer safety and relations with other officers. The only
written departmental policy that she noted could be found in the
Training Officers' Manual itself. She stated that no one policy
is emphasized over another.
Officer 001 stressed that the probationary officer's
attitude toward the public is one element that she evaluates. If
she noticed a probationary officer being very rude to people, it
would affect her evaluation of the officer. She would probably
try to talk to him/her first to see if a problem exists.
Officer 001 has never witnessed a probationary officer using
racial slurs when the officer talked to suspects or witnesses.
She stressed that such statements would be intolerable. Although
the newer recruits have not used racial slurs, Officer 001
definitively stated that she has been in the presence of senior
officers who have done so .
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Officer 001 explained that probationary officers are
rotated every two to three months between training officers
during their probationary year, and the frequency with which she
is assigned to a probationary officer has ebbed and flowed. She
does not think that her performance evaluations are affected by
the success or failure of the probationary officers she
supervises, and she is not aware that generally the evaluation of
other training officers are so affected. Rather, she believes
performance evaluations are affected more by the personal
feelings the supervisor has for the officer being evaluated.
VI. OFFICER 001'8 ATTITUDES ABOUT THE JOB
Officer 001 stated that she enjoys working with
probationary officers. She enjoys the freedom and control she
has in the car and the fact that no veterans are pushing her
around. She does the best she can to train probationary officers
to be good officers, and she does feel responsible for them to a
point. Probationary officers apparently are very much aware of
her feelings about misconduct generally. She feels that she has
a responsibility to weed out probationary officers who would not,
in her opinion, make good police officers, but she has not had a
problem thus far.
Officer 001 believes the newer recruits are not the
~ problem, but the senior officers are. She describes the younger
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officers as being better educated and more tolerant. She has
heard that it is difficult for the LAPD to terminate probationary
officers whose performances have been unsatisfactory because too
much documentation is required, but she doesn't have a firm
opinion regarding this. She believes that proper field training
is important for the future success of the LAPD, but she asks
"How do you train someone who has bad predispositions in the
first place?" Those individuals can suppress their
predispositions in the Academy and get through it easily. She
thinks that her superiors share this view.
VII. MISCONDUCT IN THE LAPD
Officer 001 believes the LAPD views misconduct
involving a probationary officer/training officer team more
seriously because the probationary officer could be fired while
the training officer will take a suspension. She explained that
the probationary officers are more expendable. Whether
misconduct generally by training officers are dealt with more
seriously, less seriously or about the same as misconduct by
other patrol officers really depends upon the circumstances and
the seriousness of the misconduct.
She stated that if she were riding with a probationary
officer under her supervision and the officer did something that
~ .was against departmental policy, the seriousness of the
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misconduct would be the determining factor in her decision
whether or not to report it. She would report drug use,
excessive force in making an arrest, and improper tactics, for
example. But, she noted that there was an unwritten rule at the
LAPD regarding "snitching" on fellow officers. As a result, a
lot of misconduct go unreported. She opined that officers tend
to burn out because to survive in their jobs they have to keep
their mouths shut. She stated that there is some misconduct
which is inconsequential (~,taking too much time for lunch).
However, there are other forms of misconduct which are very, very
serious.
Among the misconduct the LAPD views more seriously than
others are stealing and drug use. The LAPD is also big on
honesty . She stated that other forms of misconduct which should
be given great weight are physical/violent misconduct, especially
those involving improper use of force. She has instructed
probationary officers with whom she works to apologize to anyone
they unnecessarily detain, but officers generally do this without
having to be told.
Officer 001 explained that if a probationary officer
did something she disapproved of but it did not violate the
letter of an LAPD policy, she would most likely include it in an
evaluation because not to document it might make her guilty of
misconduct as well. She has told probationary officers that if
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they witness any misconduct they should come to her and she would
handle it. She reiterated that whether or not she tells her
superiors about any misconduct she witnesses depends upon the
seriousness of the misconduct.
VIII. USE OF FORCE GENERALLY IN THE LAPD
Officer 001 believes the LAPD uses excessive force
regularly. She stated that there is no justifiable reason for
its officers doing so. She describes some officers as being
"badge-heavy" -- they freely throw their weight around because
they have a gun and a badge. If she had been present at the King
incident and had tried to stop it, her life would have been "a
living hell." The senior officers would have turned on her, and
the new officers would treat her similarly because of peer
pressure and their eagerness to please the senior officers.
Officer 001 believes males generally have more of a problem with
this than females do. She also maintains that the excessive use
of force is a systemic problem in the LAPD and it is not a matter
of there just being a few bad apples. She believes that a number
of other officers share her views.
Officer 001 also explained that this is not an Academy
training problem. She believes the Academy teaches all recruits
the proper use of force, but there are officers who are
predisposed to using excessive force. She suggests that a better
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way to deal with these officers is to increase the fear of
punishment by letting all officers know that excessive and
improper use of force will not be tolerated. If there were some
community "watchdogs," there would be a greater fear of getting
caught and a greater fear of punishment. She cited Chief
McNamara, former Chief of the San Jose Police Department, as
being a model Chief because he justifiably punished officers who
engaged in misconduct.
Officer 001 stated that utilizing community watchdogs
or Internal Affairs officers to observe officers in the field is
advisable. A hard line position is needed, not something so
indeterminate as is the case now. Officer 001 emphasized that
the moral fabric and character of most of the officers cannot be
changed through training, but the LAPD can change how they behave
by punishing them harshly for misbehavior.
IX. THE RODNEY KING INCIDENT
Officer 001 believes the twenty-one officers at the
scene of the King incident could have restrained him easily.
LAPD officers are trained to use the "swarm technique," and it
was not applied in that instance. She saw a lot of probationary
officers standing around and she believes that explains why they
were particularly fearful of preventing the more senior officers
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from committing the acts. She again cited the incredible burden
of peer pressure.
Officer 001 also noted that the Sergeant in command was
weak in that he did not take control. The falsification of
police reports and the inaccurate reporting of the extent of
King's injuries were additional indications of wrongdoing.
Officer 001 knows all of the officers who have been charged in
the King incident and stated that they should have swarmed King
in order to detain him immediately. She was not surprised that
this happened because it is not unusual for LAPD officers to use
excessive force, especially when they know they can get away with
it.
X. CITIZEN COMPLAINTS AGAINST LAPD OFFICERS
Officer 001 believes the system for citizen complaints
is unfair and inadequate as it is presently constituted. She
stated that citizens are given the run-around because they are
treated rudely by watch commanders when they come to.the stations
to file complaints. The less educated, more often than not
minority, citizens are intimidated by the process. She pointed
out that the LAPD tends to listen to· middle class and wealthy
citizens, and those citizens are more likely to press any
complaints they bring because they can afford to do so. She
~ suggested that people outside the LAPD should be involved in
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reviewing citizen complaints.
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She also pointed out that the
majority of LAPD officers hates the media, the ACLU and anyone
else who does not share their beliefs.
XI. INTERNAL DISCIPLINE IN THE LAPD
Officer 001 declared that a team player or "one of the
boys" is treated more leniently in internal investigations than
someone who freely voices his/her opinions. She stated that it
is who you are and who you know that is important. It has been
her experience that the LAPD does not like assertive women, for
example. She explained that the LAPD's attitude is insidious and
difficult to prove.
XII. PROMOTIONS IN THE LAPD
Officer 001 believes a great deal of bias exists in the
promotion system and that some officers are promoted too quickly
while others are promoted too slowly. She did not elaborate on
this matter.
XIII. ASSIGNMENTS/TRANSFERS WITHIN THE LAPD
Officer 001 believes the LAPD should require officers
to transfer between Divisions on a regular basis. Such transfers
are necessary to avoid stagnation and to prevent the development
~ of the various cliques that form within Divisions. She pointed
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to the old adage that "birds of a feather flock together" and
emphasized that it is this reality in the LAPD which breeds
problems.
XIV. THE LAPD AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS
Officer 001 agrees that it is important for LAPD
officers to attend community meetings. She suggested that
stations be open to the public on certain designated days so that
citizens can come in and see what police officers do and how the
station is operated.
XV. THE TREATMENT OF GAYS/LESBIANS BY THE LAPD
Officer 001 stated that a gay or lesbian LAPD officer
would not dare "come out of the closet." She cited the example
of Officer Greberson, who was considered an outstanding policeman
until he declared he was gay. She stated that gay and lesbian
citizens are not treated differently to their faces, but they are
openly discussed in a negative light among officers.
XVI. THE TREATMENT OF RACIAL MINORITIES BY THE LAPD
Officer 001 pointed out that the Foothill Division
traditionally has very few Black officers, and this has always
been a problem. She cited an example in which a Black officer
there informed her that he was recruited by the Captain solely
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because he was a good runner and a welcomed addition to the
Division's athletic team. She also pointed out that a Black
woman officer came forward recently and complained publicly when
she found a KKK sticker on her car, which was parked at the
Foothill Station. She was incredibly brave for having done so
because other officers in the Division have "bad-mouthed" her
ever since.
XVII. OFFICER 001'8 RECOMMENDATIONS
Officer 001 believes the emphasis should be on more
than just Academy training. When recruits break away from the
constraints of the Academy, they exhibit the behavior to which
they are predisposed. She strongly suggests that every officer
be regularly exposed to refresher courses at the roll call level
concerning use of force, sensitivity to all people in the
community they serve, and proper interactions among and between
all officers and those they are supposed to protect and serve.
These sessions should be offered when the new officers are
integrated with senior officers.
Officer 001 offered that whether graduation from Field
Training Officers' School should be mandatory before training
officers are assigned to probationary officers largely depends
upon the courses which are taught at the school. She emphasized
~ that the curriculum should be modified so that greater emphasis
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is placed on appropriate use of force, sensitivity to ethnic and
cultural differences, awareness of race/gender/sexual orientation
bias and training techniques.
Officer 001 added that any officer who is predisposed
to engage in misconduct must be made to fear being caught and
being punished as a result. She stressed that the punishment
that exists now is inadequate. She reiterated that the problems
which exist in the LAPD do not relate to the training of its
officers, but better training would not hurt.
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