Bratton faces his toughest test yet

Allegations of police abuse during the MacArthur Park immigration rally have thrust Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton into a political minefield where he must address concerns about out-of-control cops without alienating his force of 9,500 officers.

Public outrage over the violence -- 30 civilians were struck by police officers wielding batons and firing foam projectiles -- occurred just as the Police Commission was poised to reappoint him to a second five-year term.

Bratton was careful to measure his words but wasted no time declaring that his department won’t tolerate what he called the disturbing tactics captured on news videos and broadcast worldwide.

Bratton’s recent predecessors, Bernard C. Parks, Willie L. Williams and Daryl F. Gates, were ousted in part because they failed to maintain adequate support from not only city residents and elected leaders but also from the Police Department’s rank and file.

In the cases of Parks and Gates, confidence in them plummeted over their response to allegations of police misconduct; for Parks it centered on disclosures of corrupt and brutal officers in the Rampart Division; for Gates it was the beating of Rodney G. King.

Bratton’s handling of the May Day controversy is testing all of his political skills and proving to be his most significant challenge since becoming chief in 2002.

Late Thursday, the board of directors of the Police Protective League, the police union, fired off a letter seeking an apology and warning that the 59-year-old chief was treading in dangerous territory by making remarks denigrating the character of police.

“It’s quite a tightrope he’s walking right now,” said attorney Constance L. Rice, who has studied LAPD management for years. “Bratton has to signal that he gets it, that mindless unprovoked use of force is not acceptable. But he also needs to reach out to the union and acknowledge that they are partners in public safety who need to get onboard with the program.”

Some supporters believe the savvy Bratton will find a way back to safe ground, having benefited from years of experience in the political hothouse of New York, where he previously headed the Police Department in a tabloid-heavy atmosphere.

Those backers point to how Bratton has avoided some of the mistakes of his predecessors by not denying the seriousness of the problem and by putting in motion investigations to hold officers accountable for any wrongdoing.

“I’ve never seen any public official engage in the outreach over a crisis that Bill Bratton has in the last 10 days,” said City Councilman Jack Weiss.

However, Bratton’s early actions -- his swift condemnation of some officers and a reshuffling of his command staff -- have had only moderate success in quelling the cries of activists.

During a meeting last week, two former chairpersons of the LAPD’s Hispanic Forum, a group of community leaders invited to advise the chief on local issues, called for him to quit.

“We unloaded on him,” said Xavier Hermosillo, who heads an advertising agency. “We told him ‘you’ve got to go.’ ” Lenore Solis, another former chairperson, agreed with his stand.

And Bratton’s strong language has infuriated many rank-and-file officers. When the chief sidelined about 60 officers from the elite Metropolitan Division, which provided the crowd control squad in MacArthur Park, many of their co-workers were upset. Some called for a vote of no confidence in the chief, placing pickets in front of police headquarter at Parker Center or calling for a period of “by the book” policing in which officers make only a minimal effort to enforce the law.

So far, union officials have quashed those proposals out of concern that they would further hurt the image of the police.

“The officers are just outraged,” said Bob Baker, president of the union. “To go on a tirade and make accusations about every police officer is not acceptable.... If he continues to go down this road, he’s going to be in serious trouble with the men and women of the Los Angeles Police Department.”

Police officials have noted that seven officers were injured by bottles and rocks thrown by some in the MacArthur Park crowd.

Officers were particularly incensed with a statement Bratton made last week in which he said: “One thing I know about [police] is you have to control them, because they go out of control faster than any human being in the world.”

In the letter to Bratton late Thursday, the union leadership said, “Impeaching the emotional maturity of the men and women who serve Los Angeles under your command only weakens the mutual trust that is necessary to keep this department working smoothly and protecting the city.”

Bratton said the situation involving MacArthur Park required him to talk frankly to the public.

“I’ve been doing this for 25 years. One of the things about a crisis is you don’t circle the wagons,” Bratton said. “You don’t get on the defensive. You basically go on offense. So here there is a lot of outreach.”

He acknowledged that the response is complex because he must deal with many interests.

“There are a lot of moving parts. You’ve got the general public that doesn’t necessarily have a dog in the fight and then you’ve got the concerned parties. You have the plaintiffs and then you’ve got the cops.”

Bratton said he did not go overboard in his early characterization of some the actions he saw on videotapes.

“I think most police officers who look at those images are concerned they were disturbing,” Bratton said. “At the same time, what I am committed to is that there is not a rush to judgment as it relates to the actions of the officers and the use of force.”

On the “out of control” comment, Bratton said it reflected a reality for police organizations, that strong supervision and management were essential when employees have the power to use deadly force.

“I’m a cop. I love being a cop. I enjoy working with cops and I think after all this time I understand them. I understand as a police leader you have to control them,” he said.

That said, Bratton plans next week to attend roll calls at various police stations so he can talk directly to concerned members of the rank and file.

“Cops are hurting. They are wondering, ‘Why isn’t the chief defending us?’ ” Bratton said. “I have to be frank about it. There are certain things I can’t defend. Where I can defend officers, I will.”

Merrick Bobb, an expert in police accountability who has worked as a consultant for the Los Angeles Police Commission, said that despite Bratton’s tough talk, the union should be pleased with his actions so far, including his reassignment of the two top commanders in charge of the police response at MacArthur Park.

“He’s shown that the line officers are not going to bear the brunt of the consequences,” Bobb said.

Like other LAPD observers, Bobb said relationships Bratton has cultivated with the community, city leadership and the police union during his five years on the job are serving him well in this time of crisis.

Bratton was especially attentive to the union. He involved it in policy discussions and other key issues. Union officials, in return, invited the chief to write an unedited column for its monthly newsletter. Behind the scenes, Bratton and Baker are said to have a cordial and respectful relationship.

That stands in sharp contrast to the contentious relationship former chiefs Parks and Williams had with union leaders. League directors activity lobbied the Police Commission to reject Parks for a second term. The union also sponsored a “report card” in which members gave Parks failing grades and said they had no confidence in him.

Bratton has also forged a stronger relationship with his civilian bosses on the Los Angeles Police Commission. Instead of fighting civilian control, he has embraced the commission and its inspector general.

The day after the May Day incident, Bratton stood next to Commission President John Mack and asked witnesses and victims of abuse to call his investigators or the commission’s inspector general.

Bratton has also reached out to members of the media. He met with top news executives after the melee, in which 10 journalists were hurt, and said some of those roughed up were his friends.

Bratton has also impressed some civil libertarians by taking a different approach to misconduct allegations than Parks and Gates did.

“I see a tremendous difference in response,” said Duke University law professor Erwin Chemerinsky. “Chief Parks and Chief Gates refused to admit or recognize the problems. Chief Parks never admitted that there was a Rampart scandal. He said that it was ‘ginned up’.... Chief Gates always blamed the Rodney King beating on Rodney King.

“But Chief Bratton has acknowledged the excessive force and already has made a personnel change. It is a huge difference in mind-set.”

Still, some department observers say it is too early to know if Bratton will emerge from the latest scandal unscathed.

“My guess is he will have to answer some questions about his attentiveness to issues such as training and supervision,” said Raphael Sonenshein, a political science professor at Cal State Fullerton who has long studied police-community relations in Los Angeles.

In the past, Bratton’s outreach to the public has earned him the support of leading civil rights leaders, including Ramona Ripston at the American Civil Liberties Union and Blair Taylor at the Urban League.

However, there are signs his backing may be eroding with some.

Tyrone Freeman, board chairman of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference chapter in Los Angeles, said he will ask his board this month to go on record opposing Bratton’s reappointment, in part because of the MacArthur Park incident.

Others who have been supportive in the past say they intend to hold Bratton to his commitment to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation.

“Public apologies and reaching out to groups and demoting officers is not a substitute for an investigation that is open, serious and transparent,” said Mark Rosenbaum, an attorney for the ACLU of Southern California. “I think his handling of this police riot is going to be his legacy as chief.”

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patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com

matt.lait@latimes.com