PERSPECTIVES ON POLICE : A Formidable Task, Well Done : Chief Gates acted correctly in the King case and will maintain the LAPD’s high standard of excellence.

Violent crime in America has risen dramatically during the past decade. Last year there were nearly 1,000 homicides in Los Angeles alone. Our nation’s peace officers have not escaped the raging violence that has overtaken our communities. In one year, the number of peace officers killed or seriously injured in the United States is greater than U.S. military casualties in the Gulf War.

While victory has been achieved abroad, we still face a war at home. Our police officers are fighting it on city streets, their sacrifices barely acknowledged by most of our society.

Criminologist David H. Bayley discusses in his book, “Forces of Order,” the unique American reaction to police deaths: “The killing of policemen causes a good deal more shock and outrage in Japan than in the United States. In part this is because police deaths are simply more common in the United States; emotion has been blunted by familiarity. Americans accept the killing of police officers by guns as an occupational hazard, understood by anyone who joins the police. . . . Some deaths are considered outrageous, but others are not. As long as the criminal does not take unfair advantage--an ambush, for example--casualties are lamentable but not unacceptable.”

Police are most certainly aware of this atmosphere, which admittedly can lead to rogue behavior by our peace officers. Just as our military men and women face battle fatigue, our police are weary of the battle they must continually wage. Many times officers are pushed beyond human limitations, becoming emotional and/or physical casualties.

Law-enforcement executives have responded to the deadly violence that their officers continue to face by developing new training techniques and safety tactics. The Los Angeles Police Academy is one of the finest in the United States.

In an effort to find solutions, Los Angeles and other police departments have reached out to their communities. Local populations are being asked to participate in addressing the crime and disorder problems. The police are rethinking their role in society and a new way of viewing the police role is emerging. Police administrators are embracing community policing in the hope of better reflecting the values and composition of the people they serve.

The task of leading the Los Angeles Police Department is formidable, but Chief Daryl Gates has been outstanding in the performance of his duties. The department, under Gates, has set for itself a high standard of excellence and is one of the few large police departments not tainted by major corruption. The chief has repeatedly sought to conduct his operations according to the letter of the law.

Last Sunday’s appalling incident will not go unpunished. It is well-documented that Gates neither condones nor tolerates this type of behavior, as proven by his swift and appropriate action against the officers involved in the apprehension of Rodney G. King.

Police must handle situations and people as they find them, not as they would like them to be. Mistakes will be made. No system, no matter how large or small, can be perfect.

Now is not the time to malign the entire department. Now is not the time to demand that Gates step down.

Gates recently addressed a graduating police academy class and spoke of his reverence for the law. He instructed his newest officers that first and foremost they are peace officers, charged with a duty to protect and to serve. He emphatically reminded the graduates that they must never step outside the law, never bring a shadow to the badge.

Gates has proven himself a caring, capable and committed leader both in time of calm and in time of chaos. The city of Los Angeles and the police department need him.