PLATFORM : Going by the Book

When you see another police officer doing something wrong, you’re not supposed to just stand by. You’d better take some affirmative action. In training, we practice what to do even if they’re going against peer pressure and other police officers. I’d show the Rodney King video and tell the cadets to grab the offending cops, pull them off and say, “Hey, that’s enough, knock it off.” Maybe the answer is to have a law that makes police officers criminally liable if they don’t take affirmative action in a Rodney King-type situation.

To call for the resignation of Chief Daryl Gates is absolutely ludicrous. There is no one more concerned over the conduct of his officers. It is outrageous for any intelligent person to think that a man who has dedicated his life to the LAPD and the citizens of Los Angeles would condone such actions by his officers. In fact, he has a record of acting aggressively and decisively against officers engaged in misconduct.