WEEKEND TV : Discussion Shows Focus on Police Brutality

Police brutality is again the subject of much television debate this weekend.

Today at 2 p.m. on Channel 28, “John McLaughlin’s One on One” airs from Washington with an opinion on the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers earlier this month as well as a preview of California’s 1992 elections.

Sunday at 5 p.m., Channel 28 will repeat a “P.O.V.” episode entitled “Police Chiefs” that includes a profile of besieged Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl Gates as well as a look at how police chiefs in Minneapolis and Houston lead their respective departments.

“City View,” a new weekly series about Los Angeles, debuts Sunday at 5 p.m. on Channel 7 with a report on the variety of force police officers use when apprehending suspects.

Meanwhile, “Midday Sunday,” 11 a.m. on Channel 11, examines police relations with the local black community as well as job opportunities for blacks at the Police Department. “Newsmakers,” 3:30 p.m. on Channel 2, debates whether Gates should resign.

And Gov. Pete Wilson discusses Gates, police brutality and other issues on “The Capital Gang,”4 and 8 p.m. on CNN.

On another matter that has many Southern Californians concerned, Channel 2’s “Whose Garden Is This?,” airing at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, offers some tips on what children and their families can do to improve the environment.