FBI Probe Must Push Forward

The U. S. Justice Department must seize an important opportunity to help restore public confidence in the Los Angeles Police Department in the wake of the Rodney King beating.

Police Chief Daryl Gates has announced his own plan to evaluate and improve police services. But outside, independent authorities familiar with law enforcement, such as the FBI, can do a better job of examining the LAPD’s system to determine if problems exist with training, discipline or the chain of command.

The FBI began investigating the King incident shortly after a videotape of the beating was widely televised. The quick response was unusual because federal authorities typically wait until local probes and prosecutions have been completed. But the King case warranted special attention, and the FBI probe now includes contacting all 246 officers in the LAPD’s Foothill Division.

As many as 21 LAPD officers were at the beating scene, and additional officers participated in an exchange of derogatory messages on patrol car computers that same night. That raises troubling questions. Was the verbal behavior consistent with the physical behavior in the King case? Did officers feel free to joke about racial groups, or the use of force, in transmissions? Was this a callous disregard of department policy? Were there no sanctions for making such comments? The answers are best obtained by independent investigators.

Many officers have refused to cooperate with the FBI without guarantees of immunity from future prosecution. Officers have the right not to make statements, but federal investigators must not be deterred by efforts to close ranks and stymie the probe.

The FBI investigation is not a fishing expedition. It was prompted by a specific crime. To determine whether discriminatory patterns or policies led to that incident or other incidents that may have denied suspects their civil rights, federal agents must interview as many officers as possible.

The King case is an extreme example of what many minorities have complained about for years, and not just in Los Angeles. A speedy and thorough federal probe could help assuage the national outrage.