Foothill Division Chief Says Publicity Has Taken Its Toll

The commander of the Los Angeles Police Department’s troubled Foothill Division said Sunday that “political haymaking” over the Rodney G. King beating incident is taking a toll on the cop on the beat.

“It’s difficult to stay focused with all this other stuff going on,” Capt. Tim McBride said in an address before a men’s breakfast group of Tujunga United Methodist Church.

McBride appeared before the crowd of 30 people as part of a continuing campaign by the Police Department to rebuild its reputation with citizens in the wake of the March 3 beating, which was videotaped and viewed nationwide on television. In recent days, the focus has shifted to a political struggle over whether Chief Daryl F. Gates should resign.

During an hourlong discussion, McBride complained that the Police Department does not deserve “all of this political haymaking, people trying to get their names in print, whether they’re from New York or wherever.” That was an apparent reference to the Rev. Al Sharpton, who came to Los Angeles recently to campaign against Gates.

McBride urged those who want to help the embattled chief to write to City Council offices or to Mayor Tom Bradley. He said phone calls might not suffice because of a rumor that “if you make a call to the mayor’s office, they will hang up on you.”

Bradley has been accused of trying to orchestrate Gates’ ouster, a charge that the mayor has denied. Efforts to reach a Bradley spokesman Sunday were unsuccessful.

“We need some healing time,” McBride said of the police force. “We’ve seen enough of this tape.”

Despite his defense of the department, McBride expressed revulsion at images showing police officers beating a prone man while other officers looked on. He promised changes in procedures to reduce the likelihood of similar incidents.

“I’m sure we’ll change some tactics within the department,” McBride said. He declined to be specific about operational changes, other than to say that they will involve “how we use force.”

There have already been increased efforts to reach residents served by Foothill, the San Fernando Valley police division where the King beating took place.

Asked whether Gates’ well-known outspokenness--he has made incendiary remarks about casual drug users, illegal immigrants and the mayor--has contributed to the chief’s problems, McBride was cautious.

“The chief speaks for himself,” McBride said. “He has made comments that were misinterpreted. We all like the rebel who speaks out. When you do that, you allow yourself to be misinterpreted.”