PERSPECTIVE ON POLICE : This Is No Time to Play the Mob : Over the years, Chief Gates did what he had to to earn the respect of his officers, at the expense of being impolitic in public.

The Police Commission’s decision to to place Chief Daryl Gates on administrative leave, combined with Mayor Tom Bradley’s call for the chief to resign, finally brought into the open the mayor’s not-so-hidden agenda. Gates has received exemplary fitness evaluations by the mayor-appointed commissioners for the past 13 years. Suddenly, one videotape has vitiated those evaluations and the 40-plus-year career that goes with it. What has really happened, of course, is that the composition of the commission has changed substantially over the past few months, with the new appointees having much closer ties to the mayor than had previously been the case.

However the court rules, Bradley’s and the commission’s actions can only be seen as political moves to decrease pressure on the mayor from the black and liberal communities. At the same time, Bradley is punishing Gates for the adversarial positions the chief has taken against the mayor over the years.

What has Gates done to deserve the heat? His crime is that he has not been sufficiently “politic” in a highly visible and political job. Those who know Gates state that, in private, he is sensitive, even caring. His public persona is a different matter. Abrasive is the least of the adjectives.

The reason for the two personas may lie with the fact that when Gates was appointed chief, he was not viewed by the rank-and-file officer as a “cop’s cop,” but as an administrator. The street cop saw Gates as politically astute and carefully calculating his career to land him in the top spot largely by occupying administrative positions.

During his rise to the top, Gates had minimal “combat” experience and no “combat” commands. Thus, unlike his immediate predecessor, Ed Davis, the chief first had to earn the respect of his men. Noting the results of the “sensitive” tenure of Tom Reddin--who preceded Davis--Gates saw what worked in Los Angeles. Davis was held in high regard by the street officer. Reddin, who quit after only two years, was not held in the same high esteem. To earn the respect of the street officer, Gates had to project the “tough cop” image. While this image has cost him dearly among some constituencies--including the mayor--it was and is necessary to maintain the morale of the police force.

My own experiences with Gates have revealed the two personas. In private meetings, I found him to be courteous, understanding and sincerely interested in trying to resolve problems. Public sessions were another matter. During a meeting to discuss budget cuts for the department, I was shaken by his attitude. He was aggressive and abrasive, so much so that he ended up alienating many of his supporters on the budget committee I chaired.

In retrospect, his position was understandable. He was fighting for his department and his men. If he had taken the “politically correct” position, he would have been viewed by his soldiers as just another politician.

The view of the soldiers has changed from Gates first few years as chief. He has earned their respect and--as a result of the commission’s action--he is now viewed as a martyr. The commission could not have done anything worse to harm the department. In its response to the pressure from the mayor and from some vocal members of the community, the commission has seriously damaged the department.

Many years ago, the City Charter was designed to insulate the police from the political pressures and temptations so visible in other cities. The chief was given civil-service protection so that whoever held the position would not become the lackey of the mayor. The police and the charter have served us well. Procedures are in place to determine whether the King incident is an “aberration” or pervasive. The combined Christopher-Arguelles commission investigating police procedures can be expected to do a scrupulous job in examining the facts and recommending the appropriate course of action.

No one could watch the King tape without being sickened. But incidents have occurred in the past--police corruption in Hollywood, renegade officers performing contract murders--all of which have been dealt with effectively by the department and civil authorities. When Gates has seen a problem, he has faced it and dealt with it. For this, he has consistently received years of exemplary fitness reports.

Now, suddenly, the political time is right to go on a witch hunt, to destroy careers and to fundamentally damage the department. In times like these, McCarthyite calls for someone’s blood must be avoided, and scrupulous attention must be paid to due process. There is time enough for resignations and discipline once the facts are in. But now is not the time to play to the mob.