LAPD, Mayor Under Fire

Bad news travels fast. One week after the video of the King beating was beamed across the country, defense attorneys in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia began grilling police officers on the stand. The questions were not so much whether the officers beat the suspect, but rather, how badly. Prosecutors have begun to make motions prior to trial preventing such questions from being asked in front of the jury without a proffer by defense that the officer even touched the defendant.

The LAPD officers who so viciously beat King have added another arrow to the quiver of defense attorneys throughout the country. The officer who uses any force in making an arrest is increasingly viewed as a criminal himself.

The LAPD officers have not just planted seeds of doubt in the minds of jurors. Members of the D.C. police force have told me they think twice now before using any force when making an arrest, no matter how necessary that force is to avoid greater injury either to the officer or the public. Along with Rodney King’s blood, the blood of any officer spilled as a result of this hesitation will be on the hands of the LAPD goons.

JONATHAN S. SHAPIRO

Arlington, Va.