Was Police Investigation an Empty Ritual, or Will It Bring Change? : The Times asked a diverse group of people, most of them Los Angeles residents, to comment on the report of the Christopher Commission. The following commentaries are taken from the interviews. : Chief Gates Goes

I think Chief Gates should resign, considering the way his department has been managed. I have been hearing about more and more problems in this (police) department. For example, officers were very comfortable (using their communication system) to make racist and sexist remarks. I think more officers engage in brutality than people suspect.

I’m not sure that the chief of the LAPD should be restricted to two five-year terms. To me, the term should be determined based on the performance of the person. If a person is doing well, that chief should be able to continue on after the 10th year.

I’m sure something good will come out of this (Christopher Commission) report--starting with Gates stepping down. I think other cities should take a look at this report because until recently it was said that Los Angeles had a model police department--but look at what they discovered.