Officers Cite Lack of Control for Excessive Force Cases, Survey Finds : Report: ‘Over-aggressiveness’ and prejudice are also listed as factors by police. Findings were noted by the Christopher Commission.

A recent survey of Los Angeles police officers reveals that more than two-thirds believe excessive force in the department stems from “over-aggressiveness or lack of self-control” by officers, while one in four said racial prejudice also contributes.

The study, conducted by the Police Department and cited in the Christopher Commission’s report on police brutality, also found that nearly 30% of those surveyed regard excessive force as a “serious problem” in the department.

The results, released by the Police Department Friday, were characterized by critics of Police Chief Daryl F. Gates as further evidence of a department gone amok.

“If the top brass of the LAPD is hearing clearly from the men and women out in the field, then it is an urgent priority for the LAPD leadership to start to address these problems,” City Councilman Michael Woo said. “It is unfortunate that this survey did not begin before the Rodney King beating.”

Police spokesman Fred Nixon said Gates would not comment on the survey.

The 81-question survey was conducted in May and June as part of an internal review of department policies after the beating of King in March. Fifteen questions and responses dealing with various training issues, including the use of force, were not released Friday.

“It would aggravate our attempts to get necessary changes in place if all of these questions are made public at this time,” Nixon said. “We have some things to get done prior to making the (15) questions public.”

Assistant City Atty. Linda K. Lefkowitz, who advised the department on the survey, said the questionnaire is part of a larger training study by the Police Department that is still in progress. The remaining questions and responses will be released in September when the study is completed, she said.

“They want to do more interviews to determine what the answers to the (15) questions mean,” Lefkowitz said. “They want their officers to feel free to use honesty and candor in those interviews.”

Among the findings released Friday:

* About half of the respondents identified job-related stress, off-duty personal problems, lack of self-confidence and fear of personal injury as contributing to the use of excessive force.

* Sixty-four percent said a “lack of verbal communication skills” may lead to the use of excessive force, and 39% said “ineffective supervision” also contributes.

* More than 86% said most officers know the appropriate level of force to use, but only 78% agreed that “the use of excessive force is serious misconduct.” About 9% disagreed with the statement, and 13% had no opinion.

* Ninety-one percent said the carotid chokehold, which was banned by the department several years ago, should be allowed as an alternative to deadly force.

* Among the causes of “negative interaction between the police and the community,” 92% identified the media and outspoken community leaders; 64% pointed to the attitudes and perceptions of citizens; 32% cited a lack of compassion and sympathy among police officers; 31% pointed to feelings of superiority and cynicism among officers, and 25% listed racial bias among officers.

* Low morale was identified by 65% as a problem in the department, while 56% said there is a “substantial lack of motivation.” Asked whether there was lack of support for the department among residents, 54% agreed, 30% disagreed and 16% had no opinion.

* Thirty-eight percent said officers’ lack of knowledge about particular communities contributed to “cultural bias,” which the survey defined as including prejudice toward racial and ethnic groups. But 81% said residents’ lack of knowledge about police procedures also was a factor.

Parts of the survey were addressed in the report by the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, which was shocked by responses it saw as endorsing “street justice.”

The Christopher Commission noted that about 5% of those surveyed said an officer was justified in “administering physical punishment” to suspects in heinous crimes or those who had uncooperative attitudes. Another 11% said they had no opinion on the matter.

Although 84% of the officers said such behavior was not justified, the report concluded that there was a “serious problem of attitude toward use of force among a significant group of LAPD officers.”

“Even though it is a minority in most of these cases, it is a minority advocating things that should not be advocated,” commission spokesman Bryce Nelson said Friday. Police officials said the survey’s 960 participants were randomly selected from a computer list of the department’s sworn personnel. About 68% of them--650--completed the questionnaire.

The respondents roughly reflected the ethnicity, race and sexual diversity of the department, according to statistics released with the survey. About 57% were white, 22% Latino, 14% black and 1% Asian. The others didn’t provide such information.

Nearly 83% of the respondents were male, and 83% held the rank of officer.