CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : ALAMEDA : Police Chief Refuses to Quit Over Slurs

Robert Sheills, the embattled police chief whose resignation is being sought by the local NAACP chapter, says he will not step down despite the furor over four officers accused of sending racial slurs on patrol car computers. “I would like to think it was the product of a real slow night, mindless ramblings on this machine and incredibly poor judgment on the part of the officers,” Sheills said. The local chapter of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People called this week for Sheills’ resignation and one City Council member has said at least three of the officers should be fired. The officers have been suspended for one to six days.