In a Crisis, No One Should Stand in the Way of Progress : City needs to go forward--Chief Williams should move into command now

The urgent concern for Los Angeles is the issue of public safety. Without every reasonable assurance that everything possible is being done to maintain law and order, the healing process cannot begin and the rebuilding effort cannot go forward. An end to the nightmare must not elude our grasp.

All obstacles to reasonable law and order must be overcome. Any new flurry of violence must be dealt with. Without overreacting, law enforcement must avoid any repetition of those first crucial hours on the evening of April 29 when the Los Angeles Police Department hesitated. Lawbreakers must be arrested quickly and prosecuted aggressively; to this end Gov. Pete Wilson and the Legislature were wise to act promptly to lengthen the time that suspected criminals may be held without arraignment. Mayor Tom Bradley was right to move quickly to declare dusk-to-dawn curfews for last Thursday through Sunday. Sheriff Sherman Block was right to agree with the governor on the need for the National Guard, which, alas, did not mobilize fast enough.

MOVING FORWARD: The healing and rebuilding phase cannot go forward if there is any backsliding on public safety. The Police Department is only one part of the overall picture, but it is a vital part. This 8,300-officer operation, which has enjoyed a worldwide reputation for swift and effective use of force in crises, was astonishingly ineffective at the start of the riot in applying the quick and large-scale show of force called for in recommendations made after strife erupted in U.S. cities in the 1960s.

Various explanations have been offered--from a shortage of officers in the area to the chief’s presence at a cocktail party on the Westside even after the disorder had begun. However the final judgment on the delay comes out, there is no question that rebuilding the city includes rebuilding the LAPD.

In the sweep of progress, all aspects of government--not just the police--need to look within and ask how they might better serve the public interest. For the LAPD a detailed and useful blueprint already exists: last year’s report of the Christopher Commission. That report made many recommendations, including the need for more community policing and for changes in the charter to increase civilian authority over the Police Department and to limit a chief’s tenure.

ENDING AN ERA: That report also recommended the commencement of a transition to a new chief to begin the process of change and reform in an otherwise exceptional department that has more than its fair share of dedicated officers. The panel concluded that after Daryl F. Gates’ 13 years as chief the time had come for a new police leader. Later, in fact, the chief in a public letter agreed to step down in April, 1992. And the city said it would press its search for a new chief. The city did its job--in April Philadelphia Police Commissioner Willie L. Williams was designated to be the next chief. But Gates did not keep to his April deadline.

Gates’ tarrying comes at a time when Los Angeles should be making the transition to the new era quickly--the sooner the better. There is no good reason for him to stay on; indeed, given the unpreparedness and the breakdown in LAPD command last week, for which the chief must bear responsibility, there is every reason to get Williams in place as chief as soon as possible.

Further delay is unjustified. Indeed, it might only exacerbate the situation. Gates, in unfortunate remarks Wednesday on Michael Jackson’s KABC radio talk show, absolved sergeants at the April 29 riot scene but seemed to point the finger at lieutenants and captains. And Assistant Chief David Dotson said Wednesday that he had received a notice of demotion from Gates, an action that Dotson described as retribution for his testimony before the Christopher Commission. Internal scapegoating by Gates can only further erode the morale of a department that needs to be rebuilt and reinvigorated, not ripped apart by a lame-duck chief.

Gates also blamed the politicians and the press for most of his troubles. That was predictable. The inescapable conclusion is that Gates should do immediately what he had said he would do no later than April: retire.

No one person should stand in the way of progress and the change that citizens have every right to expect. Any failure to do swiftly what almost everyone knows must be done would be inexcusable--and risky. All public officials have to put the city first and themselves second.