Vintage Gates: Blunt, Defiant as He Says He’ll Retire

The following are selected remarks from Police Chief Daryl F. Gates’ Monday news conference. He backed down from his threat to stay on the job until July 15, which would have jeopardized the appointment of his successor, former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Willie L. Williams. But the retiring chief lashed out at city officials he said were meddling in police business by refusing to go along with his request that they extend the life of a promotion list.

I will admit that (saying I would stay on the job) was a threat, a bluff. But that’s the only thing a lame duck has these days, to threaten. And it was a good threat because of the screwed-up system in this city. . . .

I would not in any way disrupt Commissioner Williams coming into this department. I told Williams that I would be out of here in the end of June. I do not go back on my word to him. I might to the (Police) Commission, I might to (City Council members) Zev Yaroslavsky and (Mike) Woo and some of my detractors in the City Council, but I would not go back on my word to him. . . .

And again, quite frankly, I am anxious to be out of here by the end of June. . . . (The) Los Angeles Police Department is now in the hands of crummy little politicians who are now manipulating the promotional process . . .

Commissioner Williams does not know any of these candidates (on the promotion list), and so you know who is going to be making the selection. It is going to be the commission, and the commission is going to be making the selections out of the mayor’s office. And the mayor’s office is going to be making the selection because they have the commission dangling by the puppet strings right now. . . .

This department is disturbed. It is demoralized. And one of the reasons is it’s being headed by the ACLU. . . . (Commission President Stanley K.) Sheinbaum ought to retire when I do. It would help the morale of this department greatly. The next person who should resign when I do, or retire, is Commissioner (Jesse A.) Brewer. . . .

The real story here again is the political manipulation of promotional lists within the Los Angeles Police Department. That is the real story and that’s all I wanted to draw attention to.

Gates also commented on other subjects:

(On how he is regarded by members of the LAPD) My people are loyal to me and I am loyal to them. . . . I’d probably risk being fired to be loyal to my people. I think that much of them; I think all of them would do that for me.

(On whether he initiated the controversy to help sales of his new autobiography) I don’t know if it needs any help. It’s a No. 1 bestseller. I bet that really makes The Times upset. Two weeks in a row, No. 1 bestseller of The Times’ bestseller list, No. 2 in the nation. . . . I don’t do anything at all for commercial reasons. Although when I retire, I become completely commercial, I’ll have you all know.

(On a possible run for mayor of Los Angeles next year) You know, I am retiring from public life, I hope. And besides, probably the only place I could be elected is in Orange County, and probably . . . anything that I wanted to be elected to, I could be elected to in Orange County. So watch out, Orange County.

(On racism and brutality in the LAPD) I will tell you, we have some racists. So does society in general. We have fewer racists than society does in general because we screen our people. We have some people who are brutal, but . . . the vast, vast, vast, vast majority of Los Angeles police officers are fine people out there committed to doing the best possible job. . . . People ought to get behind them.

(On his attitude toward city officials in the retirement flap) What I tried to do was get their attention and I finally said: ‘Screw you all, I’ll retire when I want to retire.’ That is an accurate quote. ‘Screw ‘em all.’