Understanding the Riots--Six Months Later : A New Blue Line / REMAKING THE LAPD : Optimism Growing Over the Future of the LAPD

Six months after the riots, a majority of residents are optimistic about the Los Angeles Police Department’s future, according to a new Times Poll, but they continue to believe that brutality and racism are common among officers.

Although Angelenos are still divided about the LAPD’s performance following one of the most turbulent periods in its history, they have a far more favorable impression of new Chief Willie L. Williams than they did of Daryl F. Gates.

A majority of people are pleased with the LAPD’s efforts to reach out to the community, they are satisfied with officers’ ability to hold down crime in their neighborhood and they expect the department to be a better institution six months from now.

That optimism, however, is tempered by a continuing belief among two-thirds of residents that brutality or racism are common within the LAPD--a ratio that has remained fairly constant since the police beating of Rodney G. King more than 1 1/2 years ago.

That impression is most prevalent in minority neighborhoods, where 74% of people said they thought incidents of brutality were common among police officers. In mostly white neighborhoods, 54% said so.

One of the sharpest disagreements in the survey focused on the question of whether officers feel too free to use force whenever they wish or are too reluctant to use it when circumstances warrant.

Perhaps reflecting criticism of police response during the riots, a majority of people said they were more worried about overly cautious officers than overly forceful ones. That view was held by 64% of Anglos, 54% of Asians and 49% of Latinos. But 54% of blacks--a percentage that has climbed over the last six months--said they were more concerned about excessive force.

From the perspective of Owen Moore, the collections manager at UCLA’s Fowler Museum of Cultural History, it is all a question of who is on the receiving end.

“The reality is that the average white citizen does not experience the same excessive amount of force and intimidation as the average black or brown citizen,” said Moore, 40, an African-American who was one of 1,383 adults surveyed citywide last month. “The way I look at it, two kinds of people carry guns: criminals and police. I don’t carry a gun, so I have to look at both of those people with suspicion.”

Carlos Lopez, an unemployed electrical technician, agreed that police sometimes use excessive force and treat law-abiding people with disrespect. But he also said he is far more concerned that officers have become too hesitant to take on real criminals.

“Sometimes, when they pull you over for a ticket, they treat you like a delinquent,” said Lopez, 32, of Panorama City. “But when they’re dealing with the real delinquents, the thieves or drug dealers or cholos-- the people who really need to be treated bad--that’s when the police are too nice. It seems like they’re afraid that somebody will catch them and film them or something.”

The Times Poll, conducted Oct. 9-14 and supervised by John Brennan, has a margin of error of three percentage points.

Overall, 45% of residents said they approve of the way the department is handling its job, and 48% said they disapprove. That represents a small improvement from six months ago, when 53% said they disapproved.

Moreover, those who disapprove now do so less strongly than they did when asked the same question immediately after the riots.

The change stems in part from a shift in the thinking of Anglos. Just six months ago, 52% of Anglos disapproved of the department. Today, 52% say they approve, which makes Anglos the only one of the city’s four major racial groups to give the department a favorable mark.

“I’m not defending what happened with Rodney King, because the video doesn’t lie,” said Leslie Stetson, 39, a businesswoman from Westchester, who recently started attending neighborhood meetings held by a new LAPD community-advisory board. “But we have too many people with too many guns out there and very few policemen by comparison.”

Blacks still give the department the lowest marks. But they, like other groups, have come to feel better about police than they did in the aftermath of the King beating. In the last 1 1/2 years, the percentage of blacks who disapprove of the LAPD has dropped from 79% to 58%.

Residents have a more favorable impression of the man sitting in the chief’s office than they did of his predecessor.

Following the riots, Gates had an abysmal rating, with 81% of people disapproving of his performance. So far, just 4% disapprove of Williams. The new chief won approval from 52% and, taking a wait-and-see-attitude, 44% said they did not have an opinion.

Support for Williams is strongest among blacks, whose disenchantment with Gates was also strongest. Six out of 10 blacks, more than any other group, said they approve of the way Williams has handled his job. An equal number of blacks, also more than any other group, is optimistic that the LAPD will improve in the next six months.

“For one thing, the chief is black and I think the black community is going to respect him more than they would Chief Gates,” said Mary Rankin, 63, a black retired nurse from West Los Angeles. “He’s going to go into the neighborhood and talk to people and get their respect and trust, then enforce the law.”

In the last six months, the impression of the LAPD’s crime-fighting efforts has remained roughly constant, with 61% saying they still have a favorable view of the department’s ability to hold down crime in their neighborhood.

That feeling was strongest on the Westside, where 78% said they had a favorable impression. In South and Central Los Angeles, only 54% said so.

Despite that perception, residents are increasingly saying that the department’s slow response was responsible for the unrest that followed the not-guilty verdicts in the trial of the four officers accused of the King beating.

Immediately after the riots, 27% of people said thugs were most responsible, followed by rage, unemployment and Chief Gates. Officers’ response to the violence ranked fifth, with just 12%. But now, the slow police response ranks first, with 23%, followed by thugs, rage, unemployment, Gates and the news media.

Since the riots, there has been little change overall in the impression of the LAPD’s efforts to reach out to the community, one of the goals of the community-policing program recommended by the Christopher Commission, a panel set up to review LAPD conduct and recommend reforms.

The poll found that 52% of Anglos have a favorable view of the department’s community-oriented efforts, compared with 57% after the riots. Meanwhile, support among blacks rose slightly to 49%, up from 43% six months ago.

It has become clear, however, that residents would rather see more police on the streets than see police make more contact with the community.

When asked to make recommendations for improving the LAPD, residents most frequently mentioned the need for more police (26%), followed by more police contact with the community (23%) and more foot patrols (14%).

Asked the same question last year, residents put community contact first (23%), followed by more police (13%).

All racial groups have followed that shift toward more police, which was most frequently cited by Anglos and Asians.

“I am busy from morning (till) late, so I really don’t have time to worry about the police being community-involved,” said Hooshang Aghdassi, 40, the owner of a West Hollywood balloon and party-supply shop. “I just want there to be more police, so that I can have peace of mind and know my family’s safe.”

THE TIMES POLL / Attitudes About the LAPD

The Times Poll surveyed 1,383 adults in Los Angeles on Oct. 9-14 and asked them a variety of questions regarding their attitudes toward the Los Angeles Police Department.

The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points; the margin may be greater in the responses of ethnic groups. Because of sampling limitations, previous polls--used here to identify trends--did not break out the responses of Asians.

When it comes to the threat of crime, how safe do you feel in your community?

All Anglos Blacks Latinos Asians Safe 53% 57% 50% 46% 55% Unsafe 47% 43% 49% 53% 45% Don’t know -- -- 1% 1% --

This same question was also asked on May 12, shortly after the riots.

All Anglos Blacks Latinos Safe 60% 66% 61% 55% Unsafe 39% 33% 38% 45% Don’t know 1% 1% 1% --

Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Los Angeles Police Department is handling its job?

All Anglos Black Latinos Asians Approve 45% 52% 34% 40% 43% Disapprove 48% 40% 58% 54% 46% Don’t know 7% 8% 8% 6% 11%

This question was also asked on March 21, shortly after Rodney G. King beating.

All Anglos Blacks Latinos Approve 34% 41% 14% 31% Disapprove 59% 50% 79% 65% Don’t know 7% 9% 7% 4%

Do you approve or disapprove of the way Willie Williams is handling his job as police chief?

All Anglos Blacks Latinos Asians Approve 52% 49% 61% 55% 47% Disapprove 4% 4% 3% 4% 4% Don’t know 44% 47% 36% 41% 49%

On May 12, respondents were asked whether they approved or disapproved of the way Chief Daryl F. Gates was handling his job as police chief.

All Anglos Blacks Latinos Approve 16% 18% 5% 16% Disapprove 81% 79% 93% 79% Don’t know 3% 3% 2% 5%

Suppose someone asked you to make recommendations for improving the Los Angeles City Police Department? What would you recommend? (Up to two replies were accepted; the top five responses are shown.)

All Anglos Blacks Latinos Asians More police 26% 31% 19% 22% 27% Contact with community 23% 21% 24% 27% 19% More foot patrols 14% 15% 11% 14% 16% Improve race relations 11% 9% 18% 11% 9% Better training 11% 10% 11% 11% 9%

Do you think incidents of police brutality involving the Los Angeles Police Department are common or uncommon?

All Anglos Blacks Latinos Asians Common 65% 56% 79% 71% 53% Uncommon 31% 38% 18% 27% 38% Don’t know 4% 6% 3% 2% 9%

How common do you think racist feelings are among LAPD officers?

All Anglos Blacks Latinos Asians Common 67% 62% 77% 71% 53% Uncommon 22% 27% 12% 20% 31% Don’t know 11% 11% 11% 9% 16%

What do you think is the greater danger in Los Angeles right now: that the police will feel free to use excessive force whenever they wish or that the police will be too reluctant to use force in circumstances where it is needed?

All Anglos Blacks Latinos Asians Free to use force 31% 23% 54% 36% 25% Too reluctant 54% 64% 30% 49% 54% Neither 3% 3% 4% 2% 4% Both 6% 4% 6% 8% 5% Don’t know 6% 6% 6% 5% 12%