Benefit Planned for Officer Convicted in King Beating

More than four years after the beating of Rodney G. King, supporters of former Los Angeles Police Officer Laurence M. Powell have scheduled a benefit to raise money for his continuing legal expenses with the help of a conservative group whose past beneficiaries have included former Marine Lt. Col. Oliver L. North.

The reception and dinner, planned for Tuesday at a private club at the Los Angeles Police Academy, is being organized by the Officer Laurence Powell Emergency Assistance Fund and the Legal Affairs Council, a Virginia-based group that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for North’s defense.

Supporters and police officials contend that there is nothing inappropriate about holding a benefit for Powell--a convicted felon--on Police Academy premises because it will be held at a club operated by the Los Angeles Police Revolver and Athletic Club, a private nonprofit organization that has 11,000 police officers as members.

*

Although the Academy Club is privately owned, it is located on city land and operates under a city permit. But it is often rented out for occasions ranging from weddings to retirement parties, and a Powell fund-raiser does not seem out of the ordinary, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Commission said.

Supporters said they hope that the benefit will help pay for Powell’s ongoing appeals and raise public awareness of efforts by federal officials to extend his prison term. Convicted in 1993 of violating King’s civil rights during a confrontation in Lake View Terrace, Powell is serving a 30-month sentence at the federal penitentiary in Boron, near Edwards Air Force Base.

After being acquitted of excessive-force charges against King in state Superior Court, Powell and former LAPD Sgt. Stacey C. Koon were convicted of violating his civil rights in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. Both were sentenced to prison by Judge John G. Davies, who cut their recommended terms from at least 70 months to 30 months.

A federal appeals court later ruled that Davies had improperly departed from sentencing guidelines and sent the case back to him for resentencing. Powell and Koon’s defense attorneys sought a new hearing on the issue but their request was rejected. They have appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, where the matter is pending.