Dorner Case Hinged on Credibility

roaded by the LAPD and un- A judge upheld the justly fired. His allegations have resonated among the LAPD firing, but a public and some LAPD em- review of the appeal ployees who have criticized the department’s disciplin- highlights questions ary system, calling it capri- over the ex-officer’s cious and retaliatory toward complaints. those who try to expose mis- conduct. Seeking to address those By Jack Leonard, concerns, LAPD Chief Char- Joel Rubin and lie Beck announced this Andrew Blankstein weekend that he was re- opening the investigation into Dorner’s disciplinary For a Los Angeles Police case. “It is important to me Department disciplinary that we have a department panel, the evidence was per- that is seen as valuing fair- suasive: Rookie officer ness,” Beck said. Christopher Jordan Dorner LAPD records show that lied when he accused his Dorner’s disciplinary panel training officer of kicking a heard from several wit- mentally ill man during an nesses who testified that Robert Gauthier Los Angeles Times arrest. they did not see the training INDIE TRIO FUN. won for best new artist and for song of the year with the runaway hit single “We Are But when a Los Angeles officer kick the man. The Yo ung.” The night’s top honor went to British roots band Mumford & Sons, for its album “Babel.” CountySuperior Court panel found that the man judge examined the case a did not have injuries consis- year later in 2010 as part of an tent with having been appeal filed by Dorner, he kicked, nor was there evi- seemed less convinced. dence of having been kicked A new generation Judge David P. Yaffe said on his clothes. AFGHAN he was “uncertain whether Akey witness in Dorner’s the training officer kicked defense was the man’s fa- the suspect or not” but ther, who testified that his nevertheless upheld the de- son told him he had been POLICE is all part of the Fun. partment’s decision to fire kicked by police. The panel Dorner, according to court concluded that the father’s records reviewed by The [See Dorner, A7] Times. WITH Younger acts including Mumford & Sons, As the manhunt for the ex-cop wanted in the slay- Gotye and Frank Ocean shine in top categories ings of three people enters Added incentive A PAST its sixth day, Dorner’s firing to find Dorner has been the subject of de- bate both within and outside LAPD chief says the By Randy Lewis A RISING STAR the LAPD. An online mani- $1-million reward is The Pentagon is Grammy Awards voters gave their top honor to British Frank Ocean has festothat police attributed thought to be the largest roots music band Mumford & Sons for their album “Ba- been able to dictate to Dorner claims he was rail- ever offered locally. AA1 planning to pay to bel” on Sunday at the 55th awards ceremony. Other top much of the terms honors were distributed to a broad array of younger acts, expand the rural of his success.D1 including indie trio Fun., electronic pop artist Gotye, rap- force, which has been per-R&B singer Frank Ocean and rock group the Black THE SHOW A bright future Keys. implicated in human Some of the inti- “We figured we weren’t going to win because the Black rights abuses. Keys have been sweeping up all day — and deservedly so,” mate moments Mumford & Sons frontman Marcus Mumford said after outshone the grand brutally ended By David S. Cloud he and his band members strode to the stage at Staples productions. D1 and Shashank Bengali Center in Los Angeles to collect the award from last year’s winner, R&B-soul singer Adele. THE STYLES Pop culture historians may look back at 2013, however, Amid a wardrobe WASHINGTON — In an as the year the Grammy Awards gave up its long fight decree, flesh was in Slain couple Monica effort to fight the insurgency against new forms of music dissemination, embracing shorter supply on after U.S. troops leave Af- songs and videos that consumers soaked up by way of Quan and Keith the red carpet. D6 ghanistan by the end of next YouTube and other Internet outlets as opposed to pur- Lawrence shared a year, officials in Washington chasing them. ON THE WEB and Kabul are planning to “Somebody That I Used to Know,” the wildly popular passion for basketball dramatically expand a 3- collaboration between Gotye and New Zealand pop singer Photos, a full list of and each other. year-old rural police force Kimbra, took the top award presented for a single record- winners, party that has been implicated in ing upon being named record of the year, which recognizes reports and more. By Thomas Curwen human rights abuses and performance and record produc- [See Grammys, A10] LATIMES.COM criminal activity. and Frank Shyong The plan by the U.S. Spe- cial Operations Command Four days before her Courtesy of Natasha Belou would extend a financial life- death, Monica Quan had MONICA QUAN and line from the Pentagon to news for her team. Quan, an Keith Lawrence were the Afghan Local Police for assistant coach at Cal State recently engaged and at least five moreyears, pro- Fullerton, held up her hand discussing the wedding. viding $1.2 billion to train, to show off an engagement arm and pay 45,000 fighters, ring. The players screamed loved to have pictures taken up from a current force of and huddled around her for with her friends. She wanted 19,600, according to senior acloser look, head coach abig wedding, and her fian- U.S. officials and planning Marcia Foster recalled. ce, Keith Lawrence, a public documents. Quan was as happy as her safety officer at USC, was Despite heavy casualties basketball players, and later trying to work extra hours to so far, and a worrisome repu- said she wished she had re- make it possible. tation for corruption and corded the moment. She The couple were talking brutality, the paramilitary about who would be in the force would serve as the first wedding party. They had yet line of defense against the to pick a date and a location Taliban in rural areas be- when they were found Feb. 3, yond the reach of regular Af- Greuel’s growth shortly after the Super Bowl, ghan army and police units. plans assailed shot to death in their car in White House officials are the parking structure of still debating the long-term Independent analysts their Irvine condominium military aid package for Af- are among those who complex. ghanistan and how many doubt the mayoral They had multiple gun- U.S. troops will stay behind candidate’s budget shot wounds. There were no after 2014 . President Obama Katie Falkenberg Los Angeles Times math. LATEXTRA signs of a robbery, and inves- is expected to outline the MARY ADAMS URASHIMA stands in the barn on the old property of the late tigators ruled out a murder- drawdown in his State of the Charles Furuta. She’s trying to preserve the worn buildings of Wintersburg. Shovels are busy suicide. Union address Tuesday. in the Northeast The next day, Quan’s fa- Expanding the contro- COLUMN ONE As New England digs ther got a call from a close versial Afghan force has won out from heavy snow, friend of the family. Randal preliminary approval from more than 200,000 still Quan, a former captain with senior U.S. commanders. lack power. A5 the Los Angeles Police De- They say only a small num- Saving a slice of history partment, and Wayne Caf- ber of special operations Palm Springs fey, a detective with the troops based in Kabul would conversion Southeast Division, had be needed to help the Af- The fewbuildings were migrants who settled more known one another for al- ghan Interior Ministry run Five-acre plot in O.C. tattered and filled with than a century ago in this In an appeal to youth, most 25 years. Caffey re- the program, a major selling refuse, abused by time and slice of Huntington Beach a downtown inn will called their conversation. point with the White House known as Wintersburg vandals. once known as Wintersburg. become a Hard Rock “We lost her,” Quan said. seeking to limit the U.S. mili- is a remnant of prewar But Urashima saw a The farmers who tilled the Hotel. BUSINESS, A8 “She’s gone.” tary contingent. wide-open lawn where the peat soil. The men who Business...... A8 The two men were over- The proposal has also Japanese settlement. rich soil nourished harvests would go on to become civic whelmed by the senseless- Editorials ...... A11 won at least tentative sup- so bountiful that trains leaders, preachers and ness of the slayings. We don’t port from Afghan govern- would cart away dozens of businessmen, before their Complete Index .....AA2 know anything, Quan said; ment officials. They are in- By Rick Rojas boxcars at a time. The adopted homeland — fear- we don’t know what hap- creasingly nervous that the ponds where goldfish and ful and at war — imprisoned Weather: pened. insurgency will gain ary Adams lily pads were raised. And them. Cool but sunny. He would later learn that strength after U.S. troops Urashima over there, closer to the Historians describe this L.A. Basin: 62/44. AA8 his daughter and her fiance leave, and appear willing to crossed through crimson farmhouse, the five-acre patch as one of the were probably killed by a for- M the chain-link Printed with soy inks on back the effort as long as kitchen garden where a last remnants of prewar mer LAPD officer who had Washington pays for it. gate and stepped back in family grew vegetables and Japanese history in Orange partially recycled paper. been fired in 2009; Randal The expansion “is ac- time. herbs. County. Now, the neighbor- Quan had represented cording to requests from of- On this warm afternoon, “Can you envision it?” ing wastemanagement Christopher Jordan Dorner ficials in the central govern- the field was dry and rutted, she said. company that owns the plot at his termination hearing. ment, the provinces and the ahint of the dump next door Urashima has come to plans on clearing the land. 7 85944 00150 3 What was once incom- [See Afghanistan, A4] wafting through the breeze. know the Japanese im- [See Wintersburg, A9] [See Couple, A6]