DOCSLIB.ORG

Rampart Reconsidered Executive Summary

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Rampart Reconsidered Executive Summary R A M P A R T R e c o n s i d e r e d The Searc h for Real Refo rm Seven Years Later Execut ive Summa r y Blue Ribbon Panel Chair Additional Staff Rampart Review Constance L. Rice Kenneth Berland Jenna Cobb Panel Panel Members John Mathews Jan L. Handzlik Pilar Mendoza Laurie L. Levenson Margaret Middleton Stephen A. Mansfield Natasha Saggar Carol A. Sobel Rishi Sahgal Edgar Hugh Twine Regina Tuohy Panel Members Emeriti Erwin Chemerinsky Andrea Ordin Maurice Suh Executive Director Kathleen Salvaty Lead Investigator Brent A. Braun Additional Investigators Eusebio Benavidez Morris D. Hayes Jack Keller Pete McGuire Michael Wolf Special Hon. James K. Hahn Linder & Associates Merrick Bobb Alan J. Skobin Thanks Rick J. Caruso Michael J. Strumwasser *** Los Angeles Police Gerald Chaleff Richard Tefank Akin Gump Strauss Foundation Warren M. Christopher Karen Wagener Hauer & Feld LLP Los Angeles City Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. Samuel Walker Personnel Department Hon. Steve Cooley Hon. Jack Weiss Burke, Williams David S. Cunningham III Hon. Debra W. Yang & Sorenson, LLP Technical Threat Hon. Rockard J. Delgadillo Roberta Yang Donna Denning Gregory A. Yates Gibson, Dunn Analysis Group, Inc. Richard E. Drooyan & Crutcher LLP *** Paul Enox All of the dedicated Howrey LLP Shelley Freeman LAPD officers and LAPD Office of the James J. Fyfe employees who gave Lindahl, Schnabel, Inspector General Bonifacio Bonny Garcia their time and insight Kardassakis & Beck LLP Michael J. Gennaco to this Panel in Latin American Law Gigi Gordon order to improve the Nossaman Guthner Enforcement Association Michael P. Judge department. Knox Elliott LLP Law Enforcement E. Richard Larson Association of Asian Pacifics Barrett S. Litt O’Melveny & Meyers LLP John Mack Orrick, Herrington Los Angeles Police Cheryl White Mason & Sutcliffe LLP Protective League Winston K. McKesson Hon. Cindy Miscikowski Paul, Hastings, Janofsky Oscar Joel Bryant Rose M. Ochi Foundation & Walker LLP Anthony Pacheco R. Samuel Paz *** Sidley Austin LLP Ramon L. Quintana Chief William J. Bratton Gilbert T. Ray Skadden, Arps, Slate, Hon. Ed P. Reyes Meagher & Flom LLP *** Lael Rubin Corina Alarcon Anthony Asadullah Samad The James Irvine Hon. Lee Baca Alex Sanchez Foundation Andre Birotte, Jr. Silvia Saucedo *** This report is dedicated in memoriam to Edgar Hugh Twine Executive Introduction Summary In 1999, allegations by a convicted former Los Angeles Police foremost experts on LAPD: its retired and current officers, Department Rampart C.R.A.S.H1 officer of widespread police abuse command staff, union leaders and civilians. The verdict from scores and corruption exploded into Los Angeles headlines. The charges of officers is in: most post-scandal reforms currently being imple- that he and dozens of fellow officers routinely framed suspects, mented are useful, but they will be insufficient to lock in current planted evidence, fabricated probable cause, lied in court and physi- successes, prevent another CRASH crisis, resolve LAPD’s long- cally abused suspects swept the City and the department into one of standing problems or begin to close the public-police trust gap in the most debilitating police corruption crises in Los Angeles history. high crime areas. A significant number of LAPD’s most knowledge- able commanders, officers and leaders of the rank and file inter- The scandal was not that a few officers had stolen drugs and framed viewed by this Panel concur with outside critics that these goals will suspects—perennial risks that all police departments face. It was require much deeper changes within LAPD — and a complete over- the scale of the abuses, if even by a few, haul of the City’s deficient “thin blue the impunity with which abusers could [T]he problems at the [LAPD]’s Rampart Division are line” public safety model. act, and the cover afforded their crimes “cultural in nature, the result of an institutional mind-set by the department’s culture and the This Panel agrees with their assess- City’s chronic inability to exert control first conceived...to survive repeated attacks from outside ment. In 2006, the department is on over LAPD. The CRASH crisis torpe- the department. Unless this police culture is overthrown, the right road. It has the right leader- doed the integrity of the entire Los future Rampart scandals are inevitable. ship and they are making needed Angeles criminal justice system and ” changes under their own aegis and the placed LAPD under the jurisdiction of David D. Dotson, former LAPD Assistant Chief, federal Consent Decree. But these a federal court and Consent Decree.2 “LAPD Corruption:A Culture of War”Los Angeles Times, February 27, 2000 improvements will not revise the mindset, customs and codes that This report is a post-CRASH check-up. It answers the question posed reverse most reforms and seed CRASH-like or Rodney King-like by the Los Angeles Police Commission and Chief of Police William J. crises. Bratton to this Blue Ribbon Rampart Review Panel in 2003: Did the Los Angeles Police Department and the City of Los Angeles fix the The bottom line? Seven years after the scandal, the CAT scan underlying causes of the most consequential police corruption scandal shows great progress; but the colonoscopy shows polyps. in Los Angeles history; and if not, what actions are needed to do so?3 The road to full recovery lies ahead. But the journey is not LAPD’s The answer is simple in some respects and complex in others. To alone. It requires transformative change from institutions across a large degree, this report reflects the blunt introspection of the the board—from City Hall to the halls of criminal justice; from the 12.89 03.03.91 07.10.91 Timeline Color Key Relating to LAPD Rafael Perez appointed to LAPD. King Beating. LAPD officers are Christopher Commission publishes Relating to other LA agencies videotaped beating motorist its report in the wake of the Rodney High Profile Incidents Rodney King with their batons King beating, recommending broad Prior public reports on LAPD after King led them on a car chase. reforms for LAPD, including creation Relating to Consent Decree of the Office of Inspector General. Relating to this Blue Ribbon Panel 2 Rampart Reconsidered Executive Summary school board to the parole board; from the body politic and from the themselves and the department in hopes that this report will lead to families whose gun-toting relatives terrorize residents of LA’s the deeper changes they believe are needed. Indeed, this report violence racked neighborhoods. This report is not just calling for affirms the department’s considerable advances and confirms the LAPD to finish fixing itself, but also for the City to confront the conclusions of key LAPD leaders that current recovery and reform unsettling truth that it gets the policing it asks for and funds. Until efforts are good, but insufficient to the City ends the chronic anorexia of “thin blue line” public lock in recent successes, prevent We’re making the same safety—a safety-on-the-cheap model that delivers public safety in another CRASH crisis, or resolve mistakes“ and haven’t made the neighborhoods on the right side of that line and containment- LAPD’s other longstanding prob- suppression in neighborhoods that are not—there will be limits to lems that block closing the public- deeper fixes really needed what police reform can achieve. And if the City continues its failure police trust gap in high crime to head off another Rampart or to heed the 40-year-old mandate of the McCone Commission to end areas. Without the drive of LAPD Rodney King.We’ve got one last leaders from command, rank and the devastating “spiral of failure” that seeds police-public eruptions chance to get it right... and not and corruption, then it can expect more of both.4 file, retired officers and police unions, this opportunity to fortify much time to do it. The Context for this Report the reform agenda would not exist. ” LAPD Detective, more than 25 years on force If this department ever finds its This report is the latest in a long line of tomes about this City’s way to fighting crime while winning trust—without bias, brutality century-old struggle with its police department and public safety. or corruption—it will be because these officers and LAPD’s current As an analysis of a crisis, it neces- leadership cared more about digging deeper to finally “get it right” sarily focuses on failures—and than the political costs of doing so. Since joining [LAPD]... I have not just in LAPD but in several “been focused on one job: that of other criminal justice institutions Seven Years Later: rebuilding... trust between LAPD as well. It should not, however, be misread as a condemnation at the Crossroads and the communities it is sworn of department leaders, officers, to protect and serve, while at the command staff, union leaders Seven years after the CRASH crisis, the City of Angels and its same time rebuilding trust between or civilians. On the contrary— police department are at a crossroads. The direction chosen will officers and their department. Chief Bratton insisted on this determine whether the Los Angeles criminal justice system fully ” review and scores of LAPD staff recovers from the CRASH crisis or simply moves beyond it until Chief William J. Bratton offered unflinching criticism of the next scandal. As the Chief of Police puts it: 04.29.92 06.92 06.30.92 04.95 08.95 Riots erupt in Los Angeles hours Voters approve ammendment to LA New LAPD Chief. Chief Daryl F. Office of Inspector General created. Rafael Perez joins Rampart CRASH. after a jury acquits four white LAPD City Charter limiting Chief of Police Gates retires, and Willie L.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • University of Pennsylvania Law Review
    University of Pennsylvania Law Review FOUNDED 1852 ________________ Formerly American Law Register ________________________ VOL. 157 APRIL 2009 NO.4 ARTICLE PROSECUTORIAL REGULATION VERSUS PROSECUTORIAL ACCOUNTABILITY † STEPHANOS BIBAS No government official has as much unreviewable power or discretion as the prosecutor. Few regulations bind or even guide prosecutorial discretion, and fewer still work well. Most commentators favor more external regulation by legis- latures, judges, or bar authorities. Neither across-the-board legislation nor ex post review of individual cases has proven to be effective, however. Drawing on man- agement literature, this Article reframes the issue as a principal-agent problem and suggests corporate strategies for better serving the relevant stakeholders. Fear of voters could better check prosecutors, as could victim participation in individ- † Professor, University of Pennsylvania Law School. B.A., Columbia; B.A., M.A., Oxford; J.D., Yale. E-mail: stephanos *dot* bibas *at* gmail *dot* com. Thanks to Rachel Barkow, Richard Bierschbach, Paul Butler, Adam Cox, Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar, Margareth Etienne, Jeffrey Fagan, Jacob Gersen, Bernard Harcourt, Todd Henderson, Douglas Lichtman, Erik Luna, Richard McAdams, Tracey Meares, John Pfaff, Randal Picker, Eric Posner, Margaret Raymond, Jacqueline Ross, Carol Steiker, Lior Strahilevitz, Ronald Wright, and participants in the University of Chicago Crimi- nal Justice Roundtable for their thoughts and comments and to Jordan Esbrook and Brian Raimondo for research assistance. (959) 960 University of Pennsylvania Law Review [Vol. 157: 959 ual cases. Scholars have largely neglected the most promising avenue of reform, namely changing the internal structure and management of prosecutors’ offices. Leaders could do more to develop office cultures, norms, and ideals that value more than maximizing conviction statistics.
    [Show full text]
  • Police Misconduct As a Cause of Wrongful Convictions
    POLICE MISCONDUCT AS A CAUSE OF WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS RUSSELL COVEY ABSTRACT This study gathers data from two mass exonerations resulting from major police scandals, one involving the Rampart division of the L.A.P.D., and the other occurring in Tulia, Texas. To date, these cases have received little systematic attention by wrongful convictions scholars. Study of these cases, however, reveals important differences among subgroups of wrongful convictions. Whereas eyewitness misidentification, faulty forensic evidence, jailhouse informants, and false confessions have been identified as the main contributing factors leading to many wrongful convictions, the Rampart and Tulia exonerees were wrongfully convicted almost exclusively as a result of police perjury. In addition, unlike other exonerated persons, actually innocent individuals charged as a result of police wrongdoing in Rampart or Tulia only rarely contested their guilt at trial. As is the case in the justice system generally, the great majority pleaded guilty. Accordingly, these cases stand in sharp contrast to the conventional wrongful conviction story. Study of these groups of wrongful convictions sheds new light on the mechanisms that lead to the conviction of actually innocent individuals. I. INTRODUCTION Police misconduct causes wrongful convictions. Although that fact has long been known, little else occupies this corner of the wrongful convictions universe. When is police misconduct most likely to result in wrongful convictions? How do victims of police misconduct respond to false allegations of wrongdoing or to police lies about the circumstances surrounding an arrest or seizure? How often do victims of police misconduct contest false charges at trial? How often do they resolve charges through plea bargaining? While definitive answers to these questions must await further research, this study seeks to begin the Professor of Law, Georgia State University College of Law.
    [Show full text]
  • 10 Things the Ethical Lawyer Can Learn from the OJ Trial Richard Jolley and Brian Augenthaler
    4/12/2017 10 Things the Ethical Lawyer Can Learn From the OJ Trial Richard Jolley and Brian Augenthaler OJ murdered Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman • Murders: June 12, 1994 • Brentwood, L.A. • Arrested: June 17, 1994 • Arraignment: June 20, 1994 • Verdict: October 3, 1995 1 4/12/2017 5 “killer” pieces of physical evidence • Ron Goldman and Nicole Simpson’s blood in OJ’s Bronco • OJ’s blood at the Bundy crime scene • Bloody glove at Bundy and the bloody glove at OJ’s house • Bloody footprints at scene matching bloody footprint in OJ’s Bronco • Trace evidence – hair and fiber evidence linking OJ to crime scene and Goldman Goldman’s blood in the Bronco • The Bronco was locked and was not accessed until the tow yard • LAPD detectives asked Kato if he had spare keys the morning after the murders • Mark Furhman was never in the Bronco (mistake spare tire testimony) 2 4/12/2017 OJ’s blood at Bundy • OJ’s blood drops next to bloody Bruno Magli size-12 shoe print (1 in 170 million) • OJ’s blood on back gate (1 in 58 billion!) • Phil Vanatter planted it on the gate? Bloody gloves • Aris XL cashmere-lined gloves (less than 200 pair sold exclusively by Bloomingdales) (unavailable west of Chicago) • Receipt for identical gloves purchased by Nicole Brown Simpson in December 1990 (and photos of OJ wearing those gloves) • Left glove found at Bundy crime scene and right glove found by Mark Fuhrman • Blood and hair of victims and Simpson found on gloves • How did Mark Fuhrman get lucky and plant a glove that OJ wore? How did Fuhrman get OJ’s blood unless
    [Show full text]
  • Bad Cops: a Study of Career-Ending Misconduct Among New York City Police Officers
    The author(s) shown below used Federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice and prepared the following final report: Document Title: Bad Cops: A Study of Career-Ending Misconduct Among New York City Police Officers Author(s): James J. Fyfe ; Robert Kane Document No.: 215795 Date Received: September 2006 Award Number: 96-IJ-CX-0053 This report has not been published by the U.S. Department of Justice. To provide better customer service, NCJRS has made this Federally- funded grant final report available electronically in addition to traditional paper copies. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Bad Cops: A Study of Career-Ending Misconduct Among New York City Police Officers James J. Fyfe John Jay College of Criminal Justice and New York City Police Department Robert Kane American University Final Version Submitted to the United States Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice February 2005 This project was supported by Grant No. 1996-IJ-CX-0053 awarded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of views in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Magazine
    UCLA Volume 27 Q Fall 2004 LAW LAW Volume 27 27 Volume Q Fall 2004 Dean Michael H. Schill Building on a Tradition of Innovation UCLA LAW The Magazine of the School of Law contents 2 Dean’s Message 4 Dean’s Events 6 Go West, Young Man 10 History of UCLA School of Law: A Tradition of Innovation 18 UCLA Clinical Education: Bridging the Gap Between the Classroom and the Courtroom 24 UCLA School of Law Think Tanks: Providing Relevant Scholarship and Reliable Data for Real Issues 30 UCLA School of Law Emphasizes an Interdisciplinary Approach 34 UCLA Students Capitalize on Third Year Opportunities 40 After the JD: A Pathbreaking Study of the Lives of Young Lawyers 46 2004 Commencement 48 Faculty 49 Focus on Faculty 53 New Faculty 58 Recent Faculty Books 64 Faculty Honors 66 Tribute to Norm Abrams, Interim Dean 68 In Memoriam 70 Events 74 Students Moot Court Student Awards In Memoriam Law Fellows Public Interest 82 Development Major Gifts Law Annual Fund 87 Alumni Innovative Alumni Alumni Events Mentor Program Class Notes Planned Giving message from the dean s I assume the deanship of impact of living wage laws on employment and bankruptcy laws UCLA School of Law, I am on corporations. A tremendously excited Throughout this magazine, you will read of the myriad ways in about the prospects for this great insti- which UCLA has approached the study of law and the development of tution. Founded only fifty-five years its programs—both curricular and extra-curricular—with a truly ago, UCLA School of Law is the original mindset.
    [Show full text]
  • Vote for Jack Weiss for Los Angeles City Attorney. Election Day Is March 3, 2009
    Jack Weiss is the only Democrat and the only Environmentalist Running for LA City Attorney. Jack Weiss is a lifelong Democrat – Throughout his service as a federal prosecutor and City Councilmember Jack Weiss has stood for Democratic values - for civil rights, women’s rights, LGBT rights, immigrants' rights and the rights of working families and children. In 2008 he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. An early supporter of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Jack Weiss has been an ally and partner to the Mayor in public safety, educational, and quality of life improvements for the City. Jack Weiss is a proud Democrat who is a founding member of the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation, and a member of the Westside Urban Forum, Heal the Bay, and Los Angeles County Young Democrats, in addition to serving on many local bodies and bar committees. Jack Weiss was an early and strong supporter of Measure R which provides funding for a subway to the sea, and a more overall efficient public transit system for LA. He has fought for improvements for transit users including the Orange Line and Expo Line both to reduce traffic and fight air pollution. ∗ Jack Weiss has fought for public education – He has supported schools throughout his district by improving safety for kids around campuses, providing funds to help parent/teacher organizations, and assisting schools to upgrade their libraries and facilities to help students learn. ∗ Jack Weiss stopped the city from fighting environmentalists in court. As a result, the City is now reducing the trash flowing into the Los Angeles River to prevent pollution of the ocean.
    [Show full text]
  • Communique from an Ex-Cop
    communiqué from an ex-cop by christopher jordan dorner annotated by research and destroy new york city new york / los angeles 2013 From: Christopher Jordan Dorner /76486 To: America Subj: Last resort7 Regarding CF# 07-0042818 I know most of you who personally know me are in disbelief to hear from media reports that I am suspected of committing such horrendous murders and have taken drastic and shocking actions in the last couple of ________ 1 Posted on Facebook on February 4th, 2013 at 1:48 AM, according to a February 6th search warrant (see Appendix A; Search Warrant. Superior Court of California, County of Orange. 6 Feb. 2013. 17). 2 From the beginning, all news outlets have referred to Dorner’s text as a “manifesto,” often preceded by the word “rambling,” (a Google News phrase search for “rambling manifesto” yielded 1,860 articles at the height of the manhunt) though more often “angry” (3,930 articles). Labeling a document a “manifesto” is one way the media marks its author as mentally unstable, or, even worse, a lone voice yelling into the wilderness. Revelations of isolated lives spent in cabins, whether in the remote Mon- tana wilderness or the snow-capped mountains of Big Bear, CA, paint an image of an unhinged, anti-social individual wholly out of touch with reality, if not totally against it (the climactic self-inflicted gunshot wound provides ultimate confirmation of this). The Riverside Chief of Police articulated early on the portrait of a suspect both soli- tary and certifiable: “My opinion of the suspect is unprintable.
    [Show full text]
  • “Deck the Walls” Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®
    The Help Group ... because every child deserves a great future FALL 2009 BRIAN GOLDNER, MARY URQUHART & MAX MAYER TO BE HONORED AT THE HELP GROUP’S 2009 TEDDY BEAR BALL he Help Group is pleased to announce that has helped to create brighter futures for children three remarkable individuals will be honored with autism. Max Mayer, the gifted writer-director of T at The Help Group’s 2009 Teddy Bear Ball. the acclaimed motion picture “Adam,” will receive This 13th annual holiday the Spirit of Hope Award gala celebration will be for raising important held on Monday, December public awareness and 7th, 2009, at the Beverly understanding through Hilton Hotel. his sensitive portrayal of a young man with Asperger’s BRIAN GOLDNER Brian Goldner, President Disorder. Gala Chairs are and CEO of Hasbro Inc., Brian Grazer, Cheryl & will receive The Help Haim Saban, and Bill Group’s Help Humanitarian Urquhart. MARY URQUHART MAX MAYER Award in recognition of his far-reaching philanthropic leadership and A toy industry veteran, Brian Goldner is widely commitment to children’s causes. Parent advocate recognized for leading the evolution of Hasbro from Mary Urquhart will receive the Champion for Children Award in a traditional toy and game company to a leader in world-class recognition of her heartfelt spirit of giving and volunteerism that family entertainment. Brian is responsible for Hasbro’s business continued on page 3 THE HELP GROUP’S NEW AUTISM CENTER CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION “Deck the Walls” DEDICATED TO EDUCATION, RESEARCH, PARENT & PROFESSIONAL TRAINING AND OUTREACH for The Help Group children at your local Coffee Bean & Tea Lea f® this holiday season! see story on page 5 see story on page 7 BOARD OF DIRECTORS CIRCLE OF FRIENDS Gary H.
    [Show full text]
  • 2014 0- Do Not Enter Social Security Numbers on This Form As It May Be Made Public
    l efile GRAPHIC p rint - DO NOT PROCESS As Filed Data - DLN: 93491085004025 OMB No 1545-0052 Form 990-PF Return of Private Foundation or Section 4947(a)(1) Trust Treated as Private Foundation Department of the Treasury 2014 0- Do not enter social security numbers on this form as it may be made public. Internal Revenue Service 0- Information about Form 990-PF and its instructions is at www.irs.gov/form990pf . For calendar year 2014, or tax year beginning 01-01-2014 , and ending 12-31-2014 Name of foundation A Employer identification number Roth Family Foundation 88-0352682 Number and street ( or P 0 box number if mail is not delivered to street address) Room/suite 6 ieiepnone number ( see instructions) 12021 Wilshire Boulevard Room 505 (213) 880-8528 City or town, state or province , country, and ZIP or foreign postal code C If exemption application is pending, check here F Los Angeles, CA 90025 G Check all that apply r'Initial return r'Initial return of a former public charity D 1. Foreign organizations , check here (- r Final return r'Amended return 2. Foreign organizations meeting the 850/, r-Address change r'Name change test, check here and attach computation F E If private foundation status was terminated H C heck type of organization Section 501( c)(3) exempt private foundation und er section 507 ( b )( 1 )( A ), c hec k here F_ Section 4947( a)(1) nonexempt charitable trust r'Other taxable private foundation I Fair market value of all assets at end J Accounting method F Cash F Accrual F If the foundation is in a 60 - month termination of year (from Part II, col.
    [Show full text]
  • OJ Simpson Murder Trial DVD Cataloging Still in Progress
    OJ SIMPSON MURDER TRIAL O.J. Simpson "Bronco Chase" audio CD (full transcript can be seen here) OJ Simpson Murder Trial DVD Collection (each disc is roughly 4 hours) Two hundred 4 hr. DVD's, professionally edited (100% commercial free) - contains virtually every minute of testimony. Recorded from local L.A. television stations, live as the events unfolded. Coverage begins with reports of the murders, till weeks after the verdict - and beyond. "O.J. Simpson - The Whole Story (and then some)" legend: "break" = fade to black, edited commercial break "H/C" = Hard Copy "ET" = Entertainment Tonight * To purchase, or inquire about OJ SImpson Murder Trial DVD duplications, click here * * To download a .pdf file of this OJ SImpson Murder Trial DVD listing, click here (322 KB) * OJ TRIAL #001 DVD (3:53:00) * News reports of the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman (ABC News, FX) * OJ waiting in truck outside of his house (@ 0:01:10) * Taped earlier: end of freeway chase, to Parker Center, news reports (@ 0:50:00) * Gil Garcetti, Commander Gascon: recap of charges (@ 1:36:48) * OJ's mug shot released on 11 o'clock news (@ 2:23:00), recap of days events * Johnnie Cochran, Al Michaels on "NightLine" (@ 2:51:00) * KNBC Morning News recap of events (@ 2:58:00) * Criminal Courts Bldg. Pre-Trial Preliminary Hearing, KNBC - Judge Kathleen Kennedy-Powell (@ 3:02:00) * Michele Kestler - LAPD Crime Lab (@ 3:18:00), cross-examination (@ 3:49:00), recess (@ 3:52:00) * KNBC news-break. OJ TRIAL #002 DVD (3:58:45) * Live evidence search KNBC news * Michele Kestler cross-examination cont.
    [Show full text]
  • When Rodney King Was Beaten in 1991 by LAPD Officers, and Rioters
    FROM THE AGE OF DRAGNET TO THE AGE OF THE INTERNET: TRACKING CHANGES WITHIN THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT Wellford W. Wilms, UCLA School of Public Policy and Education Following the Rodney King beating in 1991, rioters later burned and looted South Central Los Angeles on the news that the accused Los Angeles Police officers had been acquitted. It seemed that things could hardly get worse. But the King beating only served to focus public attention on the problems of policing a huge and diverse city like Los Angeles. It was the beginning of a series of wrenching changes that would all but paralyze the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) for more than a decade. Following the King beating, then-Mayor Tom Bradley established the Christopher Commission (named after chairman, former Secretary of State Warren Christopher) to delve into the underlying causes. The Commission sought to reveal the roots of the LAPD’s problems. According to the Commission, since William Parker had become chief in 1950 and took steps to professionalize the department, officers learned to respond to crime aggressively and swiftly. Strapped for resources to police a huge city of 465 square miles, Parker relied on efficiency to squeeze production from his officers. He began the practice that persists today of evaluating officers on statistical performance – response time, number of calls handled, citations issued and arrests made. Not surprisingly, the LAPD began to pride itself on being a high profile paramilitary organization with “hard-nosed” officers, an image that was greatly enhanced by the radio and TV program, “Dragnet.” But while the Christopher Commission acknowledged that aggressive, statistics-driven policing produced results, it did so at a high cost, pitting residents against police creating a “siege mentality” within the department (Independent Commission, 1991, p.
    [Show full text]
  • The Rampart Scandal
    Human Rights Alert, NGO PO Box 526, La Verne, CA 91750 Fax: 323.488.9697; Email: [email protected] Blog: http://human-rights-alert.blogspot.com/ Scribd: http://www.scribd.com/Human_Rights_Alert 10-04-08 DRAFT 2010 UPR: Human Rights Alert (Ngo) - The United States Human Rights Record – Allegations, Conclusions, Recommendations. Executive Summary1 1. Allegations Judges in the United States are prone to racketeering from the bench, with full patronizing by US Department of Justice and FBI. The most notorious displays of such racketeering today are in: a) Deprivation of Liberty - of various groups of FIPs (Falsely Imprisoned Persons), and b) Deprivation of the Right for Property - collusion of the courts with large financial institutions in perpetrating fraud in the courts on homeowners. Consequently, whole regions of the US, and Los Angeles is provided as an example, are managed as if they were extra-constitutional zones, where none of the Human, Constitutional, and Civil Rights are applicable. Fraudulent computers systems, which were installed at the state and US courts in the past couple of decades are key enabling tools for racketeering by the judges. Through such systems they issue orders and judgments that they themselves never consider honest, valid, and effectual, but which are publicly displayed as such. Such systems were installed in violation of the Rule Making Enabling Act. Additionally, denial of Access to Court Records - to inspect and to copy – a First Amendment and a Human Right - is integral to the alleged racketeering at the courts - through concealing from the public court records in such fraudulent computer systems.
    [Show full text]