Daryl Gates and the LAPD

The last blog that I did involved a woman who was a member of the LAPD from the early 1980's until her arrest in 2009. It had brought my attention, or should we say, reminded me about the time period in which Daryl Gates had been the chief of police in Los Angeles. As long as you were alive and old enough to remember, you cannot forget the era of the Rodney King beating and how the acquittal of the officers involved sparked what was called the “L.A. Riots.” Then again if you were alive in the 1960's it was the second time that you had seen such activity in Los Angeles as the “Watts Riots” occurred in 1965. Sadly the core of both those incidents was the same... racism among the LAPD. And, while issues of racism seemed to plaque the department for many decades, that was far from their only issues.

Daryl Gates joined the LAPD in 1949 after serving time in the military during World War II. He started out as the chauffeur to then chief, William Parker. Parker was chief throughout all of the 1950's and most of the 1960's. It was said that he prior to his reign the department had many allegations of corruption and while he apparently fixed a lot of that, the other core issue, racism and police brutality was not addressed. Of course, in fairness when it came to “police brutality” that was going on all over the country in police departments. Of course we still see it today but not like it was then, and there was never an attempt to hide it by officers, or for that matter downplay it. The basic attitude was that if you did not want to have to deal with the police, then do not get in trouble. That was much easier for white people than any one else.

When I was doing research on the Stephanie Lazarus case, my last blog, I saw a quote that I could not find again later. The quote was made by one of the chief's, likely Edward Davis, who would be in charge from the late 1960's to the late 1970's. He was asked if he was considering running for mayor and he was quoted as saying No, because he would be giving up power. Many do truly believe that was the case for many years, the Chief of Police ran the city, not the mayor.

By 1975 Daryl Gates was Assistant Chief and in 1978 he was appointed Chief. Part of the problem with Daryl Gates was that not only did he seem unwilling to change with the times as far as how communities worked with their police force, it seems as if he truly believed he could get away with whatever he wanted. And the almost funny thing about it is that prior to joining the police force Daryl Gates himself had his own run ins with the police and in fact talked often about their brutality. His father had been an alcoholic and was arrested on several occasions when Daryl was young. It was said that he was teased at school about his father but in the same respect seemed to loathe police officers due to how they would treat his father when he was arrested. Then when Daryl was sixteen he was arrested himself for punching a police offer who had “manhandled” his brother. It was said that Daryl apologized and the charges were dropped, and yet not only did he join the police force himself, he kept the tradition of “manhandling” suspects.

It appears that when it came to Daryl Gates you either loved him or hated him, there was no in between for the most part. He has been credited as the “co-founder” in the creation of SWAT as well as the D.A.R.E programs. The former, in my opinion was just an extension of when Chief William Parker had militarized the police force during the 1965 riots. Now, with SWAT they were just a special unit and departments across the nation took notice and formed their own units. As far as D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) the results are varied. It began in 1983 when you had Nancy Reagan doing her “Just Say No” campaign to drugs. At the time it was believed these things would help and it was the beginning of what was called “The War on Drugs.” Just as is often the case in other things, results seemed to be skewed a bit to make the program seem more successful than it really was. I think few of us today believe that those programs did little to curb the drug epidemic in the country and most would agree it may have done more harm than good. It was a decade of mandatory minimums and sent a lot of people to jail for life for what were in essence, minor crimes. There were many arguments that the way mandatory minimums were enacted were actually racist in nature, which problem sat just fine with Daryl Gates.

It is hard to talk about Daryl Gates and the LAPD without bringing up politics. When he was enacted as Chief Jimmy Carter was president and while I have to say that I disagree with a lot of the criticism that he has received, I really believe he was just “too nice” to be President of the United States, especially in that era. The country had just gotten out of the Vietnam War officially and politically we were still recovering over Watergate and the resignation of Richard Nixon. Then in walked Ronald Reagan, a politician and actor from Gates' home state of California. Reagan was anti-.... well just about everything. Not only did he start the “War on Drugs” but he also made economic changes that at the time sounded wonderful on paper but as time has gone on we have seen the lasting effects. Many say it was these economic choices that Reagan made that made the rich, richer and the poor, poorer and eventually eliminated any idea of “middle class.” Reagan was also known to be anti-gay. He was on a “hot mic” one time referring to AIDS (which became a full-fledged epidemic during his time) as the “gay disease” and did little to help find a cure. But, in fairness that was a lot of the attitudes of the “old, white, men” that were the main voters in the country and who had taught their children, those of the baby boomer generation, their ways of thinking. It seems that Reagan and Daryl Gates had the same attitude towards drugs, people, and criminals in general and that attitude was to do whatever it took, no matter the consequences.

Daryl Gates it seems was willing to work with community leaders, but only if their vision fit his or he got what he wanted out of it. But, by the time he took over in 1978 the department was already seeing a little backlash to some of their tactics and if the mayor or counsel leaders thought that would change with Gates being at the head they were sorely misguided. Keep in mind that while Gates could not have had completely contact or influence with every single one of those in the LAPD considering that there were several thousand officers, Gates “ruled” from the top down, just as those before him had done. It was sort of a pyramid mentality. Gates taught those under him and they taught those under them, all the way down to the desk clerks and meter maids. Any time that the department, or one of the officers was accused of anything criminal or unsavory it was Gates at the helm defending them. He took the idea of the Blue Code of Silence to an art form.

As I stated before, Gates was instrumental in the forming of SWAT and D.A.R.E. But he was also the head of other programs, that did not fair as well as those. One was called PDID (Public Disorder and Intelligence Division). This one got Gates into what appears to be one of his first acts of “trouble.” PDID was a unit that was developed and later described as an “international spy operation.” When it was discovered several people sued the LAPD on grounds of First Amendment violations, and unlawful harassment and surveillance. In January of 1983 the unit was ordered to be disbanded and in February of 1984 the city settled court cases for 1.8 million dollars to more than two dozen plaintiffs. However, despite the “scandal” that left a mar on the LAPD it does not appear that all of the spying stopped. By most descriptions from I could gather it sounded as if Daryl Gates was the “new” Herbert Hoover. Now, to be fair whether Gates actually started all the spying or just continued a tradition from previous Chief's is not clear. But, it appears that while PDID was closed and shut down they simply moved the operation to their Organized Crime and Intelligence Division. When Gates was forced out of the position in 1992 the new Chief, Willie Williams' first big move was to close both offices of the Organized Crime and Intelligence Division. He made an announcement in which he closed and padlocked the doors to the two offices and had a twenty-four hour guard on duty. Some say that the move came because a former member of the division was preparing to publish a book in which he spoke of the fact that the division had kept files and surveillance on several politicians and celebrities. While this seemed like a good start for the new Chief, who was not only the first African American Police Chief in the LAPD but also was also the first that was not promoted from within, Williams could not garner the control needed over the department after decades of corruption.

It is hard to pick the most controversial thing that Daryl Gates did during his tenure but the creation of CRASH (Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums) was high up on the list. Some argue that the previous Chief, Edward Davis (there was someone in the intern position for 3 months between Davis and Gates) had actually founded this program, and Davis took that credit. If Davis had not been just as arrogant as Gates he may have backed away from taking that credit. Keep in mind that Davis was Chief when Charles Manson and his followers were arrested in 1969 and his ego got an international boost. At any rate I cannot say that Gates took CRASH to a new level than Davis had done previously, but he did it in a new era. If you ever saw the 1988 movie Colors with Sean Penn and Robert Duvall then you saw CRASH immortalized on film. I am unsure if when it started it necessarily considered it to be a tactic to combat gang violence or whether it just became that as gangs became more prominent. In one part CRASH did its job, it suppressed gang violence, but on the other hand it also brought with it allegations of false arrests and a great disdain from especially young black and Latino men. What it also did was apparently create several criminals out of LAPD officers. However, none of them seemed to get caught until after Gates was gone.

The beginning of the end for Daryl Gates occurred on March 3, 1991 when a black man named Rodney King and two of his friends were pulled over after a police chase. King's friends were assaulted by police and while that was happening a resident from an apartment across the street, named George Holliday, pulled out his camcorder (if you do not know what that is, do a search :) ) and began recording as the officers proceeded to beat the handcuffed King. King was eventually taken to the hospital with multiple injuries where the officers involved were said to have joked and laughed about how many times they had hit him. Holliday contacted the police department about his recording but claims no one seemed interested. Back in 1991 it was not like today. First, to have a recording of such an incident was rare and secondly, because of that no one knew the impact it would make. To add to that from Gates, all the way down to his last officer did not really care what was on video. They were arrogant, above reproach, but most importantly above the law. So what if someone had a video of their actions! They did not care. There were still many citizens (as there are sadly still today) that simply believed if Rodney King did not want to be beaten then he should have not broken the law. So, when no one at the LAPD wanted the tape Holliday called a local news station.

Once the “Rodney King Beating” as it will forever be known was released and shown nationwide the spotlight really started to shine bright on the LAPD, their behaviors and of course Daryl Gates. Tom Bradley, the mayor of Los Angeles called for Gates' resignation but he refused. This was said to lead to “a stand off between Gates and the Mayor.” In July a report was issued by what was called The Christopher Commission. It identified a “police culture of excessive force and poor supervision.” It recommended several reforms be made, the least of which was the removal of Daryl Gates. Three days later he announced his intention to resign although it is not clear if he gave a specific time period in which he expected this to take place.

Two weeks after the beating four of the officers were indicted by a grand jury. The city of Los Angeles was on edge and one has to wonder if the charges were not filed to begin with hoping to settle things down. I think we could say the same about case after case today. We see cases in the news every day that allege police misconduct and from time to time one of those officers will actually be charged but few, if any are actually convicted. Sure, officers can be convicted for criminal activity, as long as it involves their personal life or off duty activities. And sadly this was even more true in 1992 and make that ten fold in Los Angeles. On April 29, 1992 it was announced that a verdict would be delivered that day. No one knows the reason behind the decision but the LAPD day shift was sent home. Now, I read that to mean not that they were sent home early, but that they had not been required to stay. As I said, the city was on edge and it seemed everyone, but maybe Daryl Gates, realized that if the officers were not convicted there would be trouble. Three of the four officers were acquitted on all charges while the jury hung on a verdict on the fourth. I tried to determine who was who in that trial but it became very confusing. I wanted to know because it was continually stated that three of the four officers were white and one of them was Hispanic. Maybe someone here can remember or knows that answer because despite the fact that the acquittals themselves spoke volumes, I personally believe if the hung jury was on the Hispanic officer it revealed even more about the jury.

The verdicts sent the already on edge community over that edge and riots began all across the city but most prominently in South Central LA. The riots would last for four days and when it was over there had been over a billion dollars in property damage done, over sixty people were killed (one article stated forty-five but it stood alone), nine of them by law enforcement. Over 2,500 people were injured, over 3,600 fires were started, 1,000 buildings were destroyed and over 12,000 arrests were made.

Gates received most of the blame and his apparent disconnect angered people even more. Despite the fact that he had announced he was resigning almost a year prior, it had not happened and he was still in charge. As the riots began a protest was held outside the LAPD building. Gates went outside and addressed the protesters and media. He was calm and collected and told the reporters that he situation would soon be under control. It was then reported that he immediately left and went to a fund raiser that was fighting an amendment that was coming up on the June ballot that would limit the power and term limits of the Chief of Police.

The four police officers would be tried under federal laws later on charges that they had violated Rodney King's civil rights. A few of them got what amounted to a few years in prison, although I cannot tell you what they served. King sued the city of Los Angeles and received a settlement of $3.8 million plus an additional $1.7 million for attorney fees.

Daryl Gates finally left the LAPD on June 28, 1992 but his legacy lived on for a very long time after. He was replaced by Willie Williams, LAPD first African-American Chief. Williams had come from Philadelphia, where he had also been the first African-American Chief. One has to feel a bit sorry for Willie Williams. It had been long announced that he would be taking over when Gates left, long before the riots began but I have to be fair in saying that I have to wonder if he got the job, maybe not because he was the most qualified, but because a) he was an outsider and b) because he was African-American. Mayor Tom Bradley, the longest reigning mayor of LA, but also the first man in that position had appointed him and while I am sure Williams was qualified he was handed a mess to clean up and not a lot of help doing it. In fact, 1992 would be the last year that Bradley would be in office. The riots had ruined a lot of careers.

That year was also the year that Daryl Gates published a book. It had been done before the riots had begun and likely long before the Rodney King beating but he had addressed some high profile cases throughout his career and of course later went on a book tour. But, no one cared about the book. They wanted to talk about the rise and fall of Daryl Gates. By now a full assessment of his career was being told through the media and many were asking how he had been allowed to stay in power for so long. While it was said that the LAPD under his reign, and to be fair under everyone before him, was a racist department who targeted not just African-Americans, but Hispanics and gay individuals, mainly men, Gates made comment throughout the years to prove them right.

In 1982 Gates was confronted about the use of excessive force used by his officers. Under Edward Davis' reign the use of chokeholds had been enacted. By 1982 it was said that sixteen men had died as a result of these chokeholds and twelve of them were African-American. Gates responded with saying that they were a “valuable tool” for subduing combative suspects. He went on to say that “Blacks might be more likely to die from chokeholds because their arteries do not open as fast as they do in normal people.” He would even call for a study to be done to prove this theory of his and while he would attempt to say he was misquoted he would then stumble and all but stick to the theory and refused to apologize for what most saw as a racist comment. Later that year the LA Board of Police Commissioners and the City Counsel banned the two types of chokeholds that had been attributed to the deaths.

During the War on Drugs Gates told the Senate Judiciary Committee that casual drug users “ought to be taken out and shot” and that any drug use should be considered “treason.” He would later claim that these statements were exaggerated by the media and not to be taken to mean that he literally meant them. I am unsure what he intended to mean then or later when he was back tracking his statements.

So by the start of 1993 Los Angeles was under new power both in the police department, and in the mayors office. Willie Williams would have the reigns for about five years but he just could not seem to get out from Daryl Gates' shadow or put an end to much of the corruption that had infiltrated the department. A few bad eggs would get out here and there but there were not any real significant changes. Next up was Bernard Parks who would be chief from 1997 to 2002. Early on in his tenure the real consequences of CRASH were discovered. More than seventy officers from that division were implicated in a variety of crimes ranging from bank robbery, to planting false evidence, to stealing and then dealing drugs, and even for covering up for other officers in what would be called the Rampart Scandal. Fifty-eight of those officers were brought before the internal affairs board and they found twenty-four of them had committed some form of wrong doing. Twelve were given suspensions of some kind or another; seven were forced to resign or retire and five were fired. Because of the implications and the investigation more than 100 convictions were overturned and nearly 150 civil lawsuits were filed against the city. When it was all said and done the city paid out $125 million in settlements. One article stated “As of 2018 the full extent of the Rampart corruption is not known and several rape, murder and robbery investigations involving Rampart officers remain unsolved.”

Because of the scandal, and apparently his handling of the situation Parks was not re-hired in 2002.

Apparently when it was announced that Bernard Parks would not be re-hired Daryl Gates came out of the woodwork at the age of seventy-five, and told the media he intended to apply for his old job. I think this act alone may tell you all you need to know about the arrogance that Daryl Gates embodied. Not only had the Christopher Commission report criticized Gates and the department after the Rodney King beating but The Webster Commission issued a report after the riots of 1992 and a few months after Gates left the position saying essentially the same thing. In ever report made on his department during his time there, while there were criticisms of the officers themselves, Gates was criticized the most for his management and lack there of. These reports, among others painted the LAPD under his reign as “an army of racist beat cops accountable only to an arrogant leadership.” After the riots themselves it was said “The LAPD became a worldwide symbol of all that was bad, bigoted and brutal in big-city policing.” And yet, Gates apparently thought he had done such a good job and was missed so badly that not only would he apply but would get the job. It is not clear if he actually did apply for the job, but it is clear that he did not get it.

In 2002 William Bratton, formerly from Boston and New York City police departments was hired as chief. He remained in position until 2009 when Charlie Beck was commissioned as chief. It was said “It took eight years of hard work by Bratton to erase Gates' legacy and give the LAPD back to the people of Los Angeles.” It seems that Charlie Beck retained that position until 2018. In fact, Beck was doing so well there was talk about making an exception to the new law that had been enacted after Gates limiting the term of the chief. In June of 2018 Michael (sometimes spelled Michel) Moore was made Chief by Mayor Eric Garcetti, son of Gil who is a former LA District Attorney (think O.J. Simpson era). To be fair he has only been on the job for a month so only time will tell how he will do but there has already been a large amount of criticism against him. It has been argued by groups that not only is Moore of the “old school culture” and had been trained under Daryl Gates.

Daryl Gates died on April 16, 2010 from bladder cancer at the age of eighty-three. I cannot help but think how he would react to how policing is looked at and done today. First, while there is still brutality and misconduct among some officers across the country, it is not a the level that the entire LAPD seemed to be in the 1980's. In 2015 the LAPD began wearing body cams. I do not see this as being something that Daryl Gates would have liked or given his approval for. In the same respect I suspect that he, unlike Charlie Beck, would have been a supporter of the Trump Administration and their policies involving immigration and even with their push to bring back mandatory minimums. There is even a part of me that wants to say that Daryl Gates could have been a good police officer and chief if he had not been trained by the racist and bigoted people before him. By the time he became chief he was so arrogant about his ways and of those before him he could not adjust with the times, just as it appears many of those before him had been. Being chief of the LAPD was a power trip and we all know power can be used for good and for evil. Gates just seemed to choose the latter and trained his officers to do the same.