Why a Federal Probe Is Still Needed : Chief Gates moves quickly in videotaped-beating case, but major questions remain

Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl F. Gates is not a man who likes to apologize. So he deserves some credit for apologizing on Thursday--although he hardly had a choice after the strong reaction from television viewers nationwide who saw the videotape of LAPD cops beating a black man. Rodney King, clubbed and kicked repeatedly by a group of officers, “didn’t deserve to be whacked around like that, and I’ll be the first to apologize to him for that,” Gates said. That’s fine, as far as it goes. In the wake of an incident that has shocked the nation, the chief is willing to fully acknowledge that a few officers used excessive force and should be punished. But he is still missing the crucial larger issue: the systemic problems that appear to exist within the department.

A review of the tape, according to Gates, showed policemen struck King with their batons 53 times and kicked him seven times when taking him into custody after a high-speed chase prompted by a traffic violation.

The three officers seen beating and kicking King while he lay on the ground are expected to be charged criminally. Every officer who witnessed the horrific beating and did not intercede will be disciplined internally, the chief said.

Gates reserved his severest criticism for the sergeant who failed to stop the officers. Department rules require the presence of a supervisor at the conclusion of a high-speed chase to prevent “pumped-up” officers from violating procedures. Proper procedure wasn’t followed, Gates said, due to “human failure.”

That failure of leadership, however, is indicative of more than individual error. It calls into question the training, the disciplinary procedures and the very culture of the LAPD. Why would a group of officers believe they could beat up a suspect and get away with it without any consequences? Their actions--and the inaction of the officers who watched--suggest that something may be terribly wrong within the LAPD.

The department has turned up no evidence of a racial element to the incident, in spite of community concerns that race played a part. Those concerns must be taken seriously, because of a long and bitter history of discrimination charges against the LAPD--including some recent complaints by high-profile black athletes. It would be easy to dismiss this incident as an aberration, as the chief has. But that would be a grave mistake.

The FBI is investigating to determine if King’s civil rights were violated. The U.S. Department of Justice is closely monitoring the case. That federal scrutiny is welcome, if for no other reason that it should pressure local authorities to follow through on what is sure to be a painful but essential probe.