AFTER THE RIOTS: THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS : Gates Getting Even by Demoting Him, Assistant Police Chief Says

Asst. Chief David D. Dotson, Los Angeles’ second-highest ranking police officer, said Wednesday that Police Chief Daryl F. Gates has moved to demote him in what Dotson claims is retaliation for his testifying before the Christopher Commission in 1991.

Dotson, who heads the LAPD’s office of administrative services, called the move a signal that Gates, in the month or so remaining before the lame-duck chief is to retire, “is going to overtly begin his retribution” for Dotson’s testimony, which was critical of the Police Department.

Dotson said he and Gates have had “no personal contact” for some time, and that he has been frozen out of consultations with the chief on important decisions. For example, he said, he was not consulted on contingency planning for last week’s riots.

“He won’t even look me in the eye,” Dotson said of the chief. “This began with some intensity as soon as my statements to the Christopher Commission were published.”

Dotson, a 34-year police veteran, told the Christopher Commission that the LAPD had “failed miserably” at policing itself. The commission’s report said the department had serious problems with excessive force and racism.

Gates reacted the day after Dotson’s testimony was published by stripping Dotson of responsibility for the department’s Internal Affairs Division, which investigates many complaints against officers. The Police Commission quickly overruled Gates and restored the responsibility to the assistant chief.

Another example of Gates’ isolation surfaced last week, when Mayor Tom Bradley disclosed that he and Gates had not spoken to each other in 13 months.

A spokesman for Gates said the chief would have no comment on Dotson’s charge that the demotion was retaliatory. In fact, said Cmdr. Robert S. Gil, he could not discuss the matter at all, since it involved personnel.

Dotson, 58, said in an interview that Gates sent a messenger Wednesday to deliver a formal “notice that he’s going to downgrade me” to deputy chief for allegedly having failed to complete a four-year-old assignment.

That assignment, Dotson said, was to investigate an allegation involving a deputy chief, whom Dotson would not name.

Dotson said he had taken the investigation as far as he could, but he was unable to resolve some questions.

Dotson said that his alleged failure to complete the investigation was also the subject of a separate personnel complaint for which he could be subject to additional discipline.

Assistant chiefs such as Dotson have the civil service rank of deputy chief and are rewarded with pay raises and departmental responsibilities. They serve at the pleasure of the chief. Until recently, there were three assistant chiefs, but Gates did not fill a vacancy opened when Jesse Brewer retired more than a year ago. Nor has he replaced Robert Vernon, who announced his retirement a few weeks ago.

Under department rules, Dotson has 30 days in which to try to convince the chief to change his mind before the demotion will be effective.

Dotson said Wednesday that he figures Gates has about 30 days left before he retires.