On May 1, 2007, the Los Angeles Police Department was involved in a tremendous controversy that left many peoples injured. The incident took place at MacArthur Park in May when immigrants and fellow U.S. citizens rallied in the park to protest immigration rights. The problem wasn’t that the protestors were behaving disorderly but only a certain group was heckling the police.
The LAPD instead of handling the issue in a certain way in which no protestor could get hurt did the complete opposite. Many journalists, protestors including children and mothers, and innocent bystanders were injured when LAPD used batons and excessive force to control the situation. After months of the May Day melee, the LAPD has not yet completed the investigation, which is expected to be completed in December.
On Tuesday, commission members questioned the LAPD on the discipline actions towards the officers involved in the incident, who have not yet been reprimanded for it.
"Some of them strike me as no-brainers," said Shelley Freeman, one of five members of the civilian panel, who said she had watched a lot of video from the demonstration.
Still LAPD defend the way they are handling this case and that before anything cans be released or said about the episode they have to examine everything from start to end. They said the findings will be turned over to LAPD commanders, who will advise Chief William J. Bratton whether disciplinary action is appropriate.
"Just because we think we know something now. . . . Sometimes we get information later that can alter that," said Deputy Chief Mark Perez, head of the Professional Standards Bureau, which oversees internal probes. "We don't want to jump the gun."
LAPD officials said Tuesday that they had so far questioned 48 officers about incidents at the rally.A total of 27 complaints of LAPD’s misconduct from the media and 289 from the public have been received by the department.The LAPD’s excuse for the delay of the investigation is that trying to identify the officer responsible for firing the foam bullets and bean bag rounds.
The LAPD instead of handling the issue in a certain way in which no protestor could get hurt did the complete opposite. Many journalists, protestors including children and mothers, and innocent bystanders were injured when LAPD used batons and excessive force to control the situation. After months of the May Day melee, the LAPD has not yet completed the investigation, which is expected to be completed in December.
On Tuesday, commission members questioned the LAPD on the discipline actions towards the officers involved in the incident, who have not yet been reprimanded for it.
"Some of them strike me as no-brainers," said Shelley Freeman, one of five members of the civilian panel, who said she had watched a lot of video from the demonstration.
Still LAPD defend the way they are handling this case and that before anything cans be released or said about the episode they have to examine everything from start to end. They said the findings will be turned over to LAPD commanders, who will advise Chief William J. Bratton whether disciplinary action is appropriate.
"Just because we think we know something now. . . . Sometimes we get information later that can alter that," said Deputy Chief Mark Perez, head of the Professional Standards Bureau, which oversees internal probes. "We don't want to jump the gun."
LAPD officials said Tuesday that they had so far questioned 48 officers about incidents at the rally.A total of 27 complaints of LAPD’s misconduct from the media and 289 from the public have been received by the department.The LAPD’s excuse for the delay of the investigation is that trying to identify the officer responsible for firing the foam bullets and bean bag rounds.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lapd31oct31,1,1162311.story
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