CLEANING UP AFTER RAMPART - A COP'S VIEW.

Byline: Sunil Dutta 

THE exposure of corruption in the Rampart Division and the ongoing investigation will be of little value if no lessons are learned and no long-term strategies devised to prevent abuse of power by criminals working as police officers.

Finger-pointing and passing blame avoids the real issues and trivializes the true crux of the problem. The LAPD must recognize and respond to the concerns of people it serves. The media also need to tone down their rhetoric and avoid exaggerations based upon self-serving lies of the lowlife crook Rafael Perez.

There is a serious need to debate the role of police in a democratic society. We can step forward only after an understanding is reached between the citizens, the decision-makers and the police regarding what we need the Police Department for and what limitations we are going to place on its powers.

There is also a pressing need to educate people regarding the tactics used by the police. Understanding of such issues will reduce the spiteful accusations.

The civic leaders and the police administrators must work together to determine strategies to ensure that the criminal cops are quickly discovered and fired.

Aggressive actions to prevent crime can cross the boundary of acceptable behavior by cops. Furthermore, officers with weak character and temperament can succumb to temptations and become one with the criminals. We must realize that though rogue cops do exist, the majority of street cops are hard-working and honest professionals. We need to ensure that these officers remain committed to serving the communities and that the crooks are eliminated from the force.

The proven way to ensure that officers remain dedicated to their work is close supervision. The attitude of street cops largely reflects that of their superiors. If the officers believe their supervisors condone overtly aggressive policing and rude behavior, the citizens will face rude officers.

In my opinion, many of the problems related to policing can be taken care of by good supervision alone.

Under Chief Bernard C. Parks, a strict disciplinarian, LAPD officers are much more restrained in their contacts with the public. Any complaint against an LAPD police officer by a citizen, however frivolous it may be, is documented and fully investigated. This fact has definitely influenced the nature of policing in Los Angeles.

We also need to make sure that the morale of officers remains high and their working conditions are constantly evaluated and improved. Police officers, like teachers in our society, are definitely underpaid, especially considering the job they have to perform. How many hard- working, honest individuals can we recruit for a job that involves risk of serious injuries and death every day they work for $40,000 a year?

Short-term plans such as adding video cameras to all the patrol cars may satisfy some critics of the Police Department but have limited use when officers have to make contacts with citizens away from their vehicles. Audio and video recording of all citizen contacts is in fact a great assistance to police officers as it protects them from the increasing number of false and malicious complaints from individuals with their own agendas.

Taking complaints against officers by citizens seriously gives a perception that problem cops are being dealt with by the department and helps the credibility of the department. However, honest officers also need to be protected from people who misuse the system and file false complaints against them. Presently there is no recourse for the officers if a malicious complaint is filed against them, creating resentment among officers who feel like victims of injustice.

Recruitment of quality officers is one of the most important endeavors by a city. Considering the fact that the officers have to interact daily with violence, hardened criminals, victims and abusive and manipulative people, it is vital that we select individuals with great mental fortitude.

Every day the humanity of an officer is greatly tested and negativity can easily creep in. We also need to look at our own hypocrisies and realize that officers are a subset of the community and only represent the society they are part of.

In this age of severe antipathy toward politics and poor people, dismantling of welfare, lack of compassion toward others, disregard for civility and trust, it is unfair to expect radical changes in the police without a change in the consciousness of society itself. We are afraid of black- and brown-skinned people moving into our neighborhoods because the popular culture makes us believe that African-American men are criminals and Latino youngsters are gang members. Cops watch the same television shows as the rest of us and read the same newspapers.

Despite all the limitations we face, how we can bring lasting reforms to policing should be our priority. The approaches have to be not only effective but also devised in a manner that satisfies the public's perception of justice and fairness.

There should be capable civilian participation in the investigation of controversial incidents. Not only will this prove educational for the public, making people understand why officers used certain tactics, but it also will end charges of obstruction and cover-up. There exists resistance in police departments against external civilian oversight. There are fears that a lack of understanding of police culture makes civilian investigators incapable of investigating officers. These are valid concerns and the city leaders need to work with the Police Department to resolve the issues.

To avoid future scandals and tarring the badges of honest cops by a few criminal cops, we need to focus on active citizen participation and oversight combined with quality supervision.

Sunil Dutta is a police officer working in the West Valley Division of the LAPD.