RETIRED COPS PROTEST MEDIA COVERAGE OF RECENT VIDEOS.Byline: BETH BARRETT Staff Writer About a half-dozen retired police officers picketed Wednesday outside the Daily News over the newspaper's recent coverage of videos showing Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. police officers punching and using pepper spray on suspects. Carrying signs reading ``Warriors Have Courage,'' ``Support the LAPD 1. LAPD - Link Access Procedure on the D channel. 2. LAPD - Los Angeles Police Department. , Not Gangs,'' and ``Twisted Journalism,'' the officers said they specifically objected to a headline last Friday that read ``LAPD Violence: Same Old Story?'' and linked the recent incidents to the 1991 beating of motorist Rodney King Rodney Glen King (born April 9, 1965 in Fort Worth, Texas) is an African-American taxicab driver who was beaten by Los Angeles Police Department officers (Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno and Sargent Stacey Koon) after being chased for speeding. by four cops. The protest came less than a week after an 18-second video surfaced on YouTube.com showing an LAPD officer repeatedly punching a suspect in the face in an Aug. 11 scuffle in Hollywood. On Monday, a video emerged showing an officer pepper-spraying a handcuffed suspect in a patrol car in February 2005. Both of the videos appear to have been taped by bystanders. Protest organizer Chris Biller bill·er n. One that bills, as: a. A clerk who prepares bills. b. A machine used in preparing bills. , a retired 29-year veteran of the West Valley Division, said media reports about the videos could make officers so sensitive to what onlookers might be recording that it jeopardizes their safety. ``These people in blue are our children. They do the right thing and are our only line of defense,'' Biller said while picketing on the sidewalk in front of the newspaper's Woodland Hills office. He said the group intends to picket the Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times Morning daily newspaper. Established in 1881, it was purchased and incorporated in 1884 by Harrison Gray Otis (1837–1917) under The Times-Mirror Co. (the hyphen was later dropped from the name). next week. Retired LAPD Officer Pat Connelly said he wanted to show his support for the thousands of officers who are willing to put themselves in harm's way harm's way n. A risky position; danger: a place for the children that is out of harm's way; ships that sail into harm's way. to make the city safer. ``Time and time again it seems we try to convict them before (all the facts) come in,'' he said. The retired officers said they don't condone condone v. 1) to forgive, support, and/or overlook moral or legal failures of another without protest, with the result that it appears that such breaches of moral or legal duties are acceptable. police brutality Police brutality is a term used to describe the excessive use of physical force, assault, verbal attacks, and threats by police officers and other law enforcement officers. The term may also be used to apply to such behavior when used by prison officers. , but also believe the public needs to understand how tough the job is. They also said tactics that might look improper to the public -- including punches known as ``distraction'' strikes -- are authorized by the department. ``We're warriors and we're proud of it,'' Biller said. Daily News Editor Ron Kaye said he respects the retired officers' point of view and the progress made by the LAPD in carrying out department reforms. ``The recent disclosure of videotaped incidents involving LAPD officers and suspects has revived concerns about excessive force,'' Kaye said. ``It's our job to report what happened and raise questions of public importance. ``I think we fulfilled our public obligations in these stories properly without overstepping the boundaries.'' beth.barrett(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3731 |
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