LAPD commanders at fault on May Day, Bratton says

By Patrick McGreevy, Times Staff Writer

1:11 PM PDT, May 29, 2007



Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton said today that a preliminary investigation of the police response to the MacArthur Park immigration rally found a "breakdown" in command and control that contributed to failures to follow department policies and tactics.

But Bratton told the Police Commission that the mishandling of the incident was an "aberration," although one that resulted in 42 people, including seven officers, being injured when officers used batons and rubber bullets to break up a crowd after some people began throwing rocks and bottles at the officers.

The chief and his command staff today provided the Police Commission with a detailed, minute-by-minute report of what happened at the May Day rally, complete with a PowerPoint presentation featuring radio transmissions between officers, as well as videotape from surveillance, police and media cameras.

Commission members said they are troubled by what they heard and saw, with Commission President John Mack saying it "boggles the mind" that the dispersal order was given only in English to a crowd with many people whose first language is Spanish.

"Our entire commission is deeply, deeply concerned about this incident and [we] want to make sure that we not only have a very thorough, objective, and fair series of investigations, but indeed that we find some solutions to many of the problems and issues that have been raised," Mack said. "And in instances where individuals have been found to have crossed the line and operated outside policy, that they will be held accountable."

Bratton said he too was concerned that proper procedures were not followed in giving the dispersal order, but he said the problems began with poor planning and communications.

"Based on the preliminary findings, I believe that the main reason for the department's controversial actions and large use of force in response to an environment of rock and bottle assaults on our officers by a small group of agitators … was quite simply a command and control breakdown," Bratton said.

"It began at the planning stages and dominoed throughout the event itself."

The chief added that Deputy Chief Cayler Carter was at the scene of the officers using batons but did not step in to stop force that was inappropriate.

patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com

Time staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.