Is 'Warfare' a Thing of the Past at the LAPD?

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Video of police misconduct wasn’t as common 25 years ago as it is today. The spectacle of LAPD officers beating Rodney King was a wake-up call, but didn’t persuade a jury in Simi Valley. When the cops received not-guilty verdicts, the city exploded. We hear from veteran officers who say they’ve changed. What about their tactics? Have they gained the trust of marginalized communities and people of color?

This program started 23 years ago with Los Angeles still in the throes of the Rodney King riots. Among people of color, the LAPD was regarded as an occupying army. Since then, a string of police chiefs have instituted reforms. KCRW producer David Weinberg begins his report on community policing with an officer who grew up in South Los Angeles and who's helping to implement changes. 

Photo: John Mack and LAPD Chief William Bratton talk during a COMPSTAT meeting on October 20, 2009. (Eric Richardson)

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Credits

Guests:

  • Brenda Stevenson - professor of history and African American studies at UCLA; author of “The Contested Murder of Latasha Harlins: Justice, Gender, and the Origins of the LA Riots” - @uclahist
  • Connie Rice - Los Angeles civil rights attorney, former member of President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing - @ConnieRicePCN
  • Joe Domanick - John Jay College of Criminal Justice - @JohnJayCollege

Host:

Warren Olney

Producers:

Jenny Hamel, Sarah Sweeney