NCJ Number
139050
Journal
Criminal Law Bulletin Volume: 28 Issue: 5 Dated: (September-October 1992) Pages: 469-478
Date Published
1992
Length
10 pages
Annotation
The recent, much-publicized beating of motorist Rodney King by officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is used as the basis for an analysis of the exposure to liability and implications for training of police use in force.
Abstract
After briefly summarizing the incident, and describing the videotape taken of the incident by a bystander, the author notes that the videotaped beating, which was shown repeatedly on television, significantly influenced public opinion against the police department and its officers. He points out that several key witnesses who testified before the grand jury and the Christopher Commission, including the LAPD training expert, did not testify at the trial of the four police officers. While the damage to the social fabric of this country caused by the acquittals and their aftermath is inestimable, the author points to the 1979 beating, and subsequent death, of black motorist Arthur McDuffie by Miami police to prove that the King incident was not unique. One effect of the King beating will be the pending civil suits faced by the city of Los Angeles, its police department, and individual police officers. Findings in the officer liability cases will hinge on whether the degree of force used to arrest King was reasonable under the circumstances. The city faces liability suits premised on policy, custom, or practice. The King incident has clear implications for police training programs in terms of intercultural sensitivity training and training in the use of police force. 49 notes