Report blasts Los Angeles police tactics
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A new report excoriated Los Angeles police for the department’s actions during last summer’s protests following the death of George Floyd, blaming the agency for a litany of missteps made on the city’s streets.
Among the report’s findings were: secret “shadow teams” of undercover officers embedded among protestors, with no effective way to relay their intelligence to police brass. A “chaos of command” system where top staff didn’t know who was in charge and contradicted each others’ orders. Minimal training on the use of hard-foam projectile weapons. Poor detention conditions for arrestees amid a pandemic. Antiquated tactics and neglected reforms that had been agreed upon after the mishandling of previous demonstrations over the last two decades.
The independent report, released Thursday, delved into “institutional issues” and did not address allegations of misconduct and excessive force against individual officers.
Protests across the city in late May and into June were largely peaceful, but pockets of violence and crime erupted on the city’s streets. Hundreds were injured or accused police of violating their rights during clashes and mass arrests, prompting several lawsuits. Scores of businesses were damaged or looted. More than 106 officers were injured.
“At times, the Department did not, or was not able to, isolate and arrest those criminal elements who were throwing objects, creating violence, or looting due in part to the use of antiquated tactics and lack of training on public order policing,” the report said.
The report was commissioned by the City Council and completed by former top brass at the department. Reviews by LAPD staff and the National Police Foundation remain ongoing.
The LAPD had entered into several multi-million dollar legal settlement agreements after confrontations with protesters over the last 20 years.