When the Chief of Police reacts to public pressure, you can hope for the best but sometimes end up dealing with the fallout. Tuesday’s press conference and Department press release was a case-in-point.
We were pleased, of course, that Chief Beck publicly defended and praised the three bicycle patrol officers who confronted the knife wielding man in the Westlake District on Sunday. The Chief said the officers had only about 40 seconds to take decisive action in the quick-moving emergency situation. It was textbook police work by the three officers who share 20 years of experience on the force.
However, we were taken aback and not at all pleased with the Chief’s sudden decision to reveal the names of the three officers involved, specifically identifying the officer who used deadly force in defense of life.
With emotions running high among some residents, precipitating open rancor and violence toward LAPD officers, it was neither the time nor the place to disclose such sensitive information. Logic and sound policing principles should have carried the day, allowing time for calm to return to the neighborhood first. At the very least, the officers involved were entitled to know in advance that their names were being made public. Moreover, the Department should have performed a threat assessment of the risk to the officers and their families before disclosing such information to the public.
The hasty disclosure of the officers’ names, accompanied by the release of additional information by an “unnamed” LAPD source regarding prior officer-involved shootings, are frustrating reminders that public considerations always seem to overshadow officer safety and privacy concerns. It is difficult to ask the rank-and-file to trust a department that has a propensity to mishandle sensitive information - whether it is improperly storing confidential files in unsecured parking lots, accidentally posting internal reports on the Internet, or purposely disclosing officer information to the media.
In response to the Department’s failure to follow its own policy and procedures regarding release of private information, the League has filed a class action grievance on behalf of our members. We cannot forget that LAPD officers, who put their lives on the line everyday to protect the public, deserve better treatment than what they’ve received this week.
The buzz phrase “teachable moment” clearly applies to this situation---we hope that the Department recognizes the error they committed in imprudently and prematurely disclosing the names of the officers involved in the Rampart shooting and vows to place officer safety above political expediency in the future.
