Confidence Lost

Daryl Gates has lost control of his department, and in the process he has lost the confidence of the people of Los Angeles. Chief Gates cannot and should not be held accountable every time one or more of his officers uses excessive force. But when his statements tolerate, condone or encourage such behavior, the responsibility lies squarely at his door.

If General Norman Schwarzkopf were to speak of Iraqi civilians the way Gates speaks of some residents of Los Angeles, and U.S. Army troops then went and repeatedly assaulted those civilians, Schwarzkopf would be removed from his post. The principle is known as the chain of command. There’s a war of another sort being waged on the streets of Los Angeles--a war against crime--and before the citizens of this city become convinced that it is a war against them, one chain of command must be broken. Daryl Gates must go.