"As we have consistently said, training is the backbone of good police work," said Tim Sands, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League. "Constant, updated training ensures that officers know not only what to do, but can implement the department's policies, procedures and expectations for any given incident."
The report received a far more mixed reception among community leaders.
Gladys Limon of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund said voiced dissatisfaction.
"It raises more questions than it answers," she said. "There is obviously excessive force here. We won't be satisfied until the issues involving these 26 officers and ways they treated peaceful women, men and children are fully revealed."
Veteran civil rights attorney Luis Carrillo said he was pleased with some aspects of the report but that it was still too early to close the books on the incident.
"Part of it was refreshing, the breakdown in command and control, tactics and planning," said Carrillo, who represents demonstrators injured in the melee. "But it is still incomplete because we don't know if any of the police officers will be disciplined or whether the D.A. will charge any officers."
The report is available online at www.lapd.org.
richard.winton@latimes.com
duke.helfand@latimes.com
Times staff writers Anna Gorman and Andrew Blankstein contributed to this report.
--
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)
Faults in leadership
Here are some of the leadership breakdowns cited in the MacArthur Park report:
Planning: LAPD commanders underestimated crowds for the immigration protest and turned away more officers who could have helped control the crowd.
Resources: A sound truck to help disperse the crowd never arrived. A dispersal order from a helicopter was only given in English. Not enough officers were inside the park to control the crowd.
Command: Top commanders bickered and gave confusing and contradictory orders. Officers said their radio requests for orders were ignored. It was unclear who was in charge.
Tactics: Officers ignored LAPD policies by using batons and less-than-lethal rounds on protesters and journalists who were either demonstrating peacefully or simply standing in place.
Source: LAPD report
--
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)
Voices
'I, as chief of police, regret deeply that this occurred on my watch. I accept full responsibility for it occurring on my watch.'
-- William J. Bratton Police chief
The detail in part of the report 'was refreshing, the breakdown in command and control, tactics and planning. But [it] is still incomplete because we don't know if any of the police officers will be disciplined or whether the D.A. will charge any officers.'
-- Luis Carillo An attorney representing demonstrators who is a veteran of police abuse cases
'The community-police relations were damaged greatly by the events of May Day. This report is a first step to regain the trust between the department and the community.'
-- Anthony Pacheco Police Commission president
'When you unleash this kind of brutal force on a vulnerable population that is already fearful of the police, it really undermines the relationship.'
-- Angelica Salas Executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles
