LAPD brings discipline charges against 19 for May Day melee
The Police Commission is told that the charges revolve 'mostly around the force issues' at the 2007 incident, in which 246 immigration protesters and journalists were injured.
The Los Angeles Police Department brought disciplinary charges against 17 officers and two sergeants for their roles in the May 2007 MacArthur Park melee, in which immigration protesters and journalists were injured by police, officials said today.
LAPD Cmdr. Rick Webb told the Los Angeles Police Commission today that the charges revolved "mostly around the force issues," but he didn't provide specifics.
At least 29 LAPD officials were investigated for breaches of department rules in the clashes as police in riot gear forcible cleared the park.
In a scathing report last year, LAPD officials blamed the MacArthur Park incident on a series of decisions by police commanders that escalated hostilities and resulted in a widespread breakdown in behavior by officers.
The LAPD action sparked widespread outcry. TV news footage showed officers swinging batons and firing less-than-lethal rounds at journalists and immigration rights protesters gathered at the park for an afternoon rally.
The melee left 246 protesters and journalists with injuries; 18 police officers also were injured, and more than 250 legal claims have been filed against the city. Los Angeles County prosecutors and the FBI are continuing to investigate the incident.
The report painted a disturbing picture of commanders who failed to adequately plan for the rally, refused to bring in more officers when tensions escalated, issued confusing and sometimes contradictory orders and failed to control officers. It found that officers repeatedly used their weapons in ways that violated LAPD policies and appeared not to follow basic training guidelines.
Police Chief William Bratton and other officials must still decide what level of discipline to impose. Punishment can range from an official reprimand to termination. The officers have the right to challenge any discipline dispensed by the department.
It's unclear whether the officers cited in the case would go before an internal disciplinary body known as a Board of Rights, which holds trial-like hearings; the LAPD formerly conducted them in public but now holds them behind closed doors. Two command officers and one civilian would consider the evidence, hear testimony and decide if the officers were guilty or innocent of misconduct.
