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LA RIOTS

LAPD's Involvement in the LA Riots

Where were the LAPD during the Los Angeles Riots? There is a lot of controversy surrounding the lack of protection and police involvement throughout the Los Angeles Riots. According to Lieutenant Andrew Neiman, the police did nothing. “For more than six hours, as looting, arson, and violence engulfed the city’s predominantly black South Central district, police did nothing, kept off the street by their paralyzed leadership”. Per Neiman paralysis had set in among the department’s leaders, the Police Chief Daryl Gates was not there at the time and his assistants didn’t step forward to make any decisions. Per Neiman, hundreds of police officers were massed at the command post awaiting orders, but as the city burned, no instructions were forthcoming. The officers weren’t allowed to leave. The officers got so upset they weren’t allowed to do their jobs that some of them started sneaking out to try to stop some of the violence. It wasn’t until Police Chief Daryl Gates got back to the command post and gave the command for the police to go out and protect the city. It took almost four days to stop all of the violence. Current LAPD police chief Charlie Beck was a Sargent back in 1992 when the riots were happening. According to him, the LAPD was severely understaffed and that could account for why some of the decisions were made to stand down during the LA riots. They had 2,000 less police officers and four times more crime. The anger was initially caused by several LAPD. Some felt that the LAPD interfering in the riots would make it worse. The city was at war and the police weren’t there for it.