Slow Burn S6 Ep. 3: The Chief

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3.9 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 17 November 2021

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 1991, Daryl Gates was the face of the LAPD. Over the course of his 13-year tenure as chief, he had built his police department into a paramilitary-style force that enforced the racial boundaries of the city. Rodney King’s beating had exposed the brutality of Gates’ police force to the city. In the weeks after the video aired, L.A.’s most powerful institutions joined together to call for an end to Gates’ career and the style of policing that had resulted in King’s beating. But even with much of the city’s political leadership unified against him, Gates was ready for a fight. Season 6 of Slow Burn is produced by Joel Anderson, Jayson De Leon, Ethan Brooks, Sophie Summergrad, and Jasmine Ellis. Mixing by Merritt Jacob. Slate Plus members get bonus episodes of Slow Burn and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Just a quick warning, this episode has some explicit language.
0:06.7	When footage of Rodney King's beating took over the news, Darrow Gates had been the Los
0:10.6	Angeles Police Chief for nearly 13 years.
0:14.0	Under Gates, the LAPD had built a reputation for toughness.
0:18.1	The chief didn't do political correctness.
0:20.4	He stood up for his officers.
0:22.2	He was a cop's cop.
0:24.3	But even the chief, the face of the LAPD knew that he couldn't defend a behavior caught
0:29.3	on George Holidays' video camera.
0:31.8	Five days after the incident, LAPD's chief Darrow Gates recommended felony prosecution
0:36.8	for the officers who beat King.
0:38.8	And he vowed to discipline the 12 officers who watched.
0:42.4	This is not a representation of the good work of Los Angeles Police Department, and you
0:48.6	won't find anyone.
0:50.6	You will not find a police officer in this city that will, in any way, attempt to justify
0:57.4	what those officers did.
1:00.3	Gates might have hoped he could blame the right knee-king incident on a few bad apples
1:03.6	and move on.
1:05.1	But that's not the way the public saw it.
1:07.4	Two-thirds of LA residents believe the LAPD regularly used excessive force, according
1:12.5	to a Los Angeles Times poll.
1:15.3	Local Black activists called for Gates' resignation.
	...

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