Police State (part 45)

 I noticed this item today:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — At least six fired police officers want their disciplinary cases reopened after the Los Angeles Police Department began reinvestigating the termination of a former officer who left a trail of violence to avenge his firing.
What, so there was something to Dorner's complaint after all?

7 comments:

Grim said...

It's impossible to say. If the panel re-investigating it concludes yes, the skeptic will assume they were pressured to do it by the wave of popular support for Dorner among the population the LAPD serves and protects. But if they conclude no, the same skeptic will conclude that they merely felt it necessary to reinforce the appearance that his complaint was without basis in the hope of swaying that same population.

It was a stupid idea to reopen the case. Nothing good can come of it.

Texan99 said...

I never doubted there might be something to his complaint. I just didn't care, because it had no bearing on what he did about his complaint.

Well, maybe that's going too far. I didn't care on Dorner's account, but if the LAPD has unjust disciplinary procedures then of course they should fix them. Still, like Grim, I think this is a spectacularly bad case to use as an impetus for making them better.

Eric Blair said...

I concur. No new investigation can undo what has been done, so I suspect that there is some political infighting going on in the LAPD--which I suppose shouldn't surprise anybody, but I am curious as to what they think they will accomplish by doing this.

Daniel said...

"...but I am curious as to what they think they will accomplish by doing this."

The pessimist in me says someone or some faction trying to force someone else or some other faction out while advancing themselves to fill the void.

Cass said...

Either that, or a group of dirt bags looking to use racial discontent as leverage to overturn various disciplinary actions.

That people would use an investigation into racial bias/discrimination to force a review of their own cases doesn't imply to me that there was anything wrong with the disposition of those cases, per se. Can't rule it out, but I'm a bit puzzled at the suggestion that the latching on after the fact somehow supports Dorner's allegations.

Eric Blair said...

It's not the latching on, it's that they are investigating again in the first place.

Seems pretty obvious that the others are simply using that as an excuse to get another appeal.



Cass said...

OK - my bad :) Careless reading or interpretation on my part.

Call me a cynic, but I think many investigations are politically motivated. We once had 3 - count 'em! - THREE "official" investigations going on at the same time into a straightforward suicide in my husband's command. With all the pressure and command interest one might envision.

Even the investigators thought it was a bit much :p

Not that that proves anything about this case - I just couldn't stop myself...

/heading back into my box :)