Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Los Angeles police responding to a pro-Palestinian rally outside the Federal Building on Wilshire Boulevard were told not to wear protective head gear. As the demonstrations mounted, one police officer received a head injury when he was struck in the head with a sign. The Los Angeles Police Protective League, a union for the city’s finest, has taken action in response to the no-helmet order, claiming that commanders jeopardized the safety of their officers.

According to the Los Angeles Times, commanders were concerned that the appearance of helmeted police officers at the demonstration would send the wrong message and possibly spark an escalation. The police were also ordered not to use face shields.

The police union alleges that the Chief of Police William J. Bratton violated both the California Labor Code and the LAPD Emergency Operations Guide with the order. The Operations Guide states “DO NOT assign officers without helmets, vests, and batons to crowd control missions.”

Chief Bratton defended the order, claiming that such regulations had to be considered on a case by case basis. The union argues that protective head and face gear, vests, and gas masks are all basic necessities that prevent injury in volatile situations such as the January 10 demonstration, in which demonstrators protested the Israeli invasion of Gaza.

Frustrated with the Department’s dismissal of the issue, the Protective League has filed a civil lawsuit and purchased advertising spots on local radio.

“We are disappointed that the LAPD has ignored our concerns about officer safety and that we have to turn to radio commercials to put public pressure on the LAPD to follow its own priorities,” LAPPL President Paul M. Weber said in a report by Los Angeles’ Daily Breeze.

“Sending police officers into potentially incendiary situations without proper protective gear puts everyone at risk. Our officers can’t protect the public if they are suffering injuries at the hands of demonstrators.”

Sources:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/01/council-motion.html

http://www.latimes.com/business/careers/work/la-me-helmets19-2009feb19,0,6599711.story

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 at 4:34 pm and is filed under News, brain injury, safety. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.