In L.A., trying to keep a lid on racial strife

But other observers say there simply has not been enough focus on police training in the specific area of emergency response. That means better understanding of the complexity of one's own reflexes and emotions when life or death decisions must be made in seconds.

Here in Los Angeles, Ms. Powers and others say, there are still deeply ingrained behaviors in the "police culture" that are strong enough to survive new chiefs of police, city council changes, and turnovers of mayors and oversight boards. Codes of silence, in which police officers refuse to rat on colleagues for wrongdoing, undermine efforts to establish accountability.

"You can pass all the policy guideline changes, have ... blue ribbon commissions, [but] one thing that has not changed is the fundamental core component that courses through everything involving the LAPD: the violent, confrontational mentality of the LAPD," says Earl Ofari Hutchinson, author of several books on the African-American experience in US culture.

Despite widespread feelings that little improvement has been made in police-community relations here, several black leaders have defended the LAPD in the wake of the current shooting.

"It is absolutely incorrect that no progress has been made within the LAPD ranks," says Bernard Parks, an African-American city council member and the former LAPD chief. "Training has evolved, cultural sensitivity has evolved, accountability and discipline have evolved. You must realize that police officers are human beings in dynamic situations that may take someone's life. If anyone thinks there is perfectionism, they are going to be disappointed."

There are also African-Americans willing to point the finger at the actions of black perpetrators that have led to police confrontations. "Many in black neighborhoods ... seem to forget that in every one of these run-ins with police ... there has been at the core of the incident, an African-American breaking the law and resisting arrest," says Ted Hayes, who runs temporary housing for the homeless.

NCOPA's Mary Powers and other national observers also see progress. She points to three recent examples: a change in the shooting policy for officers regarding moving cars, the use of flashlights in beating suspects, and high-speed pursuits.

But many feel that an underlying culture of racism will continue to exacerbate the problem of police and community relations. "In the 1960s and '70s we were suing police departments all over the country insisting that if we changed the racial makeup of the police, we would end police brutality," says Ramona Ripston, director of the southern California chapter of ACLU. "Well, we did integrate them and guess what, it [police abuse] didn't change."

She and other experts here call for more stringent policies that require police to live in the communities they serve.

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