Aug 7, 2007 3:14 pm US/Pacific
LAPD Chief Speaks About Spike In Shootings At Cops
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
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Bratton said he didn't know what caused the spike in shootings at police, "other than the fact that there's a lot of guns out there, and a lot of foolish people with access to those guns." (file)
CBS
Los Angeles police Chief William Bratton, when asked during Tuesday's Police Commission meeting about a recent spike in cases of people shooting at officers, said it's hard to explain the "idiocy" of such a move.
Describing the most recent case, Bratton said officers stopped a car with four people inside and three bailed out.
"The passenger runs around to the driver's side to pick up a gun the driver had dropped," Bratton said. "And two of our police officers are standing right there. So in the terms of the idiocy of that move, I can't explain the criminal mind."
Bratton said he didn't know what caused the spike in shootings at police, "other than the fact that there's a lot of guns out there, and a lot of foolish people with access to those guns."
In almost every instance, he said, "It's officers stopping people for violations and people, for whatever reason, coming out of their vehicles with guns."
When someone shoots at an officer, it takes a "huge amount of resources to establish perimeters and make the arrests," Bratton said.
The good news, he said, is that the Los Angeles Police Department is among the best in the world at sealing off areas and collapsing the perimeter, working door-to-door, sometimes with dogs.
"No other police force does it better," he said.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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