May 23, 2007 4:18 pm US/Pacific
Bratton Defends Comments On MacArthur Park Melee
LOS ANGELES (AP) ―
Police Chief William Bratton is defending his straightforward comments after the May Day melee in MacArthur Park in a videotaped message to his officers.
Officers and their union leadership are unhappy with Bratton's comments after the immigrant rights protest.
They say the chief's statement to reporters that officers can "go out of control faster than any human being in the world" is particular distressing.
A transcript of the chief's message was obtained by the Los Angeles Times.
In it, he characterizes his own style as straightforward and candid. He tells officers that he'll tell a "good story" if they give it to him to tell. But if they give him something else, he "will have to tell it like it is."
He also acknowledges that he is the one who will be ultimately held accountable "for events in MacArthur Park."
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