Near the end of his prepared statement, the district attorney said that "while many of the bystander officers were deeply disturbed by what occurred, . . . to this day, some of the officers present do not acknowledge that the incident should have been handled any differently than it was."; Because the beating still is under investigation, he declined to elaborate or answer reporters' questions. But he said he would forward the "disturbing interviews" to the local independent commission investigating the police department. The commission has no disciplinary power.; "I couldn't be more disappointed," said Mark Ridley-Thomas, a city council candidate and executive director of this area's chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. "We had expectations that these lawbreakers -- and passive though they may have been, they were lawbreakers -- would be dealt with accordingly. . . . We have not given up on this."; The American Civil Liberties Union plans to see whether it can take any legal action on the grand jury's decision.; "Some of these officers have strongly defended the activities surrounding Rodney King . . . which is an incredible thing to say under investigation," ACLU spokesman Joe Hicks said. "We do not have a lot of confidence in the justice department and (its) past record of investigation and prosecution of police abuse around the country."; The Los Angeles Times reported that the grand jury heard from seven officers, including five rookies who witnessed King's arrest. The rookies said the scene that night was chaotic and noisy, that King appeared dangerous and possibly high on PCP, and that the sergeant there seemed to be in charge. Officers reportedly weren't asked why they did not try to stop the beating.; In his statement, Reiner said that "however morally wrong their failure to intercede, in California law, there is no criminal statute under which these officers can be indicted. . . . Because the behavior of the bystander officers was both irresponsible and offensive, and in light of the unprecedented public furor over this case, the grand jury is to be commended for remaining true to their duty."; King's March 3 beating, captured on videotape, spawned outrage throughout the world and led to criminal charges by the grand jury against four Los Angeles Police Department officers.; Police Chief Daryl Gates earlier this week fired one of the officers, a rookie still on probation, and suspended the other three without pay pending hearings that could lead to their dismissal.; Besides those four, at least 17 other LAPD officers were present at the scene of the beating. There also were two from the California Highway Patrol and two from the Los Angeles Unified School District.; The police department's internal investigation of its bystanders is continuing, Cmdr. Rick Dinse said. While he would not discuss the investigation or its results, Dinse said that behavior "doesn't have to be criminal for us to take action."; Only the police chief has the power, after extensive review, to discipline officers. Whether Chief Gates will be the one to rule on these officers remains a question. A Superior Court judge is reviewing whether the city's police commission had the right to put Gates on leave last month, and whether the city council has the right to reinstate him.
Some policemen standing by during King's beating maintain the arrest was done correctly, and the Grand Jury has decided against indicting them for their inaction. The Civil Liberties Union disagrees. "I couldn't be more disappointed," said spokesman Joe Hicks. "We have not given up on this." Meanwhile one rookie police officer was fired and three have been suspended without pay by Chief Darryl Gates, who is investigating the incident. Only Gates has the power to discipline officers. The District Attorney is forwarding the "disturbing interviews" with bystanding officers to the local independent commission investigating the police department.