Opinion: Should the LAPD apologize to Giovanni Ramirez?
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Would it really be so difficult for the LAPD to apologize to Giovanni Ramirez, who was arrested as the original suspect in the beating of Bryan Stow at Dodger Stadium? That’s what columnist Sandy Banks asked Tuesday, in response to a July 30 Op-Ed by Police Chief Charlie Beck. Since Ramirez was deemed innocent, two men have been charged with the beating and are thought to be connected to other altercations with fans on the same night.
Banks and Beck agree on many points, including that the LAPD was doing its job when it arrested Ramirez. Police need probable cause to arrest, Beck said, but are not required to have proof beyond a reasonable doubt. And probable cause was what they had, Banks wrote, after police pursued hundreds of tips and a number of possible suspects.
Even Ramirez’s lawyer, Anthony Brooklier, doesn’t fault the police. ‘The system worked,’ Banks quotes, ‘even though my client was wronged by it.’
So what went wrong?
Beck said things went well, but not as well as they could have: The media jumped the gun, the public was pressing for a suspect and his own comments about the case “could have been more circumspect.” But ultimately, the department practiced “constitutional policing” and continued to investigate the case.
It means the police are accountable not only for what we do but for how we do it. Our ability to ‘protect and serve’ while effectively reducing crime depends on public cooperation and respect. We would not have achieved the unprecedented crime reductions in Los Angeles in recent years if we had lost credibility, public confidence and support or participated in inappropriate or illegal actions. That is why when the department developed evidence that could clear Ramirez in the Stow case, we pursued it vigorously. We did not and will not ever conclude an investigation merely because an arrest has been made.
Banks counters by saying the LAPD isn’t off the hook simply because they continued investigating and, eventually, “exonerated” Ramirez when he was shown to be innocent. They were overeager to find a suspect because of public pressure in a frustrating case and “orchestrated back-slapping news conferences and photo ops,” Banks wrote.
Ultimately, the system worked. The police did their job, the defense lawyer did his, the D.A. held off on filing because the evidence wasn’t there. And dogged, old-fashioned police work paved the way for the arrests of new suspects, who were charged last week.
I think that’s a fine story to tell, one that doesn’t need finger-pointing or mea culpas. It’s a story the public can not only applaud but take pride in, because it’s built on hundreds of little tips, phoned in by fans who were at the stadium.
No one should be ashamed in this case, Banks said, but Beck should apologize to Ramirez and stop trying to disguise what happened.
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--Samantha Schaefer
