Old testimony on fellow officers looms large in trial
I .OS ANChl.l S (API — lust whim the defense thought
it Hits safe ici rest, Theodore Briseno's year-old tesbmo
iiv against ilir*»«- follow policemen in the Rodney hmg
beating bos ( (iin<’ Ism k to haunt them
After the delensit abruptly rested its caise Inst week in
the ers' federal c ivil rights trial, prosei utors
announced they wanted to show jurors a videotape of
Briseno's testimony in their trial on stute ■ barges
The defense had lieeti forewarned of the possihihtv as
legal papers had boon filed early on the Briseno tape But
deteiise lawyers i laimed thev never antii ipated fac ing
that testimony on rvhuttal
Is it potentially damaging? Absolutelysaid defense
layvver Ira Salzinan. who represents Sgt Stacey Koon
Is it admissible't S Distnc t judge John f. Day les savs
it is Defense lawyers say it isn't, and they are asking
the 9th 1S( an ml (.our! of Appeals lor a cpnc k ruling
Peter Arenelia. a I < I.A layy professor, doubted that the
appeals court would intervene.
We re at the end of the trial, lie said "We have a
sequestered |ury Appellate c ourts are re I uc taut to slop a
trial I wouldn't be surprised if the Ninth Cm mt dec id
ed not to take it tip
I.oyola University law professor l.aurie l.evenson
agreed that it would he extraordinary for appeals i ourt
judges to stop sill h a high profile trial But she said their
interest might tie piqued if the matter raises a new and
important problem of law
In (he federal lnai. the four policemen have present
e«i a united defense In the state trial, which ended in
acquittals. Briseno hod a different lawyer and a different
strategy, and he testified against the others
Offit er l.aureni e Powell, who struck King thp most
times in the videotaped healing on Man h I. loot stands
to lose the most if the Briseno testimony is replayed
On April l 1002, Briseno testified that he saw Powell
strike King's head repeatedly with a baton while the
motorist lav prone on the ground.
Did you perceive that Mr King was .1 threat at that
time7" asked John Barnett. Briseno's lawyer at the time
"No. sir. Briseno said "I just thought the whole thing
w as out of control."
The first baton strike In Powell to King's head was
an identnl. but the rest were not. Briseno said
"I saw Officer Powell standing over Mr King and giv
ing what were just a series of forward and reverse power
strokes Briseno said
"What were you thinking7" Barnett asked
"I was thinking that he was delivering them to the
head." Briseno said
Briseno also gave a graphit desi ription ol Powell's
appeantni e when the healing ended
Tjffii er Powell had a look I'd never seen before It
was a look of just pure exhaustion, he said His eyes
looked like ihev « ould expiode. luu* they were < oniiu^
out He was ( nnstantlv gasping for breath
Briseno blamed Komi, the commander, for failing to
stop the licoting
"Did vuu have a belief that what you were seeing
might t>o improper'1 Barnett asked.
"Yes. sir. ' Briseno said.
Briseno said Powell was joined by Olfi* er I imotliv
Wind, who delivered more baton strokes
Du! vou think it was right or wrong?" Barnett asked
"Wrong." Briseno said
In c ross examination, defense lawyers tried to show
thill Briseno was King, suggesting he would have report
ed misconduc t if he perc eived it He testified that lie
went line k to his polu e station planning to tell his i ap
tnin w hat had happened
But Briseno claimed he saw a message from boon in
the i aptain s offic e saving there had been a "big-time use
of force." and he figured it had alreadv been reported.
Briseno also < tainted that a polic e "code of silent e"
discouraged him from informing on fellow offic ers
Briseno. Koon. Powell and Wind were acquitted in
state c ourt on alMiut one t barge against Powell on which
jurors tie.idiot ked last April 20 The verdicts set off riots
111 Los Angeles in whit It 54 people were killed
Navy proposes to lift ban on women in combat jobs
U ASIHNC. l <>N (AIM The
N.ns wants to put women in all
of its front-line i oitilsil tolls .is
lighter pilots, submariners and
warship < few members w ith
in the next four \ears, offic nils
snv
In .1 tradition breaking plan
nsidy lor a< tion hv Defense Se<
retar\ l.es Aspm. the Na\ \ sug
gests allow mg women to serve on
six i lasses ol ionih.it support
ships within the next several
months It would also allow them
to enter training for more
advam ed combat jobs, some ol
w ho h take years to earn
I he sweeping plait is designed
to repair the Navy's haltered
image ill tile wake of the Tailhook
sev abuse si andal It would also
pul I tie semi e 111 the forefront of
revising altitudes Imvald women
in the militarv
The plan would .ilso make ii
difficult lor the mililnrv to bar
any other group suoh .is homo
sexuals from < ombnt jobs, as
some have proposed
The plan is lo increase the
role of women in the Nav \ il
is something the Nav\ would
wry mm Ii like to have happen,
said a senior Pentagon oflu tal
knowledgeable about the plan
who spoke on condition of
unonynut v
Ailm I-rank Kelso Jr . the
Na\ \ s lop admiral, lias approved
(lie plan. I lit* otfu nil said
At present, women are burred
from flviug combat am raft and
‘I believe we should expand the role of
women in combat in all the armed
forces
Sean O'Keefe.
former Navy secretary
ser\ mg on major warships, sin h
.is aircraft carriers. destroyers or
i rinsers iinti submarines
However, the\ do serve on <>-4
of the Navy's vessels pri
marily supply ships, such as Oil
ers or submarine lenders, or
repair and salvage vessels
Allow iitg women in the Ne\ \ s
premier i ombal slots means they
could seek out .ind destroy ene
mies as Y!A -1H fighter pilots, tor
example. or as nucdear missile
Ilium hers ori Trident submarines
Congress has passed legislation
to repeal the ban on women in
i ertuin Air Fori e .on raft and to
allow women to fly Nav \ am raft
However, the law does not
require the armed services to
c hange their polic ies
rite Ntivv's push for address
ing the role of women in the ser
c ii e gained momentum under a
former Navv assistant stn.nn.ir>
fur manpower, Harbara Spvritlon j
Pope Slit* headed a panel sat up 1
after the 19‘il Tailhooh conven- J
turn, where more than two dozen f
women • half of them naval offi- |
(ers reported lining groped and J
fondled In Navy and Marine }
( orps av iators.
Pope's committee rei out
mended tliat all naval combat
jobs |n> opened to women, a post ■
turn bached by then-Navy Sucre
tar\ Sean (Vkeefe
I believe we should expand
the role of women in combat in f
all the armed forces, ini lulling ;
permitting women to ll\ combat
missions, as well as serve in all
naval vessels. O’Keefe said in
januarv
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