Customer Reviews

Official Negligence : How Rodney King and the Riots Changed Los Angeles and the LAPD

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An outstanding piece of reporting that takes the long view of the effects of the Rodney King trial and subsequent events, "Official Negligence" makes some fresh points about a sequence of episodes most people are tired of talking about. Of the fascinating cast of characters profiled in this book, the only one who emerges as anything approaching a hero is perhaps the least likely candidate: Stacy Koon, the sergeant who oversaw the original arrest of King and was later convicted of violating King's civil rights. Cannon's argument, at root, is that it is highly debateable whether a crime was committed in Pasadena in March, 1991, when King was pulled over and eventually beaten, and that racial animosity played virtually no role in the event. What is NOT debateable, according to Cannon, is the "official negligence" of the L.A. city council, Mayor Tom Bradley, the L.A. court system, and the LAPD leadership that produced the poorly trained officers who originally confronted King and the subsequent chaos that engulfed Los Angeles. Cannon is a terrific reporter who refuses to engage in policy prescriptions, but he does an outstanding job of detailing the sequence of communication breakdowns, judicial fiat, local political arrogance and LAPD miscalculations that produced an environment where riots were a natural consequence. The only (minor) flaw is a sense of repetition that suggests another editorial pass at the manuscript would have been useful, but overall, "Official Negligence" is an absolutely compelling read that will, despite whatever preconceptions you have of Rodney King, the LAPD, or the causes of the 1992 riots, challenge your preconceptions and force a rethinking of basic assumptions surrounding law enforcement, urban America, and Los Angeles.

Echoing sentiments expressed by other reviewers, I wholly concur after reading "Official Negligence" that negligent, inflammatory US media reporting, abetted by the jump-to-conclusion negligence of the Los Angeles Police Department, significantly and overwhelmingly warped public perception of the Rodney King affair and propagated the worst riots in recent history.

Taken in the context of the entire story, as reported in "Official Negligence," the police officers were racially railroaded and politically double-jeopardized by a media/legal system that -- once it had seen the film excerpt -- truly never wanted to make any further effort to learn the facts of the case.

This is an important book to read, if for no other reason than to keep you alert from now forward when watching television news. They're going to show you what SELLS, and not necessarily what TELLS.

Lou Cannon has put together an account of the culture and climate within the city of Los Angeles preceding the Rodney King incident and the ensuing riots that really hits the mark. As a person who was directly involved in law enforcemnt during the period the book focuses on, I thought I had the entire King incident and riots figured out. on the contrary, I was completely blindsided by the information in this book. Cannon has done his homework and has put together a shocking and revealing account of the King incident, trial and years leading up to it. I would strongly recommend this book to anybody interested in the history of L.A., it's police department and political climate. It should be required reading for all Police recruits, lawyers, politicians and managers.

This is the most engrossing book that I have read in a while.. It is gripping and unbiased. Lou Cannon states the history behind the Los Angeles Police Department, with straight forward, objective proof. Cannon describes the transformation from the beginnings of the LAPD and how it was molded into the elite law enforcement agency in the world. It then goes into great deal behind the whole Rodney King incident and the riots, giving indepth thought to what happened and why. An unbelievable book!!!

This book is an excellent read. If you want to know the real story of the Rodney King incident, the trials, and the riots, this book is a must-read. Mr. Cannon spent a lot of time researching this tome, but his ability to tell the story well is what sets this book apart. Clear your mind, read this book, and think about how your ideas about the incident have changed.

As a Los Angeles Police officer who has worked in L.A. since 1988, I found that Joe Cannon took a refreshing look behind the scenes of what it's like to live and work in Los Angeles. Mr. Cannon's writing style cut through the fog which often clouds how city politics is seen from the outside. Part of that for is created by the media, and part of the fog is created by self-serving political "leaders" so that the true responsibility for lack of training and resources of Los Angeles' police department personnel is never truly identified. Mr. Cannon pointed out that the city's leaders rather pay later when it's much more costly, than pay upfront--by adequately funding training programs--when it's cheaper. After all, it's the taxpayers' money.Bravo, Mr. Cannon. Andre' Belotto

Not only does the book give an authoritative account of the Rodney King incident, as well as loosely related ones, the book also indirectly cautions against media's often superficial and overly simplified reporting of major news events. Read it.

Lou Cannon's "Official Negligence" is a welcome surprise: he has a cool take and fresh insights on events we all thought we thoroughly understood. Cannon succeeds in looking, with some sympathy, at the major participants in the various incidents, and how small misjudgments accumulated to cause disaster. An excellent read; modern history & social interpretation at its best.

This book should be required reading for anyone who wants to put the words "community activist" or Police officer in front of their name.Although Cannon suffers from a lifetime of being a member of the liberal press, he still managed to talk to all the right players and ask all the right questions in this landmark autopsy of this American tragedy.As a police officer on the street at the time of this incident, I will Always believe that the Press was directly responsible for the animosity which was directed at all police officers in this country following the King incident because of the press frenzy and the lack of concievability that the officers could have any defense at all.For a member of the press to actually look objectively at this incident,although I have my differances with the author on some points,is a breath of fresh air.

A great book. There was obviously tremendous research done for this book. Without taking sides the author was able to explain frfom all sides what led up to the King arrest, riots and trials. It is one of the most objective books I have ever read. The author treated the cops, victims and citizens of LA all with respect. I was tremendously impressed with the writing style. It gave all the facts without being dry. A must read!