To put it simply, Los Angeles leads the country in the employment of "thuggish" cops. It really isn't anything new to those of us who live out here. It doesn't help that the chief (Lee Baca) is a scumbag himself who works his magic to get constituents and celebrities out of jail. I don't think in the 15 yrs I've lived out here that I haven't seen a cruiser breaking the law, whether it be driving well above the speed limit (no lights) on the 405 or sailing through a neighborhood stop sign (a weekly observance living near an intersection and a police station). Any attempt to report ANYTHING to a watch commander will put you on an unfortunate blacklist which has happened to me and 2 separate neighbors (whose children have repeatedly dealt with near-misses by police cruisers).

Point is, outside of LA I'm sure there are squeaky-clean police officers who protect the public. And there possibly is a percentage of LA officers who somehow manage to avoid corruption. But I can certainly sympathize with anyone who lives out here who is getting sick & tired of the LAPD's behavior in the past 2 decades.

PS. We have several large dogs, 3 machetes, and multiple firearms. A perp would be long dead before a "cop" arrived at our house.