Los Angeles: This afternoon, at a news conference with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Police Commission President John Mack, Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton announced changes to his command staff.
Effective immediately, Deputy Chief Cayler "Lee" Carter, Commanding Officer Central Bureau, has been reverted to the rank of Commander. He has been assigned to his home. Chief Bratton will announce a replacement for Carter at the Police Commission meeting on Tuesday May 8, 2007. Additionally, Commander Louis Gray, Assistant Commanding Officer of Operations Central Bureau, has been reassigned to the Office of Operations with his role to be announced at a later date.
During the recent May 1, 2025 immigrant rally demonstration at MacArthur Park, where LAPD Officers were involved in numerous uses of force, Carter served as the highest-ranking officer present. Gray was the second highest-ranking officer on scene.
Pursuant to the City Charter, a Deputy Chief serves at the discretion of the Chief of Police. In his capacity as Chief, Bratton has the authority to make personnel decisions and assignments that reflect his desired leadership team.
Dumb, dumb, dumb........
Posted by: Tom | May 08, 2025 at 03:07 PM
The Activists are planning another meeting in MacArthur Park next month. I'm very curious to see the officers response. How many incidents, just in the past few years, will it take for the officers to realize that good police work will be a career altering decision. For example....J Hatfield, S Garcia, T Mclaughlin. It's no secret that Bratton is very political...a sellout if you will. If I owned a business in the area, I'd be very concerned. Thank God...I live in Orange County, where the Sherriff actually backs his officers and enforces laws (ie deports illegals back to Mexico). Your City is a disaster. LAPD gets paid by the hour...not by the pound.
Posted by: Stanley | May 08, 2025 at 03:30 PM
What a disgrace! To take a 30 year veteran of the LAPD and demote him after only about 4 days of investigation is shameful. Any citizen would be afforded due process, and the courtesy of a COMPLETE investigation, but not those committed to protecting those citizens.
Ultimately the demotion may be appropriate but to do so when the investigations are just beginning is wrong.
Posted by: LAPD Reserve | May 08, 2025 at 03:31 PM
I don't know if all the Metro officers acted appropriately or not, I have only viewed the EDITED video, not any raw footage. However what I do know is that Chief Bratton's comments clearly are wrong. He is more concerned with placating others to get a new 5 year contract than backing the men and woman dedicating their lives to protecting Los Angeles residents. To claim that officers fly off the handle more quickly than other people if not properly supervised is simply irresponsible! When then comments are played for a jury at the next criminal v. LAPD civil trial we can open our checkbooks.
The Chief of all people should know that officers are much less likely to fly off the handle than ordinary citizens. That is part of the selection process and academy training. When was the last time a police officer flew off the handle and shot someone over a parking space, or for cutting in line or for any of the often cited reasons that citizens victimize eachother here in the City of Angels.
Bratton -- take a breath and LEAD, don't just overreact and shoot your mouth off just as you allege the officers overreacted!
Posted by: LAPD Reserve | May 08, 2025 at 03:37 PM
Unbelievable. Two men that have dedicated such a large portion of their lives to the L.A.P.D. and the community and now one is demoted and both reassigned. The thing is you can move people around and reduce rank but you cannot take away the fact that these men have done so much good for many years to countless numbers of everyday citizens. You cannot take away the good work people have done. It is true that no good deed goes unpunished. This truly is a thankless job. To both of these men, stay strong, understand that the silent majority believes in you, your work with the L.A.P.D. is appreciated by many, and thank you for putting your lives on the line everyday for so many years. It is greatly appreciated. Don't let a self serving mayor and chief that would sell each other out to get ahead take away your dedication to the department or leave you bitter towards a department you have been committed and devoted to for so long. Your work is for the people not the politicians and the people appreciate you. God Bless you guys and hold your heads up high.
Posted by: Jennie | May 08, 2025 at 04:19 PM
During the recent May 1, 2025 immigrant rally demonstration at Macarthur Park, where LAPD Officers were involved in numerous uses of force. The LAPD did a great job with the mob of illegals, Deputy Chief Cayler Carter; Commander Louis Gray also did a great job. The idiots that should be removed is William Bratton and his butt buddy Antonio Villaraigosa these jerks want to turn this state into mexaforina.what these idiots are telling the LAPD is don’t touch the illegal’s let them break laws let them control the law. But like all other great countries like Rome, USSR the next one to fall is U.S.A just call your country united states of Mexico
Posted by: ron | May 08, 2025 at 05:07 PM
Chief Bratton,
You have humiliated your department and you are a disgrace to the uniform.
When you travel home to Boston this weekend, stay there!
Posted by: Matt Payne | May 08, 2025 at 05:08 PM
Why are we backing down to illegal immigration, and yet we are then allowing our own citizens to become addicted to illegal drugs. Lets stand up for the decisions these officers made to prevent an illegal act. This nation has lost much of my respect, although I know it is not as corrupted as many other nations and still a great place to be proud of. To the officer at home I thank you for standing up to your own convictions.
In large corporations I guess we tend to call it downsizing and politics...
Posted by: Bryan Hoelscher | May 09, 2025 at 07:02 AM
I live in Illinois and read your article about Deputy Chief Carter,
I personally feel that someone was
looking for a scape-goat!! Luckily the "New" Chief wasn't there that day. Or he'd be out the door. How can 1 person deal with a bunch of Idiots out there causing problems?? Lock them up that's what I say. We are so worried about people's rights, that those of us who cause "No problems" are slowly losing ours!!
I believe in this situation that the wrong Head is rolling.
Dolores
Posted by: Dolores | May 09, 2025 at 07:04 AM
"Reverted" nice semantics. Why don't you call it what it is: a politically expedient demotion based upon a minor event trump up by the media. Nice try Lt.
Posted by: JB | May 09, 2025 at 08:09 AM
Bratton is the boss and he decides who he wants in command. Maybe he had a talk with Carter and did not like what Carter had to say. Nobody knows all the personal conversations between these two men on this and prior occasions.
Why do the police and other civil service employees think they should get special treatment? I think many of you civil service employess need to work in the private sector for a while, and see what the rest of the world has to deal with on their jobs.
Posted by: Frank M. | May 09, 2025 at 03:20 PM
I feel for Lt. Del Torre. He has the tough task of having to come on this blog and post what he is told to.
Don't blame him, he's not the one making these bogus decisions. He's not the spineless one wearing the four stars, he's not the one who spends more time in Boston than here in LA doing his job...
Posted by: Matt Payne | May 09, 2025 at 04:21 PM
Frank M.
If I worked in the private sector I'd be getting paid $250,000 plus a year for what I do. So for the meager stipened I get from an ungreatful community your damn right I expect some civil service protection. If I make a mistake during a split second decision based on incomplete facts and get second guessed by people who have the luxury of having all the facts and the safety of a nice cozy office you can be assured I will be more than a little upset when they try to hang me or my boss who was there and agreed with the action I chose to take. Try seeing things through others eyes sometime Frank.
Posted by: ABC Officer | May 10, 2025 at 03:03 PM
I am disappointed with these turn of events. I don't have all of the facts and when I found out many of those who have worked hard on the homeless issue downtown were being demoted and were also on the line in MAcarthur Park it literally broke my heart. I knew that the repercussions were going to be bad , but the removal and demotion of commander carter is going to be felt in Central City East.
With the Central Area Division highlighting patient dumping and knowing that if it wasn't for our senior lead officers and even Commander Carter being involved in these issues and now the recent vitory in the courts well this is not good... It is heart breaking that the MAcarthur incident happened.
I have been pretty hard on what I saw , but the loss of commander carter downtown is a big loss....
Posted by: Don Garza | May 17, 2025 at 03:11 AM
Dear commander carter, Sorry you got caught in the switches. remember metro stopped a riot. Roger that. I served under you as a p.c.r at west valley i am the guy in a wheelchair. Thank you for your service. Hand salute!
Posted by: joseph zelenis | May 17, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Garza, is disrespecting Commander Carter by not capitalizing his name intentional.
Posted by: Ryan | May 17, 2025 at 01:21 PM
Sorry Garza, s/b directed to Joseph Zelenis.
Posted by: Ryan | May 17, 2025 at 09:49 PM
My heart goes out to all of the ground pounders on the streets. You take all the risk, and all the heat. All while some political agenda poster child Chief attends a ring kissing luncheon instead of leading the troops in what he knew would be a volitile demonstration.
Protect yourself and your families. Just smile and wave, to heck with the recap, take the pay check and always go eow on time.
Posted by: Retired LAPD | May 17, 2025 at 10:59 PM
ENOUGH ALREADY!!! There is a much bigger picture here!
The cops that criticize Bratton can’t see the forest for the trees, while the civilians can’t see the tree for the forest!!!! Perspective people! I preface this comment by bringing to the attention of both sides our universal character defect as humans, to simplifying the complicated, and complicate the simple. We are lazy at our core, all of us. We all prefer multiple choice or true and false questions to answer rather than the dreaded essay. Well, we are evolved and continue to evolve, and the issues of our times do not fit so nicely into easy answers. Catch up.
Yes, while media bias is, and always will be, LAPD did display some less than appropriate crowd control techniques. However, I saw some incredible restraint by these officers in that if someone threw a bottle or rock at me, I would probably shoot to kill; hence, I am not a cop. They only higher folks like me in the deep south, and having been absent that area of the country for many years I am only assuming that they have evolved to using guns, when I resided South of the Mason Dixon Line they were still stringing people up and leaving them hang as examples…..but I digress. Fight or flight is a human behavior. The challenge is in how to appropriately deal with that aspect of who we are as humans and appropriately provide public safety while being assaulted.
On behalf of our Chief, this is a man that is relentless in his pursuit of accountability and transparency in the department. Hello???? Accountability and transparency in any kind of government agency, from someone who is in government no less, have we died and gone to heaven??? The chief did not like the way things transpired. Does that mean he doesn’t support his cops? No, it means “we have a problem people, we need to fix it.” Not cover it up, not back peddle, but acknowledge that something was not done the best way possible. For a clearer understanding of our Chiefs philosophy, he comes across quite impressively in his book Turnaround, but unfortunately, that information can only be acquired by reading the book. Is it on tape or CD as an option for our passive learners?
I think the real issue is the integrity that the Chief demonstrated by being honest. Wouldn’t it be absolutely fabulous if honesty spread like a virus??? The cops that were to overtly violent could acknowledge this and seek to temper their behavior via self- scrutiny and brain storming with their comrades to come up with a solution???? Would the civilian critics have the courage to look at Law enforcements actions as the consequence to rabble rousers who initiated conflict? Then, perhaps contribute to the dialog of, just how do we successfully contain potential mayhem when gatherers assault police?
My suggestion would be a greater use of the equine units. Everybody likes horses and it seems to provide a buffer that tempers police presence yet provides excellent crowd control. Moreover, if anybody throws rocks or bottles at the officers, they can look forward to a strong PETA presence for addition support. I jest, the point is this. We have a Chief that is at the forefront of revolutionizing the way government is run. Your support of Chief Bratton identifies you as one of the many who want accountability and transparency in government. Those who oppose him are in support of spin, cover-up and politics as usual. History will ultimately provide the conclusion. Where you place yourself is entirely up to you.
Posted by: c.andrade | May 18, 2025 at 07:17 AM
Now, here is the kind of mayor this city and the LAPD needs. I'll let his own words, posted on his blog, say it all.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jury Instructions For Mayor Villaraigosa Re LAPD And May Day
Wednesday, May 9, 2025
Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, MooreIsBetter.com
One of the things those of us who actually passed the bar exam have learned is that jurors should not discuss the facts of a case until they have heard all the evidence. The standard admonition judges read at the outset of a trial contains the following passages:
"Do not allow anything that happens outside this courtroom to affect your decision. During the trial do not talk about this case or the people involved in it with anyone . . . . You must not even talk about the case with the other jurors until after I tell you that it is time for you to decide the case."
"It is important that you keep an open mind throughout this trial. Evidence can only be presented a piece at a time. Do not form or express an opinion about this case while the trial is going on. You must not decide on a verdict until after you have heard all the evidence and have discussed it thoroughly with your fellow jurors in your deliberations."
The purpose of these instructions is to make sure fact-finders keep an open mind, and hear all the evidence before deciding who, if anyone, was at fault. Public figures should, in my opinion, follow essentially the same procedure. It was not helpful for Mayor Villaraigosa and Chief Bratton to, in essence, convict LAPD officers in advance for alleged "misconduct" during the May Day protests.
I don't know if police engaged in misconduct or not. I have not reviewed all the videotape, nor have I interviewed the witnesses or reviewed their background (e.g., criminal records, political agendas, etc.). Some officers may have engaged in misconduct. However, even a cursory review of the video suggest some serious questions concerning people who claimed the police "attacked" them:
1. How can the reporters claim there was no warning or announcement, when the videos show that the mass of the crowd was moving away from the police, while the reporters were not? Most people in the crowd seemed to get the message that the line of police advancing their way wanted them to move. Why didn't the "victims" catch on, too?
2. When a police officer tells you to "MOVE!," what part of that is unclear? What in the world would make you think that's an invitation for a discussion or debate?
3. As for the video of the cameraman who appears to be knocked over, watch that video carefully one or two times. Does it look like the police officer pushed him hard enough to fall over, or does it look more like: i) the officer touches the cameraman; ii) the cameraman pauses for an instant, as if thinking; and iii) the cameraman then leans and rolls onto the ground?
4. How can we reasonably expect the police to get a fair hearing when the Mayor and Chief have publicly declared the police were at fault, and demoted the police in charge that day?
Villaraigosa of all people should understand the importance of keeping an open mind. After all, he himself, I believe, was once on trial for assault, and 11 of the 12 jurors, as I recall, voted to convict. Would he have appreciated the City's Mayor announcing before the trial that he was guilty?
Furthermore, the City Ethics Commission now has charges pending against Villaraigosa for 31 violations of the City's Ethics laws in connection with his 2003 campaign for City Council. Could he get a fair hearing if, say, the Governor and Attorney General publicly declared in advance that he's guilty?
As I say, I myself don't have enough information right now to whether anyone engaged in misconduct -- other than people who attacked the police. I do know, however, that public officials should avoid prejudicing the rights of police officers by announcing their guilt before they've even had an opportunity to present their case.
I suspect, moreover, that if the police had not cleared the square, and if the attack on them had escalated to include fires and looting, the press, Mayor and Chief would probably be blaming the officers for that, too.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Shame on all current city "leaders."
Posted by: b&w; op | May 20, 2025 at 11:46 AM
This is directed to the LAPD officers on the streets from the posting of "c.andrade".
The next time don't stop the riots and fires. Pick up and leave and let the city have what is has comming to them.
Don't worry about your jobs, they will be begging you to come back and do the things that "c.andrade" can't and won't do. If you all don't support you police, "you're retarded". Who do you want on your streets? The police.......or.......the gang bangers/illegal immigrants/drugies/transients/drunks.......funny those groups all go together. Huh, funny...
Posted by: LAPD? | May 20, 2025 at 04:45 PM
“The police.......or.......the gang bangers/illegal immigrants/drugies/transients/drunks.......funny those groups all go together. Huh, funny...”
Excellent observation…
Yes, they do ALL go together….under the title of homo-sapiens.....
One wonders, will they evolve unified?... or perish?… under the oldest and most basic of battle strategies….. divided and conquered.
Posted by: c.andrade | May 22, 2025 at 01:02 PM