Revising LAPD discipline

The Los Angeles Police Department, criticized in high-profile abuse cases from the Rodney King beating in 1991 to the May Day melee last year, is dramatically changing its disciplinary system and doing away with automatic punishment for officers who break the rules. Rachel Uranga in the Daily News.

In a series of changes this year, direct supervisors are being encouraged to forgo suspensions of officers who they believe will change their behavior - or just made a one-time mistake - and instead opt for written warnings.

This means that issuing personnel complaints - which prompt detailed investigations and are considered formal findings of misconduct - is no longer the standard procedure.

The new process applies across the board - from officers who accidently wreck their squad cars to those who beat or shoot people.