LAPD Solution to Racist Police Brutality: Smaller Flashlights!

Six weeks after a suspect was struck 11 times by an officer wielding a flashlight, Police Chief William Bratton said he plans to abandon the department's large, bulky metal flashlights in favor of smaller, lighter ones. Bratton described the proposal as a direct response to the beating of 36-year-old Stanley Miller, who was captured on videotape being hit with a flashlight on June 23. The debate over flashlight use within the LAPD opened in the wake of the Miller arrest, which drew comparisons to the 1991 beating of Rodney King, an incident that sparked the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Miller filed a legal claim for $25 million in the wake of the beating, saying he had suffered brain damage, spinal injuries and emotional distress. Flashlights currently used by the LAPD can weigh as much as 2 pounds, raising issues about the type of injuries they can cause, said LAPD Inspector General Andre Birotte. Although flashlights can be used by officers to defend themselves if they are in danger, the tools should not be seen as alternatives to batons, he added. [more] Pictured above: Stanley Miller shortly after he was accosted by the LAPD.

• Bratton orders changes [more]