Daryl F. Gates, who led the Los Angeles Police Department during the Rodney King beatings, has died. During his 14-year tenure, from 1978 to 1992, he introduced new ways to address crime-fighting and the war on drugs that were applauded and adopted by police units nationwide, such as military-style SWAT teams in times of crises and the DARE anti-drug abuse program for schools. The King episode—in which white officers brutally attacked the parolee with batons after a car chase, all caught on tape—stands out, though. Gates was criticized for being out of touch with the reality of L.A. race relations in the aftermath of the beating, and openly declared that it was OK to shoot casual drug users. Gates was 83.
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