Jury Rejects Claim Police Trashed House

A federal jury Monday rejected a South-Central Los Angeles woman’s claim that police officers trashed her house during a 1995 search for weapons belonging to a neighborhood street gang.

After deliberating about four hours, the eight-member panel found that the officers who searched Betty Jones’ house did not behave in an “unreasonable manner.”

Jones charged in her civil rights suit that about a dozen LAPD officers, armed with a search warrant, forced their way into her house on West 85th Street, broke down closet doors for which there were keys, threw clothing and household items on the floor, and urinated in a steam iron.

Her house was one of 97 homes raided by Los Angeles police and FBI agents on April 1, 1995, in an operation aimed at the Eight-Tray Gangster Crips.

Jones was at work at her factory job during the early morning raid, but her son and grandson were asleep inside. No weapons were found.

Steve Shinkle, the jury foreman, said the evidence presented by Jones’ lawyer, Stephen Yagman, was “pretty weak.”

He said photos taken by police before and after the search did not convey the impression that the house was left in a shambles.

He also said the police appeared to have conducted the raid and search in an orderly and professional manner.

As for Jones’ claim that officers urinated in her iron, Shinkle said, the jury did not consider that because the iron was never introduced into evidence.

Yagman expressed disappointment with the verdict, but said, “I think it was important to get the facts surrounding this case aired in public.”

During the eight-day trial, he subpoenaed Police Chief Bernard C. Parks, former Police Chief Daryl F. Gates, and City Atty. James K. Hahn, asking them broad questions about police practices and policies.

Willie L. Williams, who was police chief at the time of the raid, did not testify.

Deputy City Atty. Paul Paquette, who defended the Police Department during the trial, called the verdict a clear vindication.

“It was a fair and just verdict.” he said.