Report criticizes LAPD's handling of George Floyd protests

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A new report criticizes the Los Angeles Police Department, saying the agency and its leaders were unprepared for last year's protests following the death of George Floyd.

The first of three reports on the LAPD's response to the massive protests found the department was not properly trained or prepared and that officers were reactive, rather than proactive.

Videos surfaced of LAPD striking protesters with batons and protesters suffering major injuries, drawing intensified scrutiny on law enforcement.

The report also says the department did not, or was not able to, isolate and arrest people who were looting or throwing objects, in part due to "antiquated tactics and lack of training."

It also says in the videos that were reviewed, there is no evidence that the baton use during the evaluation period was inappropriate, noting pending lawsuits argue the contrary.

"What's not talked about is really what's core to what LACAN and Black Lives Matter and the National Lawyers Guild are suing about, which is that we should not be criminalizing protests," said Melina Abdullah, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles.

The report also found that the LAPD arrested people for infractions when they should have been released after signing a promise to appear. It reads: "It does not authorize the transportation of the person to another site or prolonged detention of the person, both of which occurred during the May-June protests."

The LAPD responded in part: "...It is the department's intent to digest the findings from all three reports, their findings, recommendations, identify areas of improvement and a path forward..."

The department added it has provided additional training since the protests.