Brian S. Bentley is a former LAPD officer who had many experiences similar to those of Christopher J. Dorner. He was fired after detailing numerous accounts of racism misconduct, and corruption in a book called One Time : The Story of a South Central Los Angeles Police Officer. Before he was fired, he was the subject of a departmental investigation led by two officers he discussed in his book, one of whom had been promoted to Internal Affairs, and after several interrogations, Bentley was given a charge of misconduct himself for every incident of misconduct he reported on in his book, giving him the dubious distinction of having more charges of police misconduct than any officer in the entire history of the LAPD.

And when he left the department, he had his own “manifesto,” only it didn’t involve killing anyone, just a list of the people who had screwed him over during his LAPD career.

When Brian Bentley joined the LAPD, he explains that it during the time that personnel complaints were not taken.

He remembers trying to make a complaint to his captain about the racism he experienced and was told, ‘I’ve been on the job for 35 years, you don’t think I know there’s racism. Who do you want me to bring it to? The deputy chief or the chief are just as racist?’ and then proceeded to kick him out of his office.

When asked if he thought the Department had changed since he was a part of it, Brian said no.

Diversity training for officers not just in how to deal with the community that they serve, but with the officers they work with, is part of what’s needed he says.

“Even though officers today can file personnel complaints—look at what happens,” he says referring to Christopher Dorner. “There are clearly flaws in the system and Dorner is just one example of something that African-American officers have been experiencing for decades in the LAPD.”

Brian said that he’s still in close contact with friends who are LAPD officers and he says that he knows for a fact that it’s still a bad environment for African-American officers.

Sadly he recalls the experience of three of his fellow officers who also had manifestos similar to Christopher Dorner’s, two black officers and one white female officer, who – instead of acting on their manifestos – committed suicide. It’s something that Brian says is common amongst officers who are terminated and believe the Department has wronged them.

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