Law Enforcement

Some folks just can't take a hint. Critics have demanded the ouster of Los Angeles police chief Daryl Gates ever since the brutal beating of a black motorist by white L.A.P.D. officers last March was videotaped and aired repeatedly on national TV. When a commission headed by former Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher recommended new leadership for the force in early July, Gates said he had no intention of "running away." Later, when two members of the city council announced that Gates had agreed to retire by the end of this year, the chief suggested he might keep his job until 1993.

Last week Gates finally announced that he will turn in his badge next April. "Maybe that'll stop all the nonsense," he said in an emotional videotaped message to his 8,300 officers. But Gates, who turns 65 this month and has been chief for 13 years, also declared that he would stay on if a successor is not named. Mayor Tom Bradley, who has often sparred with Gates, said the city should have no problem finding a replacement.