editorials

After the 1991 Rodney King beating in Los Angeles was captured on tape, you'd think that police would be more careful with suspects -- especially now that many squads have "dash cams.''

Yet that painful history apparently wasn't on the minds of a half dozen Minneapolis officers last winter. In February, Brooklyn Center resident Derryl Jenkins, 43, was stopped by Minneapolis police at about 3 a.m. on the city's North Side. After a scuffle with arresting officer Richard Walker, several additional officers arrived and began punching and kicking Jenkins, who was on the ground. The officer's reports say they delivered the blows because Jenkins was resisting arrest. But the now widely viewed video of the incident appears to tell a different story.

So different that after seeing it, Hennepin County officials dropped all police charges against Jenkins and reinstated his driver's license. And, after reviewing the tape this week, Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan said he was concerned about the kicks his officers delivered. The video prompted the chief to take the unusual, and wise, step of asking the FBI to investigate the incident.

But that's about where the good conduct on the part of the Police Department ends in this case. For the sake of justice and the peace of mind of residents, the FBI and Police Department internal affairs reviews should answer these questions:

•Though it is certainly not true of all officers, the Minneapolis Police Department has a history of trouble with brutality. In fact, the city has paid out more than $14 million in settlements and other liability payouts for police misconduct since 2000. What can be done to address the disturbing pattern?

•Observers and critics say questionable behavior has been part of the department's culture for years. Yet five out of the six officers involved in the Jenkins case had less than three years on the force. What kind of training did they receive?

While Jenkins and his lawyer are pleased about the FBI probe, they are still keeping their "options open'' about legal action against the department. At first "embarrassed and humiliated,'' Jenkins says he decided to go public with the video after charges against him were dropped. And he was further encouraged to tell his story after Harvard Prof. Henry Louis Gates was recently arrested in his own Boston home. Like Gates, Jenkins hopes his treatment by police can be a teachable moment that prevents further incidents.

In too many cases, that result has eluded Minneapolis police. Despite dozens of police-community meetings, hours upon hours of training and a federally mediated agreement to work on sensitivity and diversity issues, problems with excessive force continue.

Once again, the Jenkins case shows how critical it is to select officers with the right temperament and train them well. And it demonstrates that the city must do more to see that cops don't abuse their power and authority over citizens.