When Dr. Angelo E. Gousse, a black urology specialist, visited Los Angeles on February 11, 2001 to deliver a talk at UCLA Medical Center he was in for more than he bargained for. After leaving the talk he was stopped in his 2001 Ford Taurus rental car by officers of the LAPD. In a short time his car was surrounded by numerous black-and-whites, a police helicopter circled noisily overhead, he was sprawled face first on the pavement, and police officers answered his repeated questions of what he had done by ignoring him.

After being restrained he complained that the cuffs were too tight, causing numbness in his hands. After arriving at the Rampart Station he again complained of numbness and was told by an unidentified officer, "Hey, you're in Los Angeles, California."

Stopped before 10pm on the Santa Monica freeway, he was released before 2am with no explanation of why he had been stopped and why he was retained. In fact it was unclear where exactly the stop had occurred and why it was made by officers of the Rampart Division, a division located several miles away.

He filed a claim against the Los Angeles Police Department, accusing officers of racial profiling and excessive force. He said the injuries he suffered caused nerve damage to his hands, which keep him from performing surgeries or driving.

Is this just an odd occurrence? Not so according to a suit filed on behalf of five men with experiences similar to Gousse by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. The suit resulted in a consent decree requiring LAPD officers to fill out a form on each motorist or pedestrian they stop. They must answer about a dozen questions, including: Of what "apparent descent" is the person (white, black, Hispanic, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, American Indian or other)? Was the person frisked? Why was the person stopped?

Update. April 22, 2002: The resolution has been upheld on appeal. See the Judgment in PDF format.