Jun 26, 11:47 PM EDT LAPD Chief to Review Flashlight Policy By MASON STOCKSTILL Associated Press Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Police Chief William Bratton says he will review the department's policy on using flashlights as weapons after a Los Angeles police officer repeatedly struck a black man in a beating that has inflamed tensions in the city. Last week's beating of a suspected car thief - which was caught on videotape - has drawn comparisons to the 1991 beating of motorist Rodney King. On Saturday, Bratton met with black clergy and community leaders to assure them that the investigation would be complete and open. "We must get at the truth," said John Mack, president of the Urban League of Los Angeles. Three officers involved in Stanley Miller's beating will be investigated to determine whether they used excessive force. A total of eight officers have been placed on desk duty as authorities investigate. Los Angeles police are allowed to use flashlights to deliver "distraction strikes" if someone is resisting arrest. "I'm going to review that practice, that authorization," said Bratton, former head of the New York Police Department. "Back East, we did not have similar authorization." Bratton said he will review videotaped witness statements and look into the backgrounds of the officers involved. The police chief declined comment, however, on a report in the Los Angeles Times that Officer John J. Hatfield told investigators he struck Miller with a flashlight because another officer warned the suspect had a gun. The object was later revealed to be a pair of wire cutters, the newspaper reported, citing anonymous sources. Miller's defense lawyer, Mark Werksman, was unsure whether his client had wire cutters but said the beating was unjustified. Latest News LAPD Chief to Review Flashlight Policy Egypt Prepares to Train Palestinian Police Three Arrested After Calif. Car Chase "It's preposterous for the police to assert now that one of them saw a gun, and that justified hitting Mr. Miller 11 times with a flashlight when he was already pinned on the ground and being handcuffed," Werksman said. The Los Angeles chapter of the NAACP also condemned the beating as "an ugly case of police brutality." Prosecutors have declined to file charges against Miller, 36, in the alleged car theft, although he remains jailed on a parole violation. © 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Purchase this AP story for reprint.