The community of Ferguson, Missouri has a lot of healing to do in the upcoming months; some say police there can and should take a few lessons from how the LAPD handled their city after the Rodney King riots.

More than 50 people died in the LA riots.  Back then, many saw the Los Angeles Police Department as an "occupying army" of sorts-  they certainly didn't seem like a police force.

A lot has changed in Southern California in the past 22 years.  The federal government stepped in to help transform the department.  They also worked to get a new police chief appointed.

Sure, the Ferguson PD boasts just 53 officers- a far cry from the 10,000 boots on the ground in Los Angeles, but that town can learn quite a bit from how the LAPD handled the post-King mayhem in terms of how to best pick up the pieces.

Rebuilding trust

One of the first things that will need to happen is to start rebuilding trust between the police department and the community.

22 years ago, the federal government looked at the LAPD and said they were prepared to sue the city for its ongoing pattern of police misconduct.

The city managed to avoid being sued, but they were required to sign a consent decree that allowed the federal government to oversee the department as it started to make changes.   The first thing that happened, according to sources, was hiring officers in such a way that the LAPD became more representative of the city's population.

The citizen complaint procedures, officer training and discipline were all re-examined.  Term limits were implemented for the Chief of Police.

Ultimately, it was a wake-up call for law enforcement agencies all over the United States.  None of them wanted to follow in the LAPD's footsteps and everyone wanted to avoid having the feds step in and take over.

Repairing the department

LA's then-mayor appointed a commission that was charged with looking at the structure and operations of the LAPD,  From there, the inspector general was given the authority to initiate investigations and audits without needing to get authorization from the police commission.

When the next chief was appointed, he worked very hard to build and regain public trust. By the time he left that position many felt the difference between the old and the new LAPD was like night and day.

US Attorney Eric Holder has said the government will do a thorough investigation of the Ferguson PD and will try to get to the bottom of why an unarmed teenager was shot and killed.

They're also going to examine all of the stops, arrests and searches that have been made by department officers.  The FPD has released a statement saying they welcome the investigation.

The victim's family said they also feel that full transparency is the only way the community can start to heal.  Their ultimate goal is to make sure what happened to their son never happens again.

At the same time, many are hopeful that the death of Michael Brown will have the same impact on Ferguson that the aftermath of the Rodney King riots had in LA.