This is for my friend and mentor, the Angel of Death. Thanks for always pointing me in the right direction even if you don't know it.
So I'm a young P-II dog as we call it, or a regular police officer. Slick sleeves. No stripes, no hashmarks on the sleeve to show any kind of rank or noticeable time on the job yet. I'm out there trying to make my bones. I'm working a specialized Z car detail in The Jungles, hunting for the bad guys. Z car means we are on special detail (permanent until further notice in this case). The folks in the unit, well, we only handle the calls that come out in the Jungles. No other calls, no nonsense. We drum up our own business and catch what we clean that comes out of our assigned area.
The Jungles. Chief Bratton specifically ordered us to refer to it as "Lower Baldwin Village." But all the locals call it The Jungles. Not because it was particularly overgrown. Not because the population was historically minority, specifically African-American. No. Not because of that.
Because it was once beautiful. A verdant, leafy oasis for working-class folks in the heart of a residential area, bordered by Crenshaw and MLK Blvd. Scant blocks away from where the body of the Black Dahlia was found. A collection of apartments just below the hills of The Dons, The Black Beverly Hills. Apartment living with a pool in the courtyard of every building! Just under one square mile of living close to everything! Minutes from downtown! Minutes to the airport! Flora and fauna as far as the eye could see and the southern crown? Jim Gilliam Park, named after a Negro League and Major League Baseball (Dodgers) player and coach who died to young.
Well...fast forward to 2005. Lower Baldwin Village is now heavily entrenched with Black P-Stone Gangmembers (look it up on wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_P._Stones ) The apartments are mostly Section 8 now. Most of the pools are filled in with concrete, dirt and beer bottles.
I'm working with my longtime partner, we'll call him Jack. Jack and I are wrapping up for the night, about 0100 hours, heading eastbound August toward Santa Rosalia. We see a young male on the south sidewalk, travelling westbound. Riding on the sidewalk. No-no. Cant' do that. And no bike light, either. Bingo. Time for a stop. Could be a gangster. Could be a parolee-at-large. Who knows?
See, that's the fun. Forrest was right. Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.
So we hook a u-turn and order him to stop. No big deal. I get out. "Hey man, where's your bike light? Lay the bike down." SLAM. HE BOLTS. NORTHBOUND THROUGH THE GATE OF THE APARTMENT BUILDING. OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT, PARTNER....HE'S RUNNING.
I'm on him, three steps back, but I'm on him. He clears the whole courtyard in a few steps. He tries to scale the fence at the rear of the courtyard and I grab his leg, pulling, pulling - DAMN IT! He's over! I rush through the back gate. I'm running behind him westbound through the rear alley. We are flying top speed. CRAP CRAP CRAP! DOES HE HAVE A GUN? IS HE WANTED? WHAT THE HELL? WHERE'S MY PARTNER?
We run the distance of the alley and what the hell have I got? Why is this fool running from me? About 40 of the longest, hardest yards later, this guy turns the corner onto Nicolet and I lose him. I'm thinking...GEEZ I'M OUT OF BREATH FOR NOTHING! WHAT THE HELL! THIS GUY JUST TOOK OFF.
Then I hear a car pulling up next to me. I'm out of breath, suspect is in the wind...I look over to my left...hahaha. It's my partner! Sitting in the passenger side of what looks like a 2000 Honda Accord yelling, "PARTNER, WHICH WAY DID HE GO? WHAT WAS HE WEARING?"
See, Jack, smart guy that he is (and in way better shape then me) sees me run off after the suspect. As the driver, he has to: 1.) Secure our police vehicle by rolling up the windows, locking all doors and removing the keys and 2.) Come after me to lend assistance if needed.
After locking the car, he enters the alley and encounters a resident on his way home from work who yells , " Hey man, your partner went thataway! Hop in! I'll give you a ride."
So Jack, with a couple years as an officer, in full LAPD uniform, with his persuasive style, professional demeanor and in the best interests of his partner........
COMMANDEERS A CITIZEN'S VEHICLE.
Really folks. I can't make this stuff up. They burn around the corner but the suspect is long gone and I am out of breath. And starting to chuckle a little. Then laugh as I catch my breath.
Bad guy got away, but me and Jack! Oh we still laugh over that one. Thanks, partner. You showed me you can get further with a kind word and a badge than with just a kind word.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
A Day Out for Momma Leads to a Kidnap!
So about 3 months ago, I'm working with this nice probationary officer, about 10 years younger than me. Good guy. Good head on his shoulders and has previous experience working in LA County jails as a jailer. But I will tell you, in the 28 day deployment period we worked together, our car was the ultimate cluster magnet.
Case in point, the call I like to call "Mamma's Day Out!" We respond to a radio call of a missing person from a nursing home / assisted living building not far from the station. Nice place, newer, and all the amenities. On the way, I'm quizzing this officer wtih the standard questions. How do we handle a missing person? What makes it a critical missing? What paperwork do we use? Who should we notify and who shall we notify? And to be honest, he's doing a good job with the answers. He pays attention and asks questions when unsure. So we go inside and meet with a person there, advise the reason of our visit. We're taken upstairs to a "lockdown" area. This must be where they keep the alzheimer patients, dementia residents, etc. Smart. You don't want them to wander off.
Through the course of the interview, we find out that the missing person is about 90 years old, has dementia and is somewhat medically fragile. And guess what? Whoops! They let her adult son (in his 50s) waltz her out of there for lunch! That was yesterday morning.
Crap.
Oh, and she has some money. And her adult daughter and son-in-law live nearby and they are not happy, having been notified by the staff that morning. In addition, Momma has two (thats right, 2) executors to cover her financial and legal rights. One in Nevada (Las Vegas is full of retirees and nursing homes) and one in Los Angeles. And they're not talking to each other. And no one seems to know where Momma is at. But the manager of that floor explains that she is sure, based on the history she knows of this woman's family, that the son took her back to Nevada. The daughter is supposed to be responsible for Momma. The son only comes to visit once a month.
I grab the mike on my radio, "Yeah, let me get another unit and a supervisor to my location." I'm thinking, this could be a bona fide kidnap. We might have to contact the FBI. Supervisor gets there, we determine a little bit more, like, turns out that the daughter has done the same thing about 2 years ago. Snatched Momma from her nursing home in Nevada and brought her here to our sleepy beachside community.
Guess what, folks? It's all about the money. Momma's got it, and in her late stages of life, the kids just want to make sure they get as much of it as they can before she shuffles of this mortal coil. You have to feel sorry for Momma, thinking she's going out to lunch with her darling boy and next thing you know she's on the freeway enroute to Vegas.
Well, we get everyone involved, detectives, notify the watch commander, call a few people for advice and even have the LA legal executor come to the senior home. Guess what? Turns out there was supposed to be hearing the following day! The LA executor was supposed to take over ALL responsibilities for this lady! And now she's gone...surprise-surprise-surprise.
Sidenote: There is one detective who works robbery who came to this call...we know each other from working at another division a few years ago. She sees me and my rookies on a call now and she just starts shaking her head! "Damn, man! Always a cluster with you! Haha. Always have to be some old lady kidnapped, home invasion, aliens coming up the beach type, streets on fire, you chasing someone across town on a unicycle or somethin' when you're around!" And she's right. HAHA. She's right.
Well, turns out that when she calls the executor in Nevada, she pulls no punches and they come correct, if you get my meaning. Telling someone they may be accessory to kidnap sort of causes the information flow to turn from a trickle to a river! Turns out Momma was safe and sound back in a nice nursing home in Vegas. Las Vegas Metro PD was able to confirm it.
And the best part was, for once, patrol officers and supervisors didn't take a single report. Detectives took the ball and ran and told us we could clear the scene. They would handle it as a possible elder abuse. Thanks, guys. That was the best training I could have given my guy and one he won't soon forget.
Back to the car, back on the air, "Show me clear and send me any calls you have holding." I love this job.
Case in point, the call I like to call "Mamma's Day Out!" We respond to a radio call of a missing person from a nursing home / assisted living building not far from the station. Nice place, newer, and all the amenities. On the way, I'm quizzing this officer wtih the standard questions. How do we handle a missing person? What makes it a critical missing? What paperwork do we use? Who should we notify and who shall we notify? And to be honest, he's doing a good job with the answers. He pays attention and asks questions when unsure. So we go inside and meet with a person there, advise the reason of our visit. We're taken upstairs to a "lockdown" area. This must be where they keep the alzheimer patients, dementia residents, etc. Smart. You don't want them to wander off.
Through the course of the interview, we find out that the missing person is about 90 years old, has dementia and is somewhat medically fragile. And guess what? Whoops! They let her adult son (in his 50s) waltz her out of there for lunch! That was yesterday morning.
Crap.
Oh, and she has some money. And her adult daughter and son-in-law live nearby and they are not happy, having been notified by the staff that morning. In addition, Momma has two (thats right, 2) executors to cover her financial and legal rights. One in Nevada (Las Vegas is full of retirees and nursing homes) and one in Los Angeles. And they're not talking to each other. And no one seems to know where Momma is at. But the manager of that floor explains that she is sure, based on the history she knows of this woman's family, that the son took her back to Nevada. The daughter is supposed to be responsible for Momma. The son only comes to visit once a month.
I grab the mike on my radio, "Yeah, let me get another unit and a supervisor to my location." I'm thinking, this could be a bona fide kidnap. We might have to contact the FBI. Supervisor gets there, we determine a little bit more, like, turns out that the daughter has done the same thing about 2 years ago. Snatched Momma from her nursing home in Nevada and brought her here to our sleepy beachside community.
Guess what, folks? It's all about the money. Momma's got it, and in her late stages of life, the kids just want to make sure they get as much of it as they can before she shuffles of this mortal coil. You have to feel sorry for Momma, thinking she's going out to lunch with her darling boy and next thing you know she's on the freeway enroute to Vegas.
Well, we get everyone involved, detectives, notify the watch commander, call a few people for advice and even have the LA legal executor come to the senior home. Guess what? Turns out there was supposed to be hearing the following day! The LA executor was supposed to take over ALL responsibilities for this lady! And now she's gone...surprise-surprise-surprise.
Sidenote: There is one detective who works robbery who came to this call...we know each other from working at another division a few years ago. She sees me and my rookies on a call now and she just starts shaking her head! "Damn, man! Always a cluster with you! Haha. Always have to be some old lady kidnapped, home invasion, aliens coming up the beach type, streets on fire, you chasing someone across town on a unicycle or somethin' when you're around!" And she's right. HAHA. She's right.
Well, turns out that when she calls the executor in Nevada, she pulls no punches and they come correct, if you get my meaning. Telling someone they may be accessory to kidnap sort of causes the information flow to turn from a trickle to a river! Turns out Momma was safe and sound back in a nice nursing home in Vegas. Las Vegas Metro PD was able to confirm it.
And the best part was, for once, patrol officers and supervisors didn't take a single report. Detectives took the ball and ran and told us we could clear the scene. They would handle it as a possible elder abuse. Thanks, guys. That was the best training I could have given my guy and one he won't soon forget.
Back to the car, back on the air, "Show me clear and send me any calls you have holding." I love this job.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Enjoy this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HoquUdlSfo&NR=1
Off for a while and sorry for that. Had a bit of vacation time and enjoyed it!
Past few weeks back have been a blur. The LAPD, specifically our sworn employees union, is negotiating with the city for a new contract. I don't doubt they are doing the best they can. And in a city this big, with this kind of economy, well...everyone is feeling the pinch.
There is no overtime. Expect to hand over your arrestee and evidence at EOW (End of Watch) to the next unit so you can prevent overtime. We are REALLY managing our time effectively now. In all fairness, this should be the norm, but it isn't. I am all for hiring 10,000 more officers over the next five years if we can. Build more police and fire stations right next to each other.
I feel for the guys who bought too expensive a house, too many cycles, one more trophy handgun. I told an old partner of mine that you know when it's bad, when you come to work and look at the employee billboard filled with SeaDoos and boats for sale. Coppers hate giving up their toys more than a 5-year old!
Back to the lecture at hand. When will these states and cities wake up and spend MORE on schools, police and fire instead of spending less. The more educated our populace, the greater benefit to society as a whole. Here in the Peoples Republic of California, we continue to fund and build prisons and jails at an alarming rate. Meanwhile, the amortized burden of that is borne upon the backs of our kids in the UC college system, with 10% or more in tuition hikes that they will be trying to reconcile for the next 15 years.
Good job.
I'm no socialist, but the more people that go to college the less IDIOTS out on the street.
On a lighter note, I want to minimize LA's crime burden by issuing a Cease and Desist order to HUD for all future Section 8 housing applications. Go the F*&% away. LA doesn't want you. And if you can't get off Section 8 in the next 5 years, guess what? You're cut off. And if you can't afford to live here - MOVE. Let market forces decide who lives here and who doesn't. Let market forces decide if we need to put in better public transit to get people here.
In the area I work, there is a master-planned community with apartments, condominiums, townhouses, etc. Beautiful shops, parks, close the everything. But guess what? A bunch of people living there are Section 8, and some of them are the same miserable, no account F*&%s that I dealt with in other areas of the city. And now the car burglaries and residential burgs are up! Well, when you don't have a job, the government is paying for your apartment, SSI is paying for your "bad back" and you have all day to case houses....hmmmmmm?
But, all that said, everyone knows how thankful I am to have a job. I say it every day. I tell everyone, and give thanks to the Lord above for being a sworn Los Angeles Police Officer. I will NOT get furloughed. I will NOT be fired. I will NOT be downsized. I will NOT be early-retired. I will NOT be promoted anytime soon either, but hey, I have the best job in the world right now.
I work the streets.
And as an old training officer once said, "You gonna work the streets or let the streets work you? You gonna be out there making moves, making lives better for people or you gonna let the whole thing wash over you like a wave? You work the STREETS. You work the JOB! Never let the job work you."
Thank you brave citizens of Los Angeles. You often surprise me, sometimes you have let me down, but you never bore me. And quite a few of you lift me up on a daily basis. The waves and thanks are always appreciated.
Watch your six.
Off for a while and sorry for that. Had a bit of vacation time and enjoyed it!
Past few weeks back have been a blur. The LAPD, specifically our sworn employees union, is negotiating with the city for a new contract. I don't doubt they are doing the best they can. And in a city this big, with this kind of economy, well...everyone is feeling the pinch.
There is no overtime. Expect to hand over your arrestee and evidence at EOW (End of Watch) to the next unit so you can prevent overtime. We are REALLY managing our time effectively now. In all fairness, this should be the norm, but it isn't. I am all for hiring 10,000 more officers over the next five years if we can. Build more police and fire stations right next to each other.
I feel for the guys who bought too expensive a house, too many cycles, one more trophy handgun. I told an old partner of mine that you know when it's bad, when you come to work and look at the employee billboard filled with SeaDoos and boats for sale. Coppers hate giving up their toys more than a 5-year old!
Back to the lecture at hand. When will these states and cities wake up and spend MORE on schools, police and fire instead of spending less. The more educated our populace, the greater benefit to society as a whole. Here in the Peoples Republic of California, we continue to fund and build prisons and jails at an alarming rate. Meanwhile, the amortized burden of that is borne upon the backs of our kids in the UC college system, with 10% or more in tuition hikes that they will be trying to reconcile for the next 15 years.
Good job.
I'm no socialist, but the more people that go to college the less IDIOTS out on the street.
On a lighter note, I want to minimize LA's crime burden by issuing a Cease and Desist order to HUD for all future Section 8 housing applications. Go the F*&% away. LA doesn't want you. And if you can't get off Section 8 in the next 5 years, guess what? You're cut off. And if you can't afford to live here - MOVE. Let market forces decide who lives here and who doesn't. Let market forces decide if we need to put in better public transit to get people here.
In the area I work, there is a master-planned community with apartments, condominiums, townhouses, etc. Beautiful shops, parks, close the everything. But guess what? A bunch of people living there are Section 8, and some of them are the same miserable, no account F*&%s that I dealt with in other areas of the city. And now the car burglaries and residential burgs are up! Well, when you don't have a job, the government is paying for your apartment, SSI is paying for your "bad back" and you have all day to case houses....hmmmmmm?
But, all that said, everyone knows how thankful I am to have a job. I say it every day. I tell everyone, and give thanks to the Lord above for being a sworn Los Angeles Police Officer. I will NOT get furloughed. I will NOT be fired. I will NOT be downsized. I will NOT be early-retired. I will NOT be promoted anytime soon either, but hey, I have the best job in the world right now.
I work the streets.
And as an old training officer once said, "You gonna work the streets or let the streets work you? You gonna be out there making moves, making lives better for people or you gonna let the whole thing wash over you like a wave? You work the STREETS. You work the JOB! Never let the job work you."
Thank you brave citizens of Los Angeles. You often surprise me, sometimes you have let me down, but you never bore me. And quite a few of you lift me up on a daily basis. The waves and thanks are always appreciated.
Watch your six.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Fakin' The Funk or Get Outta Jail By Playing Sick
A few months ago (try early August 2009) I get a call of a vandalism / trespass suspect at a local hotel on Century Blvd. It is still early in the day, around 1100 hours, so we head over to try and handle the call quickly and move on. I figure it is probably some panhandler or some guest at the hotel who broke something.
Well, wrong, wrong, and wrong again. When we get there, turns out the guy is in custody in the security office. Apparently, he is a FREQUENT panhandler at the location. So much so that they have photographed him and ordered him to stay away. But, sensible guy that he is, do you think he listened? NO! I mean, this is a down economy! A guy has to work hard for the money, right?
This goofball, he's sitting on the floor, complaining that the handcuffs are one too tight and everything else. So we switch cuffs and run him for warrants. Surprise, surprise, surprise, as Gomer Pyle used to say, he's wanted for a bunch of stuff. Time for this hobo to go-go. He's no kid, been arrested before, he knows the dance. But that doesn't keep him from begging the whole way to the police station about letting him get a break, and letting him go and on and on and on and "Dude, be quiet. You sound like one of my kids. Stop whining and act like a man! Go to jail, clear your warrants, you'll be out in a few. You got more time than money."
We get him to the station, get the paperwork ready to book, everything is signed...suddenly it's Academy Award time. I mean, this guy fakes the funk with the best of them. Chest pains, arm pains, my head hurts, I need a doctor....all bull. But this is LAPD! We call this guy an ambulance and LA Fire Dept has to transport Defendant Dumbass to a contract hospital to clear him for booking.
Did I mention that my "rookie" partner used to be Los Angeles County Sheriff's Jailer? We did everything we could to keep from laughing at this guy at the hospital. His act was about as transparent as the wrap you put over the leftovers. He refused tests (because they would obviously show he was full of it...full of $@#*) and even began to talk slower and rasp his voice. At one point I think we even clapped for his performance. He was fake-dying with the best of them. And yet, we treated him courteously, the doctors treated him courteously and professionally- even though he was an idiot. But whenever the doctors left, he told my partner and I in a perfectly pain-free, unstressed, totally coherent voice, "Fuck you guys, I ain't going to no fuckin' jail and you can't make me." This went on for awhile. And then he said he wanted to make a complaint about the service.
I had enough. I called a supervisor, because that's what we do. Thank you Consent Decree. The supervisor, an experienced and respected field veteran of over 20 years, came to my aid and I filled said expert in on the details. We all went in, left the door open, the suspect said (on tape) that he had no complaint against any of us, that we had been fair to him, but he didn't want to go to jail. Then, in the interest of gathering information about any possible misconduct by officers, the supervisor made my partner and I leave the room.
The door closed.
A minute elapsed.
The door opened.
The supervisor had a smile.
"Everything's OK guys! He'll go to jail, no more problems."
The supervisor patted us on the back. "Good job today."
The supervisor left the hospital.
The arrestee was suddenly healed, friendly and happy.
We transported him to 77th Jail for booking without further incident.
Don't let anyone tell you that experience doesn't count. They don't have the experience and they don't count.
We get him to the station, get the paperwork ready to book, everything is signed...suddenly it's Academy Award time. I mean, this guy fakes the funk with the best of them. Chest pains, arm pains, my head hurts, I need a doctor....all bull. But this is LAPD! We call this guy an ambulance and LA Fire Dept has to transport Defendant Dumbass to a contract hospital to clear him for booking.
Did I mention that my "rookie" partner used to be Los Angeles County Sheriff's Jailer? We did everything we could to keep from laughing at this guy at the hospital. His act was about as transparent as the wrap you put over the leftovers. He refused tests (because they would obviously show he was full of it...full of $@#*) and even began to talk slower and rasp his voice. At one point I think we even clapped for his performance. He was fake-dying with the best of them. And yet, we treated him courteously, the doctors treated him courteously and professionally- even though he was an idiot. But whenever the doctors left, he told my partner and I in a perfectly pain-free, unstressed, totally coherent voice, "Fuck you guys, I ain't going to no fuckin' jail and you can't make me." This went on for awhile. And then he said he wanted to make a complaint about the service.
I had enough. I called a supervisor, because that's what we do. Thank you Consent Decree. The supervisor, an experienced and respected field veteran of over 20 years, came to my aid and I filled said expert in on the details. We all went in, left the door open, the suspect said (on tape) that he had no complaint against any of us, that we had been fair to him, but he didn't want to go to jail. Then, in the interest of gathering information about any possible misconduct by officers, the supervisor made my partner and I leave the room.
The door closed.
A minute elapsed.
The door opened.
The supervisor had a smile.
"Everything's OK guys! He'll go to jail, no more problems."
The supervisor patted us on the back. "Good job today."
The supervisor left the hospital.
The arrestee was suddenly healed, friendly and happy.
We transported him to 77th Jail for booking without further incident.
Don't let anyone tell you that experience doesn't count. They don't have the experience and they don't count.
Support Your Local Gunfighter!
This is a response I wrote to all the nonsense comments posted regarding this article:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009618456_webdeputyshooting07m.html
Before everyone jumps to conclusions, let us look at a few things. This story has few details, probably alot more than the deputy on duty got before this ended in a shooting. A great headline that really grabs you sells papers but doesn't tell the story. We need to offer Kidlit (another commenter) our condolences because that was apparently his family member that died.
As an officer, I find all the posts interesting. Read my past comments by clicking on my screen name and you will see that I try to be fair but I am biased FOR police officers. That said, the investigation has just begun and may take months to complete. Do officers get exonerated in a righteous shoot? Sure, to some degree, but you still have to live with yourself. Might you go to federal prison as an officer if you murdered someone needlessly? Yes, that can happen too.
For someone to comment that "people who choose to serve our community usually get into the gig not because it was a passion, but because they didnt know what they wanted to do with themselves" is a grossly reckless and irresponsible characterization of a vast group of public servants who are safeguarding so many people on a daily basis. And yeah, you're welcome!
Your training, department policy and experience dictates how you react in the middle of the night on a dark road with a potentially life-threatening scenario. So many people choose to jump to the conclusion that the deputy was some jack-booted thug out trampling all over people's rights so he can be a big man. Most likely, he is a guy with a few years on who wanted to go home at the end of his shift like everyone else.
For those of you who PERPETUALLY JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS, as I have seen in here so frequently, let me give you some anecdotal evidence. As a Los Angeles Police Officer I have seen more domestic violence calls, more burglaries, more robberies and WAY more 5150 (man/woman with mental illness)callouts in the past 6 months than I have seen in a long time. Some people are fearful, they are struggling and they are hurting. Until we get a toxicology report, we won't know what the deceased had in his bloodstream, if anything. We won't know the tactics and chain of events of this situation until the shooting team is done with their investigation.
Please people, reserve judgement until a later date. It is not the hate-filled world some of you believe, neither is it all sweetness and light. I tell my trainees that the most important thing we do everyday is when we have to take away someone's freedom. We have a Bill of Rights! You cannot take that lightly! But sometimes you are confronted by situations that do not allow for less-than-lethal force. Sometimes you can't talk to people anymore. Sometimes you have to explode with violence so you can go home to your kids and wife. And when the suspect or mentally ill person submits and you can handcuff them and secure them...you stop and do the right thing. Take them to jail or have them mentally evaluated.
There are plenty of great headlines about police shootings and people dying at the hands of police. They always say "The officer shot him" and they always say "the suspect ALLEGEDLY" did something to get shot. Even in such a statement, you see that the SUSPECT gets the benefit of the doubt but not the officer. It is like the media says" We for sure know this cop killed someone, but we doubt the suspect did something to deserve it."
Officer involved shooting stories lead the news...but not the stories of all the confrontations that ended peacefully or without incident. I worked 60 hours in 4 short days of typical duty a week ago. I handled reports, arrests, arrestee transfers, building searches, a home invasion investigation, callouts for mentally ill persons and a number of other crazy radio calls. But no one died and I had no use of force reports. The past three days I located a missing senior citizen that was kidnapped by a relative, sat in a hospital with an arrestee who was faking a back injury and no one died. My colleagues did similar work, outstanding work in this city of over 3 million. But the headlines read, "Officer shoots some poor guy who didn't deserve it."
What they don't say is that THOUSANDS of officers have died in the line of duty. On traffic stops, on suspicious person calls, on man down calls, on DUI investigations, and YES SOMETIMES TRYING TO SAVE SOMEONE'S LIFE. Just take a look: http://www.nleomf.com/TheMemorial/facts.htm
The facts on this shooting are not all in yet, people. Remember that.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009618456_webdeputyshooting07m.html
Before everyone jumps to conclusions, let us look at a few things. This story has few details, probably alot more than the deputy on duty got before this ended in a shooting. A great headline that really grabs you sells papers but doesn't tell the story. We need to offer Kidlit (another commenter) our condolences because that was apparently his family member that died.
As an officer, I find all the posts interesting. Read my past comments by clicking on my screen name and you will see that I try to be fair but I am biased FOR police officers. That said, the investigation has just begun and may take months to complete. Do officers get exonerated in a righteous shoot? Sure, to some degree, but you still have to live with yourself. Might you go to federal prison as an officer if you murdered someone needlessly? Yes, that can happen too.
For someone to comment that "people who choose to serve our community usually get into the gig not because it was a passion, but because they didnt know what they wanted to do with themselves" is a grossly reckless and irresponsible characterization of a vast group of public servants who are safeguarding so many people on a daily basis. And yeah, you're welcome!
Your training, department policy and experience dictates how you react in the middle of the night on a dark road with a potentially life-threatening scenario. So many people choose to jump to the conclusion that the deputy was some jack-booted thug out trampling all over people's rights so he can be a big man. Most likely, he is a guy with a few years on who wanted to go home at the end of his shift like everyone else.
For those of you who PERPETUALLY JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS, as I have seen in here so frequently, let me give you some anecdotal evidence. As a Los Angeles Police Officer I have seen more domestic violence calls, more burglaries, more robberies and WAY more 5150 (man/woman with mental illness)callouts in the past 6 months than I have seen in a long time. Some people are fearful, they are struggling and they are hurting. Until we get a toxicology report, we won't know what the deceased had in his bloodstream, if anything. We won't know the tactics and chain of events of this situation until the shooting team is done with their investigation.
Please people, reserve judgement until a later date. It is not the hate-filled world some of you believe, neither is it all sweetness and light. I tell my trainees that the most important thing we do everyday is when we have to take away someone's freedom. We have a Bill of Rights! You cannot take that lightly! But sometimes you are confronted by situations that do not allow for less-than-lethal force. Sometimes you can't talk to people anymore. Sometimes you have to explode with violence so you can go home to your kids and wife. And when the suspect or mentally ill person submits and you can handcuff them and secure them...you stop and do the right thing. Take them to jail or have them mentally evaluated.
There are plenty of great headlines about police shootings and people dying at the hands of police. They always say "The officer shot him" and they always say "the suspect ALLEGEDLY" did something to get shot. Even in such a statement, you see that the SUSPECT gets the benefit of the doubt but not the officer. It is like the media says" We for sure know this cop killed someone, but we doubt the suspect did something to deserve it."
Officer involved shooting stories lead the news...but not the stories of all the confrontations that ended peacefully or without incident. I worked 60 hours in 4 short days of typical duty a week ago. I handled reports, arrests, arrestee transfers, building searches, a home invasion investigation, callouts for mentally ill persons and a number of other crazy radio calls. But no one died and I had no use of force reports. The past three days I located a missing senior citizen that was kidnapped by a relative, sat in a hospital with an arrestee who was faking a back injury and no one died. My colleagues did similar work, outstanding work in this city of over 3 million. But the headlines read, "Officer shoots some poor guy who didn't deserve it."
What they don't say is that THOUSANDS of officers have died in the line of duty. On traffic stops, on suspicious person calls, on man down calls, on DUI investigations, and YES SOMETIMES TRYING TO SAVE SOMEONE'S LIFE. Just take a look: http://www.nleomf.com/TheMemorial/facts.htm
The facts on this shooting are not all in yet, people. Remember that.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Bye-bye Consent Decree!
For the past eight years, the Los Angeles Police Department has been under a federally-monitored and mandated Consent Decree. It has caused the implementation of WAY more activity at Parker Center. It has made line officers beholden to many more levels of review. And for the whole of my career, I have had to operate under the rules and oversight of the Consent Decree. You had to hear that word everyday. And you know what it's done for me?
Not a fucking thing.
If anything, the Consent Decree (same letters as Crushingly Draconian or Can't Deliver or Critically Damaged or Controlled Diplomacy) took a highly bureaucratic, paperwork-laden big-city police agency and made it . . . . much more highly bureaucratic and paperwork-laden. But now - NEW AND IMPROVED - with everyone looking over everyone else's shoulder like Caucescu's Romania.
I've been accused in more nonsensical bullshit complaints by two-bit gangsters trying to get me off the street than I ever would have been subjected to at Torrance or Manhattan or Newport Beach Police Department. And even though some of them were BULLSHIT on their face, it went to full investigation. Thanks Consent Decree!
I've been responsible for more penny-ante paperwork than I ever thought possible. The slogan on the door should read: "LAPD, We Do More With Less! But Not Less Paperwork!" That means less manpower, less public support and less, less, less officers in the street. Citizens, when it takes forever for an officer to show up, say "Thanks, Consent Decree!"
I have to do the job of the Jailer, the Property Clerk, the butcher, the baker and the friggin' candlestick maker because I spend about 6 hours of a 12 hour day just trying to outthink all these knuckleheads while I do what SHOULD BE their job. Hell, the jailers don't have to worry about the body until the last possible moment. I am responsible for these maggots from minutes 1 through 59 per hour. Then I'm off to label, list, account for, issue a receipt for and book evidence and property. Then I have to transport my sick arrestee all over the city for a medical service and on and on and on ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Thanks, Consent Decree!
And then, at roll call the next morning, the poor Lieutenant has to pass down the directive. We are all behind on traffic citations and the How can we save lives at these major intersections unless we write speeders and slow people down to prevent accidents? speech comes out. Even though he or she knows that we have so many pogues and slugs sitting downtown monitoring the consent decree that we could field a whole other division of officers. Thanks, Consent Decree!
The Consent Decree did help me buy a new house, what with all the overtime for paperwork and crap you have to fill out. I have a detective friend who used to joke that a robbery or homicide meant a new pair of shoes, because, Daddy, that callout to the scene is overtime! Of course, we are not really that cynical, but you have to stay motivated to do the excellent police work we do.
I think it will be a great time again here in La-La Land with no Consent Decree. Not everyone agrees with me, as this excerpt from Zach Behrens July 21, 2009 http://www.laist.com/ article shows:
“We’re disappointed by the judge’s decision. The department has made substantial progress under Chief Bratton, but there’s still too much evidence that skin color makes a difference in who is stopped, questioned and arrested by the LAPD,” said Mark Rosenbaum, legal director of the ACLU/SC. “We look to the Police Commission to work diligently to help keep the department focused on the goal of removing racial bias from its policing.” Last year the organization released a report titled "Racial Profiling & The LAPD: A Study of Racially Disparate Outcomes in the Los Angeles Police Department."
Chief William Bratton basically told them to go suck on an egg. “I resent their continuing intent to try to infer that this department engages in racial profiling,” Bratton said. “The ACLU needs to basically get off it and move on, because this city is moving on and we’re going to leave them behind.”
(See the article http://laist.com/2009/07/21/consent_degree_lifted_off_lapd_now.php :)
Well, the ACLU never did like us anyway, so they can cram it with walnuts.
See you on the streets, unless you see me first.
Not a fucking thing.
If anything, the Consent Decree (same letters as Crushingly Draconian or Can't Deliver or Critically Damaged or Controlled Diplomacy) took a highly bureaucratic, paperwork-laden big-city police agency and made it . . . . much more highly bureaucratic and paperwork-laden. But now - NEW AND IMPROVED - with everyone looking over everyone else's shoulder like Caucescu's Romania.
I've been accused in more nonsensical bullshit complaints by two-bit gangsters trying to get me off the street than I ever would have been subjected to at Torrance or Manhattan or Newport Beach Police Department. And even though some of them were BULLSHIT on their face, it went to full investigation. Thanks Consent Decree!
I've been responsible for more penny-ante paperwork than I ever thought possible. The slogan on the door should read: "LAPD, We Do More With Less! But Not Less Paperwork!" That means less manpower, less public support and less, less, less officers in the street. Citizens, when it takes forever for an officer to show up, say "Thanks, Consent Decree!"
I have to do the job of the Jailer, the Property Clerk, the butcher, the baker and the friggin' candlestick maker because I spend about 6 hours of a 12 hour day just trying to outthink all these knuckleheads while I do what SHOULD BE their job. Hell, the jailers don't have to worry about the body until the last possible moment. I am responsible for these maggots from minutes 1 through 59 per hour. Then I'm off to label, list, account for, issue a receipt for and book evidence and property. Then I have to transport my sick arrestee all over the city for a medical service and on and on and on ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Thanks, Consent Decree!
And then, at roll call the next morning, the poor Lieutenant has to pass down the directive. We are all behind on traffic citations and the How can we save lives at these major intersections unless we write speeders and slow people down to prevent accidents? speech comes out. Even though he or she knows that we have so many pogues and slugs sitting downtown monitoring the consent decree that we could field a whole other division of officers. Thanks, Consent Decree!
The Consent Decree did help me buy a new house, what with all the overtime for paperwork and crap you have to fill out. I have a detective friend who used to joke that a robbery or homicide meant a new pair of shoes, because, Daddy, that callout to the scene is overtime! Of course, we are not really that cynical, but you have to stay motivated to do the excellent police work we do.
I think it will be a great time again here in La-La Land with no Consent Decree. Not everyone agrees with me, as this excerpt from Zach Behrens July 21, 2009 http://www.laist.com/ article shows:
“We’re disappointed by the judge’s decision. The department has made substantial progress under Chief Bratton, but there’s still too much evidence that skin color makes a difference in who is stopped, questioned and arrested by the LAPD,” said Mark Rosenbaum, legal director of the ACLU/SC. “We look to the Police Commission to work diligently to help keep the department focused on the goal of removing racial bias from its policing.” Last year the organization released a report titled "Racial Profiling & The LAPD: A Study of Racially Disparate Outcomes in the Los Angeles Police Department."
Chief William Bratton basically told them to go suck on an egg. “I resent their continuing intent to try to infer that this department engages in racial profiling,” Bratton said. “The ACLU needs to basically get off it and move on, because this city is moving on and we’re going to leave them behind.”
(See the article http://laist.com/2009/07/21/consent_degree_lifted_off_lapd_now.php :)
Well, the ACLU never did like us anyway, so they can cram it with walnuts.
See you on the streets, unless you see me first.
Obama, Stay Out of This One.
OK, I'll admit it. I am a person of color, an African-American, a Black man. I don't know if that affords me a certain cache on this issue, or if it will make anyone take my opinion seriously. But there it is and it's out there.
RE: Cambridge, MA July 16, 2009 Arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
TO: President Barack Obama
Dear Mr. President,
We all know Mr. Gates, Jr. is your buddy, but please shut the hell up. I think it is high time to acknowledge you are better with a teleprompter than you are as an extemporaneous speaker. Don't feel bad, the last president had the same problem. But you are a LAWYER. You were a senator and a state legislator. You were elected to lead ALL the people of this great nation, not just minorities, not just people who agree with you, not just your buddies - EVERYONE.
Let me run it down for you in this fashion. Did you seriously think it was the best thing in the world to call police officers, even just a select few "stupid"? To say that "the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home" shows how little the public, even the president, know about police tactics and officer safety. Is he aware how many times officers receive a Burglary In Progress or Hot Prowl call, only to find the ex-husband or ex-wife lurking around the house. And of course their identification says they live there when they were just ordered out by a restraining order two months ago. It doesn't mean they aren't breaking the law. It doesn't mean we don't check the house for any other suspicious activity or possible intruders about which the homeowner is unaware. Our safety and that of the people we serve is paramount.
President Obama repeatedly said he did not know all the facts of the case during the course of the July 22, 2009 news conference. (Best Matlock-style Southern drawl here) Well, your Honor, I believe that dog don't hunt. The president has spoken out of school.
If you don't have anything nice to say, say NOTHING. Who wrote this speech for him, that ham-fisted Press Secretary Robert Gibbs? Hahaha. My goodness, Mr. President, you sure can pick 'em. You don't know the facts of the case, so guess what? I'll give you a free lesson. Your reply to questions on the issue could be, "Well, as you are probably all aware, Mr. Gates and I are old friends, good friends. I have spoken with him about the matter and offered him my support as a friend. I don't know what the outcome will be, but I know he is a decent, honorable and learned man, with the admiration of many students, scholars and friends. I also know that our police officers here and everywhere have a tough job to do. As citizens we need to offer them our support in their endeavors to keep the peace and help maintain the system of justice that gives us so much pride."
And leave it at that! When he opens up his mouth on this, he can't get some of those idiotic statements back. It's like herding cats; there is no way to organize this chaos.
Now, I know that race is a national and international issue. I LIVE WITH IT. I live with people looking at me, then looking at my kids, then doing a double-take. But there is much less of that than there was when I was a child. The world has changed and we have witnessed it. What we need to do is be honest about what we think, and yes, sometimes we have to watch what we say. But more than anything, we need to have an open dialogue about it. Do Blacks inherently have better rhythm? Are Asians and Indians somehow better engineers? Are Jewish people better with money? Or is it safe to say that we can all excel at whatever we put our minds, hearts and passions into, regardless of race, religion or ethnicity? Think about that, Mr. President.
RE: Cambridge, MA July 16, 2009 Arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
TO: President Barack Obama
Dear Mr. President,
We all know Mr. Gates, Jr. is your buddy, but please shut the hell up. I think it is high time to acknowledge you are better with a teleprompter than you are as an extemporaneous speaker. Don't feel bad, the last president had the same problem. But you are a LAWYER. You were a senator and a state legislator. You were elected to lead ALL the people of this great nation, not just minorities, not just people who agree with you, not just your buddies - EVERYONE.
Let me run it down for you in this fashion. Did you seriously think it was the best thing in the world to call police officers, even just a select few "stupid"? To say that "the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home" shows how little the public, even the president, know about police tactics and officer safety. Is he aware how many times officers receive a Burglary In Progress or Hot Prowl call, only to find the ex-husband or ex-wife lurking around the house. And of course their identification says they live there when they were just ordered out by a restraining order two months ago. It doesn't mean they aren't breaking the law. It doesn't mean we don't check the house for any other suspicious activity or possible intruders about which the homeowner is unaware. Our safety and that of the people we serve is paramount.
President Obama repeatedly said he did not know all the facts of the case during the course of the July 22, 2009 news conference. (Best Matlock-style Southern drawl here) Well, your Honor, I believe that dog don't hunt. The president has spoken out of school.
If you don't have anything nice to say, say NOTHING. Who wrote this speech for him, that ham-fisted Press Secretary Robert Gibbs? Hahaha. My goodness, Mr. President, you sure can pick 'em. You don't know the facts of the case, so guess what? I'll give you a free lesson. Your reply to questions on the issue could be, "Well, as you are probably all aware, Mr. Gates and I are old friends, good friends. I have spoken with him about the matter and offered him my support as a friend. I don't know what the outcome will be, but I know he is a decent, honorable and learned man, with the admiration of many students, scholars and friends. I also know that our police officers here and everywhere have a tough job to do. As citizens we need to offer them our support in their endeavors to keep the peace and help maintain the system of justice that gives us so much pride."
And leave it at that! When he opens up his mouth on this, he can't get some of those idiotic statements back. It's like herding cats; there is no way to organize this chaos.
Now, I know that race is a national and international issue. I LIVE WITH IT. I live with people looking at me, then looking at my kids, then doing a double-take. But there is much less of that than there was when I was a child. The world has changed and we have witnessed it. What we need to do is be honest about what we think, and yes, sometimes we have to watch what we say. But more than anything, we need to have an open dialogue about it. Do Blacks inherently have better rhythm? Are Asians and Indians somehow better engineers? Are Jewish people better with money? Or is it safe to say that we can all excel at whatever we put our minds, hearts and passions into, regardless of race, religion or ethnicity? Think about that, Mr. President.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
You Called Me A FA@@OT?
So we go to a radio call of a battery suspect in the projects. Or what passes for the projects in this area, Mar Vista Gardens. Long story short, we meet with a female black who tells us her friend (SEE girlfriend) and her got into an argument. The victim's shirt is torn, she's upset. And she tells us this suspect is on probation. We get all the information on the suspect, run her up on the computer and sure enough...she's got outstanding warrants. I proceed to call out a few more units and a supervisor. We formulate our plan, approach and order the suspect out. She is taken into custody without incident.
Now comes the good part. Everything is Code 4! Suspect is in custody, all the other officers can go back to their areas, we will take this "lady" to jail. My partner and I go back to the car and our suspect is detained in the back seat. I call my partner to the rear of the vehicle. As I am about to close the trunk, I say, "Well, we could violate her probation and all that, but why don't we just take her for the warrants! No reason to make it worse." My partner concurred. I closed the trunk.
I approach the rear passenger side of my vehicle. "Miss," I say, "Do you want to tell me what...
"FUCK YOU MOTHERFUCKER YOU FUCKING FAGGOT ASS PUNK FAGGOT BITCH! I HEARD YOU TALKING SHIT ABOUT ME BEHIND THE CAR YOU THINK I'M STUPID I CAN'T HEAR YOUR FAGGOT ASS TALKIN' ABOUT ME THROUGH THE TRUNK YOU WANT TO TAKE ME TO JAIL VIOLATE MY PROBATION FUCK YOU DO IT THEN YOU PUNK AS BITCH!
"Ma'am, I have barely said two words to you...why don't you try to calm down."
"DON'T FUCKIN' TALK TO ME YOU UNDERCOVER FAGGOT! I SEE THAT RING ON YOUR FINGER! YOUR WIFE KNOW YOU A UNDERCOVER FAG!?! THAT YOU TAKE IT UP YOUR ASS? STOP TRYING TO TALK TO ME YOU PUNK ASS FAGGOT! YOU LIKE PEOPLE TO PACK YOUR FUDGE! I'M A BITCH AND I GOT A BIGGER DICK THAN YOU! I'LL PACK YOUR SHIT NIGGA! YOU AIN'T SHIT, YOU COPS AIN'T SHIT YOU AND NOTHIN' BUT A UNDERCOVER FAGGOT YOU PUNK ASS BITCH!"
"Ma'am, you don't hear me yelling at you. Why don't you calm down for a minute and I could tell you what's going on with -"
She cuts me off, sweating like a pig, sitting in the back of my police car, yelling and ranting loud enough for the whole fucking world to hear it...
"FUCK YOU MOTHAFUCKA YOU-AIN'T-SHIT AND I'LL PACK YOUR SHIT YOU UNDACOVA FAGGOT ASS PUNK BITCH YOU AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT A BITCH DO ALL THE OTHER PUNK ASS COPS KNOW YOUSE A FAGGOT YOU BITCH. DOES YOUR MOMMA KNOW SHE GAVE BIRTH TO A BITCH YOU FAGGOT PUNK I'LL FUCK YOU UP! I'LL PACK YOUR FUDGE NIGGA YOU AIN'T SHIT!"
Now, allow me to pause here for a moment. I was trained by several OLD-timers. When I came on these guys already had 35 years and told me how it was, how it used to be, and don't put up with this shit. LAPD doesn't take shit from NOBODY. Standby for the ass-kicking lady! But they also understood that the reality now is, since RAMPART and since RODNEY-FUCKING-KING and since every other stupid thing that people are willing to believe, we have a Consent Decree and that means we have to think. We need to play it cool sometimes and be the police professionals we know ourselves to be.
But let's not kid ourselves....nothing would have been as much fun as to pull this idiot out of the car and get in some baton therapy. But I digress. I was, at that time, working with a probationary officer, a rookie. I have to set a good example so this person doesn't get herself fired someday.
So I told the lady, "Ma'am I am done talking to you."
But she went on and on for at least three more hours. All the way to the station, out of the car, into the station, sitting in the holding tank, back out to the car, all the way to Van Nuys Jail IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, all the way out of the car, into the Valley Jail, onto the bench outside the dispensary.
THREE HOURS OF THIS BITCH. I even recorded her on my cell phone. It was nuts. I really started to feel sorry for her because her life is FUCKED.
And after three hours of her trying to goad me into something stupid so she could hit the LAPD Use of Force lottery, I waited until about ten minutes before she got booked...
"Miss, you know why I haven't talked to you? Why I choose to ignore all the things you say?"
"CUZ, YOU AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT A FAGGOT BITCH. DO ALL THESE JAIL PEOPLE KNOW YOU A FAG?"
"Shhh. Be quiet. You're in my house now. Show some respect for these people, even if you don't like me."
"FUCK YOU FAGGOT."
"Ma'am, the reason I don't talk to you is because it is obvious to me and everyone here that you are MENTALLY ILL. You obviously hate yourself and you're crazy so you don't know what to do. I have no reason to waste my time on such and unreasonable person."
"FUCK YOU I AIN'T CRAZY, YOU THE CRAZY ONE YOU UNDACOVA FAG!"
"Shutup. You don't understand the forces at work against you. You see, for you THIS is it. This right here is the rest of your life....getting locked up and going to jail. You're what? Twenty-five right now? I imagine that you keep going like this you'll be lucky if they don't scrape you off the street at thirty years old. You can pop off to me all day, but do that in the street and it will get you capped (Euphemism for getting shot). Good luck with your life because this is just the beginning of how screwed up it will get..."
"FUCK YOU! I AIN'T CRAZY. YOU AIN'T SHIT AND YOU AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT A FAGGOT! FUCK YOU."
"Good luck to you. You're gonna need it."
And they say we don't earn our pay....hahaha. I love this job.
Now comes the good part. Everything is Code 4! Suspect is in custody, all the other officers can go back to their areas, we will take this "lady" to jail. My partner and I go back to the car and our suspect is detained in the back seat. I call my partner to the rear of the vehicle. As I am about to close the trunk, I say, "Well, we could violate her probation and all that, but why don't we just take her for the warrants! No reason to make it worse." My partner concurred. I closed the trunk.
I approach the rear passenger side of my vehicle. "Miss," I say, "Do you want to tell me what...
"FUCK YOU MOTHERFUCKER YOU FUCKING FAGGOT ASS PUNK FAGGOT BITCH! I HEARD YOU TALKING SHIT ABOUT ME BEHIND THE CAR YOU THINK I'M STUPID I CAN'T HEAR YOUR FAGGOT ASS TALKIN' ABOUT ME THROUGH THE TRUNK YOU WANT TO TAKE ME TO JAIL VIOLATE MY PROBATION FUCK YOU DO IT THEN YOU PUNK AS BITCH!
"Ma'am, I have barely said two words to you...why don't you try to calm down."
"DON'T FUCKIN' TALK TO ME YOU UNDERCOVER FAGGOT! I SEE THAT RING ON YOUR FINGER! YOUR WIFE KNOW YOU A UNDERCOVER FAG!?! THAT YOU TAKE IT UP YOUR ASS? STOP TRYING TO TALK TO ME YOU PUNK ASS FAGGOT! YOU LIKE PEOPLE TO PACK YOUR FUDGE! I'M A BITCH AND I GOT A BIGGER DICK THAN YOU! I'LL PACK YOUR SHIT NIGGA! YOU AIN'T SHIT, YOU COPS AIN'T SHIT YOU AND NOTHIN' BUT A UNDERCOVER FAGGOT YOU PUNK ASS BITCH!"
"Ma'am, you don't hear me yelling at you. Why don't you calm down for a minute and I could tell you what's going on with -"
She cuts me off, sweating like a pig, sitting in the back of my police car, yelling and ranting loud enough for the whole fucking world to hear it...
"FUCK YOU MOTHAFUCKA YOU-AIN'T-SHIT AND I'LL PACK YOUR SHIT YOU UNDACOVA FAGGOT ASS PUNK BITCH YOU AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT A BITCH DO ALL THE OTHER PUNK ASS COPS KNOW YOUSE A FAGGOT YOU BITCH. DOES YOUR MOMMA KNOW SHE GAVE BIRTH TO A BITCH YOU FAGGOT PUNK I'LL FUCK YOU UP! I'LL PACK YOUR FUDGE NIGGA YOU AIN'T SHIT!"
Now, allow me to pause here for a moment. I was trained by several OLD-timers. When I came on these guys already had 35 years and told me how it was, how it used to be, and don't put up with this shit. LAPD doesn't take shit from NOBODY. Standby for the ass-kicking lady! But they also understood that the reality now is, since RAMPART and since RODNEY-FUCKING-KING and since every other stupid thing that people are willing to believe, we have a Consent Decree and that means we have to think. We need to play it cool sometimes and be the police professionals we know ourselves to be.
But let's not kid ourselves....nothing would have been as much fun as to pull this idiot out of the car and get in some baton therapy. But I digress. I was, at that time, working with a probationary officer, a rookie. I have to set a good example so this person doesn't get herself fired someday.
So I told the lady, "Ma'am I am done talking to you."
But she went on and on for at least three more hours. All the way to the station, out of the car, into the station, sitting in the holding tank, back out to the car, all the way to Van Nuys Jail IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, all the way out of the car, into the Valley Jail, onto the bench outside the dispensary.
THREE HOURS OF THIS BITCH. I even recorded her on my cell phone. It was nuts. I really started to feel sorry for her because her life is FUCKED.
And after three hours of her trying to goad me into something stupid so she could hit the LAPD Use of Force lottery, I waited until about ten minutes before she got booked...
"Miss, you know why I haven't talked to you? Why I choose to ignore all the things you say?"
"CUZ, YOU AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT A FAGGOT BITCH. DO ALL THESE JAIL PEOPLE KNOW YOU A FAG?"
"Shhh. Be quiet. You're in my house now. Show some respect for these people, even if you don't like me."
"FUCK YOU FAGGOT."
"Ma'am, the reason I don't talk to you is because it is obvious to me and everyone here that you are MENTALLY ILL. You obviously hate yourself and you're crazy so you don't know what to do. I have no reason to waste my time on such and unreasonable person."
"FUCK YOU I AIN'T CRAZY, YOU THE CRAZY ONE YOU UNDACOVA FAG!"
"Shutup. You don't understand the forces at work against you. You see, for you THIS is it. This right here is the rest of your life....getting locked up and going to jail. You're what? Twenty-five right now? I imagine that you keep going like this you'll be lucky if they don't scrape you off the street at thirty years old. You can pop off to me all day, but do that in the street and it will get you capped (Euphemism for getting shot). Good luck with your life because this is just the beginning of how screwed up it will get..."
"FUCK YOU! I AIN'T CRAZY. YOU AIN'T SHIT AND YOU AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT A FAGGOT! FUCK YOU."
"Good luck to you. You're gonna need it."
And they say we don't earn our pay....hahaha. I love this job.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
The Wheelchair Rodeo
In homage to Seth and Amy from Saturday Night Live....this is a little segment I call:
REALLY?!? With Inside the Black and Whites.
Two days in a row my probationary officer and I had to transport stinky, filthy, dirty, smelly, disgusting transient (SEE homeless person OR f#$%ing bum) across the wide expanse of the City of Angels. Why? Because someone (not me) arrested them and we need to get them to jail/court/county lockup/jail dispensary. Oh and both times they were in wheelchairs.
REALLY?!?
What the f#$% are the jailers doing? We do have jailers, don't we? I mean, REALLY, the city would rather pay two officers making base pay between $65-100k a year to NOT patrol the streets but instead to be HOMELESS ARRESTEE TAXI SERVICE?
And REALLY!?! The car is black and white not YELLOW!
And REALLY!?! It took no less than 5 (YEAH F-I-V-E!) hours both times we did it. Almost half the day gone...
And REALLY!?! People wonder why it takes so long to get the LAPD to your house? Averaging four cars on a weekday, on day shift, to cover no less than 24 square miles and the best policy we can come up with is "Let the officer drive this jackass to jail."
And REALLY!?! Do you think there is anything I can teach a rookie on such a run other than, "Hey, it's the LAPD, we do more with less." or "Hey, don't feel bad, we've always been this fucking inefficient, and nobody cares. Enjoy it. We get paid the same whether we drink coffee or shoot at bad guys."
And REALLY!?! If you're a criminal in a wheelchair you should...wait. REALLY!?! You're in a friggin' wheelchair! Why are you even trying to commit crimes you dimwit?
And REALLY!?! You can always tell how important the officer's time is by how the department treats them. Look around at your police station. Really. If you don't see a paddywagon to transport these idiots criminals from the field to the jail, the department is wasting the officers time.
And REALLY!?! As funny and tragic as it sounds, you really have to admire my fellow officers for doing as much as we do under this kind of nonsensical, ridiculous system. The way Federal, State and local governments run their operations, they wouldn't survive a year in the private sector. And Los Angeles is about as corrupt as it gets.
REALLY! If you don't believe me, take a day off and go to a Los Angeles City Council Meeting. Goat Rodeo to the Nth degree and I am not kidding. Like herding cats. Be happy the whole damn city is not on fire or under water right now...
And REALLY!? We do appreciate it when people tell us thanks...even when we're in traffic or the middle of our lunch. We do this job for the people and it is fun. Dangerous but fun.
And REALLY!?! They pay me pretty well, so I can't always bitch, but it's funny :-)
REALLY?!? With Inside the Black and Whites.
Two days in a row my probationary officer and I had to transport stinky, filthy, dirty, smelly, disgusting transient (SEE homeless person OR f#$%ing bum) across the wide expanse of the City of Angels. Why? Because someone (not me) arrested them and we need to get them to jail/court/county lockup/jail dispensary. Oh and both times they were in wheelchairs.
REALLY?!?
What the f#$% are the jailers doing? We do have jailers, don't we? I mean, REALLY, the city would rather pay two officers making base pay between $65-100k a year to NOT patrol the streets but instead to be HOMELESS ARRESTEE TAXI SERVICE?
And REALLY!?! The car is black and white not YELLOW!
And REALLY!?! It took no less than 5 (YEAH F-I-V-E!) hours both times we did it. Almost half the day gone...
And REALLY!?! People wonder why it takes so long to get the LAPD to your house? Averaging four cars on a weekday, on day shift, to cover no less than 24 square miles and the best policy we can come up with is "Let the officer drive this jackass to jail."
And REALLY!?! Do you think there is anything I can teach a rookie on such a run other than, "Hey, it's the LAPD, we do more with less." or "Hey, don't feel bad, we've always been this fucking inefficient, and nobody cares. Enjoy it. We get paid the same whether we drink coffee or shoot at bad guys."
And REALLY!?! If you're a criminal in a wheelchair you should...wait. REALLY!?! You're in a friggin' wheelchair! Why are you even trying to commit crimes you dimwit?
And REALLY!?! You can always tell how important the officer's time is by how the department treats them. Look around at your police station. Really. If you don't see a paddywagon to transport these idiots criminals from the field to the jail, the department is wasting the officers time.
And REALLY!?! As funny and tragic as it sounds, you really have to admire my fellow officers for doing as much as we do under this kind of nonsensical, ridiculous system. The way Federal, State and local governments run their operations, they wouldn't survive a year in the private sector. And Los Angeles is about as corrupt as it gets.
REALLY! If you don't believe me, take a day off and go to a Los Angeles City Council Meeting. Goat Rodeo to the Nth degree and I am not kidding. Like herding cats. Be happy the whole damn city is not on fire or under water right now...
And REALLY!? We do appreciate it when people tell us thanks...even when we're in traffic or the middle of our lunch. We do this job for the people and it is fun. Dangerous but fun.
And REALLY!?! They pay me pretty well, so I can't always bitch, but it's funny :-)
Thursday, May 21, 2009
I'm Not An Actor, I Play A Cop In Real Life
Can you imagine if police officers, firefighters, paramedics, teachers were the "pros" we admired instead of some dumbass, under-educated actor? Or instead of some of the half-wit, shoe-endorsing sports morons we so look up to? Try this one on for size...
"Hi, I'm Officer Danny Deanza of the Los Angeles Police Department. As a traffic officer, I talk to lots of people. So my breath has to be MINTY FRESH! That's why I use Extra gum."
or
Show a scene of a cop changing at his locker:
"After I hard day at work, I like to take the edge off with a few buddies." CUT TO A VIDEO ARCADE SETTING "That's why 4 out of 5 cops prefer Dave & Buster's for a great meal, cool beer and fun games...."
Probably what we should do is keep stats like baseball players. If people started to understand all the paperwork and nonsense we go through, the stats would sound pretty significant. We count felonies, misdemeanors, traffic citations, parking cites, even assists. Some days a guy could be well on his way to a hat trick or triple double!
In a 12 hours/ 28-day deployment period, an officer works 13 days with 15 off. Now it might sound like a lot of days off, but we have court dates, traffic court and other important nonsense to contend with. For goodness sake, 15 days off a month...I don't know how people do it with just Saturday and Sunday off. God bless you all.
Anywho, I am all for seeing this commercial:
"I'm not an actor, I'm a cop. But I've done some moonlighting as an actor to put my kid through USC. That's why I drink Starbucks Coffee! Starbucks is the fresh pick-me-up I need to finish a 12-hour shift, sleep in my car for 2 hours then sit on set someplace in the Valley on my Harley-Davidson working a sweet security job for 10 hours to pay off that house in Big Bear. Starbucks. The coffee that keeps you going."
"Hi, I'm Officer Danny Deanza of the Los Angeles Police Department. As a traffic officer, I talk to lots of people. So my breath has to be MINTY FRESH! That's why I use Extra gum."
or
Show a scene of a cop changing at his locker:
"After I hard day at work, I like to take the edge off with a few buddies." CUT TO A VIDEO ARCADE SETTING "That's why 4 out of 5 cops prefer Dave & Buster's for a great meal, cool beer and fun games...."
Probably what we should do is keep stats like baseball players. If people started to understand all the paperwork and nonsense we go through, the stats would sound pretty significant. We count felonies, misdemeanors, traffic citations, parking cites, even assists. Some days a guy could be well on his way to a hat trick or triple double!
In a 12 hours/ 28-day deployment period, an officer works 13 days with 15 off. Now it might sound like a lot of days off, but we have court dates, traffic court and other important nonsense to contend with. For goodness sake, 15 days off a month...I don't know how people do it with just Saturday and Sunday off. God bless you all.
Anywho, I am all for seeing this commercial:
"I'm not an actor, I'm a cop. But I've done some moonlighting as an actor to put my kid through USC. That's why I drink Starbucks Coffee! Starbucks is the fresh pick-me-up I need to finish a 12-hour shift, sleep in my car for 2 hours then sit on set someplace in the Valley on my Harley-Davidson working a sweet security job for 10 hours to pay off that house in Big Bear. Starbucks. The coffee that keeps you going."
Homicide With A Side of Suicide, Anyone?
Soooo.....yesterdays roll call started out great and then....the Watch Commander said "I need a unit to go right now to relieve the unit at a homicide scene." My hand shot up. I have a new officer I'm training and they need the exposure. Crime scene logs, maintaining crime scene security, seeing and speaking with detectives...the whole green grocer.
On the way out the door, one of my past probationary officers sees me and tells me that the homicide is strange one...the victim is buried in the backyard. I get to the scene and sure enough, victim is partially sticking out of the backyard. No, no kidding, I see an arm and a leg. Welcome to the City of Angels.
Lots of pictures of the deceased in the house - this was a good person whose family loved them - but the body is just a shell now. It has become THE grass-and-dirt covered destination for the single-file column of ants arriving from parts unknown. The rest comes later. The coroner team has to meticulously unearth the body, we have to keep a few family members away. Detectives have to gather leads, info, evidence from the body and the dirt. Luckily this all happens on a quiet street so we avoid any media.
LAPD makes great detectives. You work for years in patrol, narcotics, gang unit, what have you and then turn that bachelors or masters degree to work at detectives. And they bring all that experience to bear, with respect and dignity for the victim, and the mission is to get that suspect. But most of us, patrol, gangs, detectives, we're used to the gangster shot dead in the street. POW! Shooting call comes out, victim down, we show up and "Li'l Boo Boo" is shot dead in the street. Some freakin' street lizard admitted gangmember that you stopped a bunch of times, that you arrested for robbery, that was still out on the street, honestly - fuck that guy. He had to know that Heaven was never going to be a destination on his bus pass. And the trip wasn't coming easy. I'm more worried that a stray bullet from that fool's shooting might hit the mother of three, playing with her kids two blocks over.
But the dead victim in the backyard. We give her the respect. She didn't deserve what she got. Everyone I saw come by their house was crying...crying like they lost everything. Men and women. This person was taking care of people. And how they ended up? Just not right. Not right. Yeah, we can be cynical, clinical, professional. But you know we do this because we want to help people and we can't help this one.
And as I drive away from that one, late in the afternoon, about three hours left to go home, two shooting calls come out. Because a bunch of guys who tried to rob a marijuana store botch it. And the security guard gets one of the suspects in cuffs and Suspect-2 tries to free his homeboy, but guess what, the guard shoots his ass. Good for you, guard. And they both flee but get caught in their car. And this generates about 10 radio calls! So when I go to help the units out sitting on the abandoned suspect car, I think "Man, great training for the new kid!" And I'm telling them all about tactics and crime broadcasts and preserving the scene and How-a-victim-could-really-be-the-suspect.
So as we are standing by, the officers at scene open the suspect vehicle and it is full of blood in the backseat-Bingo! "See here, kid, this is how we preserve evidence. Get some photos in place. Get some paper bags so the bloody shirt can be recovered...." The radio cuts in, BEEP-BEEP-BEEP (Code 3 call coming) "(Insert Division Here) Units, handle the ambulance suicide just occurred, 1234 Blank Ave" I gotta buy that call. We're two blocks away. It's my assigned car area! What the hell? The day started on death, let's end it on death and go home with some balance. We got a few hours left. Put that call in my Stack. "Show me handling, responding Code 3 from the corner of Walk and Don't Walk Streets." Yeah, this day will be good training for the rookie.
On the way out the door, one of my past probationary officers sees me and tells me that the homicide is strange one...the victim is buried in the backyard. I get to the scene and sure enough, victim is partially sticking out of the backyard. No, no kidding, I see an arm and a leg. Welcome to the City of Angels.
Lots of pictures of the deceased in the house - this was a good person whose family loved them - but the body is just a shell now. It has become THE grass-and-dirt covered destination for the single-file column of ants arriving from parts unknown. The rest comes later. The coroner team has to meticulously unearth the body, we have to keep a few family members away. Detectives have to gather leads, info, evidence from the body and the dirt. Luckily this all happens on a quiet street so we avoid any media.
LAPD makes great detectives. You work for years in patrol, narcotics, gang unit, what have you and then turn that bachelors or masters degree to work at detectives. And they bring all that experience to bear, with respect and dignity for the victim, and the mission is to get that suspect. But most of us, patrol, gangs, detectives, we're used to the gangster shot dead in the street. POW! Shooting call comes out, victim down, we show up and "Li'l Boo Boo" is shot dead in the street. Some freakin' street lizard admitted gangmember that you stopped a bunch of times, that you arrested for robbery, that was still out on the street, honestly - fuck that guy. He had to know that Heaven was never going to be a destination on his bus pass. And the trip wasn't coming easy. I'm more worried that a stray bullet from that fool's shooting might hit the mother of three, playing with her kids two blocks over.
But the dead victim in the backyard. We give her the respect. She didn't deserve what she got. Everyone I saw come by their house was crying...crying like they lost everything. Men and women. This person was taking care of people. And how they ended up? Just not right. Not right. Yeah, we can be cynical, clinical, professional. But you know we do this because we want to help people and we can't help this one.
And as I drive away from that one, late in the afternoon, about three hours left to go home, two shooting calls come out. Because a bunch of guys who tried to rob a marijuana store botch it. And the security guard gets one of the suspects in cuffs and Suspect-2 tries to free his homeboy, but guess what, the guard shoots his ass. Good for you, guard. And they both flee but get caught in their car. And this generates about 10 radio calls! So when I go to help the units out sitting on the abandoned suspect car, I think "Man, great training for the new kid!" And I'm telling them all about tactics and crime broadcasts and preserving the scene and How-a-victim-could-really-be-the-suspect.
So as we are standing by, the officers at scene open the suspect vehicle and it is full of blood in the backseat-Bingo! "See here, kid, this is how we preserve evidence. Get some photos in place. Get some paper bags so the bloody shirt can be recovered...." The radio cuts in, BEEP-BEEP-BEEP (Code 3 call coming) "(Insert Division Here) Units, handle the ambulance suicide just occurred, 1234 Blank Ave" I gotta buy that call. We're two blocks away. It's my assigned car area! What the hell? The day started on death, let's end it on death and go home with some balance. We got a few hours left. Put that call in my Stack. "Show me handling, responding Code 3 from the corner of Walk and Don't Walk Streets." Yeah, this day will be good training for the rookie.
Friday, May 8, 2009
More Action, More Fun, Morbid Humor
While it goes without saying that death can be a hell of a way to end the day, you have to find humor in it. This job ensure one thing; death, injuries, pain and lots of laughs! Step right up folks and you shall see! People hanging themselves, violent traffic collisions! Battery suspects who got pretty well-battered themselves :-)
The rumor is true! Coppers have a morbid sense of humor. As a gangster once told me, "You gotta balance your smiles and cries." True, true. Yes, we are the folks dressed in blue, standing by the roadside, apparently chuckling at some poor citizen's misfortune. Do we laugh at death? Yeah, you have to laugh at death. Sometimes its random and sometimes it seems soooo directed. How can you help but laugh at the gangmember that robbed so many people and got away with it, only to die being ejected from his vehicle driving too fast without a seatbelt? We see the dumbest stuff, and tragic stuff too. We make corny jokes (at scene on a traffic collision with a man's severed arm, officers saying "give that guy a hand" type of humor). We judge ( "Ma'am, do you really think driving with both earphones in is legal or are you just crazy?") But we do so many of these things as a defense and sanity mechanism to keep us from going nuts.
Because we do see some sad and crazy things. Would you ever think to dress up a beached sea lion with a wig and clothing then call the cops about a dead body? It happens. And strangely enough, sea lion can look like a badly decomposed body! Would you ever call 9-1-1 for directions to Staples Center? Or to find out if an officer (of the nearly 10,000 we have!) is single? It happens. And sometimes it is just plain funny. We have fun at work just like everyone else. We just have some strange duties to attend to.
As a young officer I worked in one are where I had all the senior homes and nursing homes memorized. Why? Because a death investigation at a nursing home is a guaranteed easy one. There is already a doctor there to sign off on the death certificate! Does that sound terrible? I guess it might, but everyone knows the easy tasks at their job. Ours is no different it just deals with a little blood and guts.
Oh and driving fast.
Oh and telling people things to help them prevent being a victim.
Oh and asking me for directions to Disneyland in the middle of me eating lunch.
Oh and telling me how many of their 2nd cousin's uncles are cops.
Oh and telling me how much they appreciate you.
Oh and they also say thanks!
It is a cool job.
The rumor is true! Coppers have a morbid sense of humor. As a gangster once told me, "You gotta balance your smiles and cries." True, true. Yes, we are the folks dressed in blue, standing by the roadside, apparently chuckling at some poor citizen's misfortune. Do we laugh at death? Yeah, you have to laugh at death. Sometimes its random and sometimes it seems soooo directed. How can you help but laugh at the gangmember that robbed so many people and got away with it, only to die being ejected from his vehicle driving too fast without a seatbelt? We see the dumbest stuff, and tragic stuff too. We make corny jokes (at scene on a traffic collision with a man's severed arm, officers saying "give that guy a hand" type of humor). We judge ( "Ma'am, do you really think driving with both earphones in is legal or are you just crazy?") But we do so many of these things as a defense and sanity mechanism to keep us from going nuts.
Because we do see some sad and crazy things. Would you ever think to dress up a beached sea lion with a wig and clothing then call the cops about a dead body? It happens. And strangely enough, sea lion can look like a badly decomposed body! Would you ever call 9-1-1 for directions to Staples Center? Or to find out if an officer (of the nearly 10,000 we have!) is single? It happens. And sometimes it is just plain funny. We have fun at work just like everyone else. We just have some strange duties to attend to.
As a young officer I worked in one are where I had all the senior homes and nursing homes memorized. Why? Because a death investigation at a nursing home is a guaranteed easy one. There is already a doctor there to sign off on the death certificate! Does that sound terrible? I guess it might, but everyone knows the easy tasks at their job. Ours is no different it just deals with a little blood and guts.
Oh and driving fast.
Oh and telling people things to help them prevent being a victim.
Oh and asking me for directions to Disneyland in the middle of me eating lunch.
Oh and telling me how many of their 2nd cousin's uncles are cops.
Oh and telling me how much they appreciate you.
Oh and they also say thanks!
It is a cool job.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Parker Center? Tom Bradley Center? Let's Name It After Chief Gates and Really Tick Them Off.
This is a letter I wrote to the LA Times on April 22nd regarding the name controversy over our the new Police Administration Building. The good people of this city now regarding Chief Parker as a racist. Read the articles:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/04/the-panel-of-civilians-that-oversees-the-los-angeles-police-department-voted-unanimously-this-morning-to-oppose-a-movement-in.html
And then the enlightened ones in the LA City Council of course pass the buck:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/04/parker-center.html
My response to the first article is below:
Once again, LA ducks behind the skirts of political correctness to be the world leader in sheer stupidity. I agree with former Chief Parks on almost nothing except to name the new building Parker Center. Why is this even up for a vote? I am reminded that the Police Commission was better with Caruso on it. John Mack, a well-documented LAPD hater, always gets his narrow-minded two cents. This from a guy who would likely prefer it if LAPD were disbanded altogether.
Lest we forget, the LAPD was somewhat disreputable and largely considered corrupt before Chief Parker took the reins. He established the formal training, maintained high standards and established police work as a profession with a defined career path. And for you MORONS out there, most if not ALL POLICE AGENCIES ARE PARAMILITARY ORGANIZATIONS. If we weren't, we would have no chain of command and anarchy would ensue.
You simply don't get it. Sitting here bashing us, not realizing that we should have 25K officers to adequately police this city in the way a New York or Chicago can. We are respected worldwide because of Chief Parker. So name it after Tom Bradley. A great man, yes. He never rose above the rank of Lieutenant and did everything he could to inhibit Chief Gates positive efforts in stemming the flow of gang and narcotics activity, but go ahead.
While we are at it, we (the officers) should rename the Academy in Elysian Park. The LAPD Parker Academy in Elysian Park. Why, that's no worse than LA Angels of Anaheim! If the police commission wants to vote on that...they can't. The officers league owns the academy and we can name it whatever we want.
Did you ever wonder why so few LAPD officers live in Los Angeles or why we all move away when we retire? Because we have had it up to here with being second-guessed by so many idiots who have never worn a badge, never served and never had to stand and defend anything.
So don't name schools after Thomas Jefferson; he owned slaves. Don't name a park after Harry Truman; he ordered the bombing of Japan. Don't celebrate Columbus Day; he helped subjugate Native Americans. Don't celebrate the positive accomplishments of historical figures; focus on the negatives but learn nothing from their mistakes.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/04/the-panel-of-civilians-that-oversees-the-los-angeles-police-department-voted-unanimously-this-morning-to-oppose-a-movement-in.html
And then the enlightened ones in the LA City Council of course pass the buck:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/04/parker-center.html
My response to the first article is below:
Once again, LA ducks behind the skirts of political correctness to be the world leader in sheer stupidity. I agree with former Chief Parks on almost nothing except to name the new building Parker Center. Why is this even up for a vote? I am reminded that the Police Commission was better with Caruso on it. John Mack, a well-documented LAPD hater, always gets his narrow-minded two cents. This from a guy who would likely prefer it if LAPD were disbanded altogether.
Lest we forget, the LAPD was somewhat disreputable and largely considered corrupt before Chief Parker took the reins. He established the formal training, maintained high standards and established police work as a profession with a defined career path. And for you MORONS out there, most if not ALL POLICE AGENCIES ARE PARAMILITARY ORGANIZATIONS. If we weren't, we would have no chain of command and anarchy would ensue.
You simply don't get it. Sitting here bashing us, not realizing that we should have 25K officers to adequately police this city in the way a New York or Chicago can. We are respected worldwide because of Chief Parker. So name it after Tom Bradley. A great man, yes. He never rose above the rank of Lieutenant and did everything he could to inhibit Chief Gates positive efforts in stemming the flow of gang and narcotics activity, but go ahead.
While we are at it, we (the officers) should rename the Academy in Elysian Park. The LAPD Parker Academy in Elysian Park. Why, that's no worse than LA Angels of Anaheim! If the police commission wants to vote on that...they can't. The officers league owns the academy and we can name it whatever we want.
Did you ever wonder why so few LAPD officers live in Los Angeles or why we all move away when we retire? Because we have had it up to here with being second-guessed by so many idiots who have never worn a badge, never served and never had to stand and defend anything.
So don't name schools after Thomas Jefferson; he owned slaves. Don't name a park after Harry Truman; he ordered the bombing of Japan. Don't celebrate Columbus Day; he helped subjugate Native Americans. Don't celebrate the positive accomplishments of historical figures; focus on the negatives but learn nothing from their mistakes.
And Who Do You Work For?
There is just no way to answer this question. I started this blog partly in answer to that. And partly to keep my wife from having to listen to so many of the stories, jokes and sheer lunacy that I have to deal with as a police officer.
Oh, it's not just me. There are nearly ten thousand others in the same boat with me. We are part of one of the most well-known police agencies in the world. With the pride comes pain, with the pay comes a payout.
Not that I'm complaining...at least not right now. But from day one at the academy they tell you never to let on to people that you are a police officer. People give you a funny look. You can hear the judgement wheels cranking in their head. The eyes give it away. "This guy probably beats people up every day!" they might be thinking. "Are you carrying a gun?" they want to ask. One guy straight up said, "Is it all true about you guys profiling people or what?" A question like that says his mind is made up!
I used to horse around and say I worked for the city, or that I was a writer or that I conducted citizen impact studies (you like that one?) but who freakin' cares? "I'm a cop." I say. Get it over with I'm thinking. Uh-oh...there goes the eyes...
"What city?" they ask.
"L.A."
"Oh, you're LAPD."
"Yup."
"Oh...hey, are there really neighborhoods like that street on Training Day?"
"Yeah. That street is called Palmwood. It's in The Jungles...Baldwin Village. I worked in that area for a few years."
"Damn, that must be pretty messed up!" they say.
"Oh, don't worry, other officers I know work in a lot worse places than that. It is what it is."
"Oh...hey, are you packin'?"
"Whaaat?"
You can see where this is going. One thing I can say is that the media can help us out or help us OUT. And public perception can be huge on this job. More on that later, but for now, here is a thought:
We can't all be heroes because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.
-Will Rogers, US humorist & showman (1879 - 1935)
Oh, it's not just me. There are nearly ten thousand others in the same boat with me. We are part of one of the most well-known police agencies in the world. With the pride comes pain, with the pay comes a payout.
Not that I'm complaining...at least not right now. But from day one at the academy they tell you never to let on to people that you are a police officer. People give you a funny look. You can hear the judgement wheels cranking in their head. The eyes give it away. "This guy probably beats people up every day!" they might be thinking. "Are you carrying a gun?" they want to ask. One guy straight up said, "Is it all true about you guys profiling people or what?" A question like that says his mind is made up!
I used to horse around and say I worked for the city, or that I was a writer or that I conducted citizen impact studies (you like that one?) but who freakin' cares? "I'm a cop." I say. Get it over with I'm thinking. Uh-oh...there goes the eyes...
"What city?" they ask.
"L.A."
"Oh, you're LAPD."
"Yup."
"Oh...hey, are there really neighborhoods like that street on Training Day?"
"Yeah. That street is called Palmwood. It's in The Jungles...Baldwin Village. I worked in that area for a few years."
"Damn, that must be pretty messed up!" they say.
"Oh, don't worry, other officers I know work in a lot worse places than that. It is what it is."
"Oh...hey, are you packin'?"
"Whaaat?"
You can see where this is going. One thing I can say is that the media can help us out or help us OUT. And public perception can be huge on this job. More on that later, but for now, here is a thought:
We can't all be heroes because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.
-Will Rogers, US humorist & showman (1879 - 1935)
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