LAPD Blog

Fundraising Dinner to Benefit LAPD SWAT Officers

Join the San Fernando Valley Jaycees at California Pizza Kitchen for a flavorsome fundraising event. On Saturday, March 1 from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., proceeds from meals at California Pizza Kitchen at Topanga Plaza Mall - upon presentation of the coupon below - will benefit the families of LAPD SWAT Officers Randall Simmons and James Veenstra.

To view coupon Download lapd_cpk_fundraiser_flyer_color.pdf.

Officers Simmons was the first SWAT Officer killed in the line of duty, when he was with the SWAT team that responded to a hostage situation in the West Valley. Officer Veenstra was also shot and critically injured that day. 

Saturday, March 1, 2008, 11:00 am - 11:00 pm
California Pizza Kitchen, Westfield Topanga Plaza, 6600 Topanga Cyn. Blvd., Canoga Park 818-884-8858

The coupon below must presented to your server, so please print out this email and bring it to the restaurant. For more information, please email Max Haghighi at Maxh@syndicatedins.com.

Crisis Response Team Now Recruiting

Office of Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa

CRT members are comprised of community civilian volunteers and at the request of LAPD and LAFD provide immediate on-scene crisis intervention & referrals to victims & their families affected by a death, a serious injury, a violent crime or other traumatic incidents. These include homicides, suicides, serious traffic accidents, natural deaths & multi-casualty incidents. The program is managed by the Mayor's Office of Homeland Security & Public Safety in close coordination with the City's Fire & Police Departments.

Training for New Team Members

JANUARY 22 – MARCH 13, 2025
TUESDAY & THURSDAY EVENINGS, 6:30pm – 9:30pm
LOCATION: FIRE STATION #88,SHERMAN OAKS

Training Topics Include:

• Police & Fire on Scene Protocol w/ Police Detective & Fire Chief.
• Children & Grief w/ LAUSD Mental Health.
• Working in Hospital Emergency Rooms w/ ER Social Workers.
• County Coroner and City/County Victim Assistance Programs.
• Suicide aftermath support w/ Suicide Prevention Center.                  
• Larger Scale/Multi-Casualty Incidents/NIMS w/LAPD, LAFD & Red Cross.
• Psychological 1st Aid/Crisis Intervention w/County Mental Health Dept.
• Skillful/Active Listening & Sacred Silence w/ skilled experts.
• Special Needs w/ City's Disabilities, Aging & Animal Services Depts.
• Cultural & Religion Diversity w/ City's Human Relations Dept.
• Taking Care of Yourself/Secondary Traumatization w/ CRT Mental Health.

          

TO APPLY please contact: CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM
Mayor's Office of Homeland Security & Public Safety
200 No. Spring Street, Room 303,  Los Angeles, CA 90012
Jeffrey Zimerman, M.S.W., CRT Manager
Phone: 213-978-0697  Fax: 213-978-0718
E-mail: LACRT@lacity.org

Download crt_volunteer_application1.pdf

BILINGUAL VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

A Skid Row Cop's opinion 8

TAKING A STEP BACK?

Hello everyone, I am Senior Lead Officer Deon Joseph, Serial No. 32511.  Recently, our City Council made an agreement with the American Civil Liberties Union to allow homeless people to sleep on the sidewalk at night Citywide.  It is unknown what the impact of this decision will be.  In my opinion, it will be a negative one, but not for the reasons people would stereotypically believe would come from a police officer.

Yes, increased crime and poor quality of life issues are a "realistic" concern.  This is counter to our "idealistic" detractors, however, my worries and fears are not only for the homeless individuals that will begin to take refuge on the streets Skid Row, but the rest of the City as well.

My concern is mainly for their individual safety.  Before the Safer Cities Initiative (SCI), people were allowed to sleep and camp on the sidewalks, which created a form of chaos.  The chaos led to the victimization and self-destructive behavior amongst the homeless.  This congestion of criminality made it very difficult to serve the homeless members we protect from crime.

It also created an atmosphere, amongst many homeless individuals, which allowed them to cater to their addictions and illegal trades.  Furthermore, they did not have to change their lives.  This attitude not only led them to become victims of their own vices, but also was compounded as they became victimized at the hand of others on a frequent basis. 

On many occasions during my tour of duty as a night patrol officer, I would respond to incidents of violence that had occurred against people who sought the streets of Skid Row as a place to rest.  In the morning, they would awake battered and or raped, as they would lie next to a pool of theirs' or someone else's human waste.

One of the saddest examples of this, that has effected me personally for years, was when a homeless friend of mine affectionately named "MiMi" was brutally strangled to death as she slept in the street.  MiMi was a special lady to me.  Yes, she was a drug addict, but she had a light inside of her.  We became fast-friends after she flagged me down one day just to chat.  We would speak honestly with each other about my job and her addiction.  When she was bingeing on crack, she would let me know by stating, "Joe, it's not a good time to talk right now.  Can't let you see me like this."  Then she would sadly walk away from me.  However, in rare moments of sobriety, she expressed a strong desire to put her life together so that she could one day reunite with her two children.  She would tear up and come to the realization that the temptations around her and the environment she was "allowed' to live in would never make that change a reality for her.  I would pray with her and counsel her, as she did for me on the nights the tragedies I witnessed on this job would shake my faith in humanity.

At the time, I did not have an answer for her.  I was a young cop who thought my sole responsibility was to crush crime and fill my patrol car with as many criminals as possible.  I did not really take the time to familiarize myself with the programs in the area.  I was just too busy.  MiMi, along with many other wonderful people I've met over the years, changed my perception of the people of Skid Row.  I began to realize that they deserved better, and needed a push to help get them together.

My "super cop" mentality began to morph into a tough love approach for the people of Skid Row.  My efforts were fueled by the thought that MiMi did not have to die the way she did.  Years after, we fought crime diligently in Skid Row without support or resources, the mediocrity surrounding our efforts kept us from making any lasting change.

For years I did my job, placing violent criminals and drug dealers who exploit the homeless in jail, and counseling drug addicts.  Unfortunately, the lack of support from other agencies, lack of officers, and constant battles with agenda-based groups, who exploit the homeless for funding masked under the banner of "civil liberties," ultimately led to these criminals being released into an environment that allowed them to continue to plague the community.  I compared my first seven years at Central to a loyal guard dog forced to eat a generic brand of dry dog food, and then someone comes along and allows me to take a small bite into a T-bone steak, leaving me craving for more.

In October 2006, the resources we needed to curb this historic trend arrived in the form of the Safer Cities Initiative (SCI).  With dedicated leadership, officers from Central Division with additional fifty energized officers took a 33 percent bite out of crime.  As I watched, the streets transformed from a place of squalor and hopelessness, to a place of sanity and community.  I was not satisfied, I craved more.

I watched as people began choosing the shelters over the streets, as a result of the efforts of officers that gave them that push.  There was less human waste, and waste of lives due to overdosing.  There were less syringes and other forms of paraphernalia on the sidewalk for addicts to reuse and spread infection.  More people benefited from drug programs and dedicated service workers in the area.  The people that still chose to remain on the streets or could not find shelter at night were behaving themselves.  Social groups who were skeptical of our motives at first were now coming to the table to discuss how they could be of assistance. 

How this ruling will affect all of our efforts has yet to be seen.  I do not struggle with this as much as I struggle with the thought that there are groups who have never been to Skid Row on a consistent basis to see what I have seen.  Or maybe they have a couple of times, but really could care less; for their overall agenda far outweighs the individual lives affected by this ruling.

My overall fear for the homeless is they will be an easier target for the increase in crimes against them not just in Skid Row, but City-wide.  However, this decision will not deter our Division and Department from doing our best to combat this ugly trend.

The positive I see in the ruling is that maybe those outside of the Skid Row realm might get an understanding of what it was like down here, and finally step-up to the plate and speak out for more services outside of the Skid Row area.

Sincerely,

Senior Lead Officer Deon Joseph

32511@lapd.lacity.org.

LAPD deserves better than recent tirade

BY MICHEL R. MOORE
Article Last Updated: 10/08/2024 04:19:45 PM PDT

WITH its editorial titled "LAPD's numbers game" (Oct. 4) we have yet another example of the willingness of the Daily News editorial page to callously throw out insulting allegations of fraud and misrepresentation against public servants.

In this most recent incident, the editorial board asserted the Los Angeles Police Department is "cooking the books" in its report on deployment in the San Fernando Valley.

The underlying purpose of their destructive and mean-spirited rant? Apparently to reassert the never-ending mantra that more officers are needed in the San Fernando Valley.

As a point of information, the department's report on the efforts to add additional patrols in the Valley was 15 pages of information, plus attachments detailing citywide deployment numbers, response times, citation productivity and revenues generated, and efforts to reduce gang violence.

Historical data stretching back five years were provided to more accurately depict performance measures over the course of several years, especially in comparison to other parts of the city.

Recognizing that the Daily News has a pretty dim view of just about everything public servants do in regards to providing services to the Valley, the editorial board chose to single out one calculation.

Particularly disingenuous was their decision to reference in the editorial a specific LAPD claim of a 30 percent reduction in response time to emergency calls for service.

Let me be clear: The report detailed response times for emergency, urgent and routine calls for service depicted in chart and graph form for each year from 2003-2007.

The only summary our report made on the subject was that overall citywide response times have improved since 2003.

Our report also stated that the department seeks to balance the attainment of specific service goals (response times) with specific deployment strategies that result in the reduction of serious violent and property crime. Our performance measures are what they are. We were factual and accurate in their depiction.

Additionally, I defend the outstanding job the men and women of the LAPD are doing on a variety of fronts in service to the people of the Valley, as well as the city as a whole.

Simply stated, our numbers are too few in every neighborhood and community of this city.

However, these same communities are made safer today by the dedication of our men and women who work in partnership with those they are sworn to protect.

And while we are continually striving to improve our performance, we will not purposely mislead or violate the public's trust for a speaking point or statistical quote.

As the saying goes, there are lies, damn lies, and statistics. We have presented the facts and merely ask for fairness in the evaluation and conclusions reached.

In closing, a well-informed public is essential to the existence of a democratic nation.

As a department, we seek to foster a cooperative climate with the media built on mutual respect. The LAPD deserves better than this most recent tirade.

Michel R. Moore is deputy chief, Operations-Valley Bureau of the Los Angeles Police Department.

LAPD's Chief Bratton knows larger terrorism threat

BY MICHAEL P. DOWNING
Article Last Updated: 10/15/2007 06:24:53 PM PDT

THE Los Angeles Police Department's counterterrorism capabilities have grown exponentially in the past six years. We are constantly training and building our capacity - both in terms of personnel and equipment - all in an attempt to prevent terrorism from taking root in the city of Los Angeles. Despite this, we are often criticized for our decisions by people who are either uninformed or rush to judgment based on inaccurate information.

The latest evolution of this is Charles Peña's Oct. 6 opinion piece, "LAPD chief doesn't understand the terrorist threat."

Peña contends that the department's acquisition of devices that detect radiological weapons and materials was essentially unwarranted and that Chief William Bratton does not grasp the "larger terrorist threat." He is wrong on both counts, and I think it is important to illustrate why.

In the last three Urban Area Security Initiative grant cycles, the LAPD has received more than $40 million of federal money for projects and equipment aimed at keeping Angelenos safe from terrorism and other threats. The $275,000 used to equip a helicopter and officers on the ground with devices capable of detecting radiological signatures consistent with "dirty bombs" constitutes only 0.7 percent of the total grant funds allocated to the LAPD.

This equipment is only one element of a broader intelligence-driven strategy. In the case of a potential threat, these tools, coupled with an intelligence-led policing strategy, can quickly determine whether a radiological signature is a legitimate concern - saving time and freeing up other national assets.

These are not intended to be the only technological resources in the region to detect radiological signatures. In the event of a legitimate threat, resources from the Fire Department, the Sheriff's Department, other county entities and the FBI would immediately be brought to bear on the problem.

To address Peña's concern about "countless false alarms," it is important to note that these are not mindless tools that direct operations. In fact, the antithesis is true. Trained and experienced police professionals employ these tools and they know how to distinguish between kitty litter and Polonium 210.

Peña correctly observes that there have only been two cases where dirty bombs have been used. But this does not negate the fact that terrorists have planned and will continue to plan to use these bombs to attack the social, economic and psychological fabric of America.

Unfortunately, it would not be very difficult to collect the necessary radiological source materials. Instructions for putting these elements together in a deadly cocktail are only a mouse click away.

The other important issue to consider is the impact that a dirty-bomb explosion would have on the city of Los Angeles. While the explosion itself would harm a handful of people, the social, economic and psychological impact of such an act would ripple through the larger community.

In the last four years, Chief Bratton has expanded the counterterrorism command from fewer than 30 officers to nearly 300. Bratton understands the larger threat and knows that local police can be leveraged in the War on Terror to protect the homeland. The cops are the eyes and ears of the community, the first preventers creating a hostile environment for terrorists.

These efforts to enhance our ability to detect dirty bombs are but one of many strategies and initiatives that the counterterrorism command has developed. I hope that the public's support is with the experts, whose job it is to protect communities, understand the risk, and prepare for the inevitable.

Michael P. Downing is deputy chief commanding officer in the Counter-Terrorism/Criminal Intelligence Bureau of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Editorial Comment

To my fellow bloggers,

It has been an interesting journey, one that I have enjoyed tremondously.  When Chief Bratton first proposed the idea of the LAPD Blog, I left his office a bit confused, because I had no idea what a blog was.  However, after a little research, attending a Blogging Conference and a lot of help from Officer Knight and Sean Bonner, together we released the LAPD Blog.  We were one of the first law enforcement agencies in the nation to venture this new road, and we have helped many law enforcement agencies throughout the world to start their own blog. 

It has certainly been fun reading all the various blogger's comments and coordinating the publication of LAPD related articles.  Now my path leads me in a different direction, I have been fortunate enough to  be selected to fill the position as the Department Spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department, an honor that allows me to bring recognition to all the good work the men and women of this Department perform every day. Taking my place as the caretaker of the LAPD Blog is Lt. Mora, who is bringing fresh new ideas and whom I have the most confidence will keep the blog going.

To those dedicated bloggers, please continue to forward your comments. Believe me many people, including LAPD officers and management, read and act upon your ideas, comments, and concerns. 

Lieutenant De La Torre      

Funeral Locations For Our Recent Fallen LAPD Officers.

Detective George "Mike" Selleh

Monday, August 6, 2024
10:00 A.M.
Church at Rocky Peak
22601 Santa Susana Pass Road
Chatsworth

Officer David Rodriguez

Wednesday, August 8, 2024
10:00 A.M
Saint John Baptist de la Salle
San Fernando Mission Cemetery
10738 Hayvenhurst Avenue
Mission Hills

"Blue Ribbon Trust FBO David Rodriguez"
Los Angeles Police Federal Credit Union
Attn: Blue Ribbon Trust FBO David Rodriguez #2030077 S4.6
P.O. Box 10188
Van Nuys, CA 91410

Detective III George Selleh was a 29-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Donations offered in his memory can be mailed to:
"Blue Ribbon Trust FBO George Michael Sellah"
Los Angeles Police Federal Credit Union
Attn: Blue Ribbon Trust FBO George Michael Selleh #2030077 S4.7
P.O. Box 10188
Van Nuys, CA 91410

Questions may be directed to Media Relations Section.

Gang Reduction Director Announced

At a news conference on Wednesday, June 20, 2007, Mayor Villaraigosa announced the appointment of ordained minister Jeff Carr to the newly created post of Gang Reduction and Youth Development Director.  Carr will oversee and advance all aspects of the City efforts to reduce gang violence through enhanced opportunities for youth, as well as oversee all of the City's gang prevention, intervention and re-entry programs detailed in the Mayor's Gang Reduction Strategy.  Chief Bratton, after meeting with Carr earlier this week, spoke approvingly of the new Director, opening his remarks with, "Wow. He gets it."  Other speakers at the conference were City Council President Eric Garcetti, Councilmembers Dennis Zine and Jack Weiss.  Carr will report directly to the Mayor.

Los Angeles Police Foundation Awards $28,000 in Scholarships

Twenty-Eight Los Angeles Community College District Students each received $1000 scholarships on Friday, June 1, 2007.  Chief Bratton presented the students the scholarships at a ceremony held at the Los Angeles Community College District Boardroom.

Also present at the ceremony were Los Angeles Community College District Chancellor Darroch "Rocky" Young, Gary Winnick of the Gary & Karen Winnick Family Foundation, Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees member Angela J. Reddock, Los Angeles Police Foundation President Karen Wagener, and David Iwata and John Donner of the Community College Foundation Board.

In order to be eligible for the scholarships, recipients must have maintained at least a 3.0 grade point average, be in their second year of college and have completed at least 12 units toward an Administration of Justice program leading to a career in law enforcement.

The annually awarded scholarships are funded by the generous donations of the Los Angeles Police Foundation/Lori Gonzales Scholarship Fund and the Gary & Karen Winnick Family Foundation.

Chief Bratton congratulated the students, inspiring them with the LAPD Recruitment's motto "To make a difference.  Be the difference."  He remarked two of the scholarship recipients had already shown interest in joining the Department.  Chief Bratton encouraged the other students to also consider becoming members of the LAPD, stating "We want you.  We need you," and reminded the recipients that "Everything you do makes a difference."

2007 Scholarship Recipients

Brenda Alcantara - Pierce College
Diana Asher - Los Angeles City College
Shireen Begum - Valley College
Annjanette Burks - Mission College
Deanna Dobay - Harbor College
Juliet C. Doris - West Los Angeles College
Marlene Esguivias - East Los Angeles College
Garrett Fisk - Los Angeles City College
Cynthia Fuentes - Harbor College
Elise Gonzalez - East Los Angeles College
Cynthia M. Gonzalez - Harbor College
Joanna Hovsepyan - Valley College
Tea Kim - Los Angeles City College
Philip Kontis - West Los Angeles College
Jesus Licea - East Los Angeles College
Andre Longino - East Los Angeles College
Roberto Marquez - East Los Angeles College
Vahe Martirosyan - Los Angeles City College
William M. Mendez - West Los Angeles College
Bryan Morales - Valley College
Cory Nakamura - Pierce College
Gustavo Nunez - East Los Angeles College
Joseph Olague - Los Angeles City College
Brenda Reyes - East Los Angeles College
Gildardo Santos - East Los Angeles College
Darlene Simon - Mission College
Rebecca Talmadge - Los Angeles City College
Nicholas Young - Harbor College

Homicide Rate News Conference

At a news conference today held inside the 77th Area Police Station, Chief Bratton and Mayor Villaraigosa announced the dramatic reduction in the city's homicide rate.  The numbers speak for themselves: 24% fewer murders and 32% fewer gang-related murders over the same period last year.  The Chief attributed the drop to a combination of resources, expertise, help from the community and the collaborative effort between LAPD and government agencies working together under the South Bureau Criminal Gang Homicide Group, established by Commander Pat Gannon.  The group of gang and homicide detectives works with 7 FBI agents, 2 Deputy District Attorneys, as well as City Attorneys and ATF agents to focus on solving murders, including gang murders and attempted murders in the South Bureau, the region of the city where the most gang-related murders occur. 

Citing the latest homicide statistics, the Mayor remarked that Chief Bratton has his support.  He also referenced that, over the past five years, homicides citywide have decreased by more than 43% while gang-related homicides have decreased by 46%.  The Mayor stated the City is statistically as safe as it was 51 years ago, when he was 3 years old.

Commander Gannon addressed the media, and introduced family members of murder victims whose cases were still unsolved.  These family members made pleas to the community for help in solving the cases of their loved ones.  The young daughter of one victim was present and stood next to the Mayor, holding his hand during the conference.

The South Bureau Criminal Gang Homicide Group has cleared 84% of its total caseload thus far in 2007.  The Chief stated the next Bureau to receive a Homicide Group will be Central Bureau, which includes Newton and Hollenbeck Areas.

Also present at the conference were Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, who spoke, as well as Los Angeles FBI Director Stephan Tidwell, Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives Special Agent John Torres, Deputy Chief Charles Beck and Assistant Chief Earl Paysinger.

After the conference, members of the press were invited upstairs to tour the 77th Area Station Homicide Group's workspace.

May 12, 2025 Washington, D.C.

On May 12, 2007, The Los Angeles Police Department will travel to Washington, D.C. to commemorate National Police Week.  The LAPD Honor Platoon will be formed up at several events to lend support to the thousands of survivors who will descend on the national capitol to remember their fallen heroes.

The Southern California Chapter of the Police Unity Tour will arrive in Washington after a three hundred mile “Ride for Those That Have Died” on May 12, 2007. There are approximately 20 LAPD Members on that tour.  Upon their arrival in Washington, DC the tour will present the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund with a check for the money raised by the 2007 Tour.  To date the Unity Tour has raised over several million dollars for the national memorial.

On May 13th at 1930, The Los Angeles Police Department Honor Platoon will then stand in silent formation at the 19th Annual Candlelight Vigil at the National Law Enforcement Memorial as the 382 names that have been recently engraved on its' panels are read to the assembled survivors. Of those 382 names, 145 officers lost their lives, nationwide in 2006.

On May 15, 2007, the LAPD Honor Platoon will assemble once again at the West Front of the United States Capitol as the President of the United States salutes the 145 law enforcers who made the ultimate sacrifice in 2006.

Notes from the May 8, 2025 Police Commission Weekly Meeting

•Chief Bratton gave a verbal update on the Department's response to the incident at MacArthur Park on May 1, 2007.  The update included descriptions of the 3 investigations being conducted as well as general updates on the FBI's preliminary investigation, the formation of the City Council Ad Hoc committee, and communications the Chief has had with various civil rights leaders including the ACLU and Advancement Project Los Angeles.  The Chief spoke of informing the Inspector General at the time of the incident, involving him from the very beginning.  He described refresher training efforts being conducted with the Metro Unit and the development of contemporary crowd control re-training to be conducted with all command staff.  The Chief recounted the personnel action taken on May 7, 2007, reassigning Deputy Chief Lee Carter and Commander Lou Gray.  Lastly, Chief Bratton announced the promotion of Commander Sergio Diaz to the rank of Deputy Chief.

•The Commission listened to public comments pertaining to the incident at MacArthur Park on May 1, 2007.  Public comments concluded at approximately 5:50 p.m.

•The Department's Report, relative to the Ethics Enforcement Section Quarterly Report, First Quarter 2007, in accordance with the Annual Audit Plan, was received and directed to the Office of the Inspector General to submit an analysis of this report along with any appropriate recommendations to the Board.

•The Department's Report, relative to the Audit Recommendation Status Report, Third Quarter 2006/2007, was approved.

•The Department's Reports, in response to a Board request, relative to Professional Standards Bureau protocol on racial profiling investigations were continued for one week. 

•The Department's Report and the Inspector General's Report, relative to the Discipline Report, Fourth Quarter 2006, in accordance with Paragraph 88 of the Consent Decree, were continued for one week.

Hearing On Chief Bratton's Request For Reappointment

The public hearing on Chief Bratton's request for reappointment took place last night in front of a sizeable crowd inside the LADWP auditorium.  The Police Commission heard public comments from citizens representing a broad spectrum of the Los Angeles community.  The comments went on until all were heard- a total of 69- and the hearing was called to an end at approximately 10:15 p.m.  The evening began with comments from elected officials who came to endorse the Chief, including Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, City Controller Laura Chick, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, Sheriff Lee Baca, District Attorney Steve Cooley and City Councilmember Jack Weiss.  Community leaders, including former Police Commissioner David Cunningham, Los Angeles Urban League President and CEO Blair Taylor, Advancement Project Los Angeles Co-Director Connie Rice, Los Angeles Police Foundation President Karen Wagener, Los Angeles Fire Chief Douglas Barry, Los Angeles Civil Rights Association President Eddie Jones, and Latin American Law Enforcement Association Los Angeles Chapter President Art Placencia, among many others, were heard.  Pursuant to the City Charter, the Commission has until July 27, 2024 to approve or deny Chief Bratton's reappointment.

Bicycle Officer Inspection

This morning saw the first of what is hoped to become an annual tradition: the Citywide Bicycle Officer Inspection at the Elysian Park Academy Field.  At 8:00 A.M., Chief Bratton, Assistant Chiefs Jim McDonnell and Earl Paysinger and other ranking officers, as well as Los Angeles Police Foundation President Karen Oleon Wagener, inspected officers assigned to the various Bike Patrol Units in the Los Angeles Police Department', approximately 250.  Chief Bratton addressed the officers immediately following the successful inspection, describing his pride for what he called an "essential component" of the Department. A long-time supporter of bicycle patrol units, the Chief pledged to grow and expand the unit during his administration.  He cited the efficiency of bicycle policing as one of its many advantages to the Department, and to our communities.

Assistant Chief McDonnell introduced Officer Craig White, Pacific Area who trained many of the bicycle officers.  On the eve of his retirement at the end of the month, Officer White referred to bike unit officers as having "the best job possible in the Department."

Assistant Chief Paysinger remarked on the health benefits to the bike officer.  He complimented the gathered men and women and stated they sent a powerful message to the community in terms of police presence and visibility.

After the inspection, the officers participated in a "Pride Ride" to Parker Center and returned to Elysian Park Academy for a day of races and competition with police bicycle officers from more than thirty invited Los Angeles and Orange County Police Agencies. 

Skid Row Walk

Los Angeles: Last night, Councilmember Jan Perry, Captain Andy Smith, community leaders, volunteers and several Central Area officers participated in the monthly Skid Row Neighborhood Watch Walk. The walk is the result of a collaborative effort between Councilmember Perry, LAPD, the Central City East Association, Skid Row residents, state and county legislators, service providers and many others seeking to affect positive quality of life changes in the area. The walk was conducted as an outreach effort to those living on the streets. Representatives from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority were present, offering transportation to shelter and services for homeless individuals. These monthly walks take place on the first Wednesday of every month.

Beth Barrett Of The "Daily News" Got It Wrong In Her Story About The LAPD's Anti-Terrorism Intelligence Section

In spite of Beth Barrett's story, which appeared in the Tuesday edition of the "Daily News," the LAPD's Anti-Terrorist Intelligence Section (ATIS) does not "skirt the law."  As a matter of fact, had Barrett bothered to check she would have discovered that the LAPD Standards and Procedures governing the collection of intelligence information are some of the most stringent guidelines in the nation.  They even exceed those imposed on federal intelligence agencies.  It is also important to note that these Standards and Procedures are not codified in any law as the "Daily News" suggested in its headline.  Rather, they are a collection of procedures the LAPD has voluntarily adopted and works very hard to abide by.  The Department's efforts in this regard were recognized by the Police Commission in its April 3, 2025 meeting.  Which, by the way, Barrett did not bother to attend.  Had she done so, she would have heard Police Commission Vice President Alan Skobin commend the Department for an overall excellent review during the recently concluded Police Commission audit.  The Commission found no evidence whatsoever of any unlawful acts or intentional subversions of the Standards and Procedures.  That finding was echoed by Inspector General Andre Birotte and an ACLU staff attorney who spoke after Skobin delivered his remarks.  While the audit did identify some areas where the Department could do a better job of documenting information, these omissions were relatively minor and a far cry from the headline that appeared in the "Daily News."

Deputy Chief Mark Leap
Commanding Officer
Counter-terrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau

A Response to Ramona Ripston's ACLU editorial on March 12, 2007.

Like the police officers that patrol Skid Row in Downtown Los Angeles, I am truly disappointed with American Civil Liberties Union President Ramona Ripston's complete distortion of our efforts to stem the lawlessness, suffering, and human misery that was commonplace on Skid Row a few months ago.  I am deeply disturbed Ms. Ripston implied our officers violate the very Constitution they are sworn to uphold and protect. I am also perplexed, because just last year, Ms. Ripston herself walked Skid Row streets with our officers, rode around in a Black and White, and personally witnessed the horrific conditions under which our most vulnerable citizens survived.  How soon she forgot!

She forgot that 3800 parolees, 300+ registered sex offenders, convicted murderers, rapists, and robbers call the 50 square blocks of Skid Row home.  She forgot the dealers dangling drugs in front of people trying to "kick" drugs, the myriad of predators hiding among the street dwelling population, preying on the weak, addicted, and mentally ill.  Fortunately, the terrible culture of lawlessness that was once the norm on Skid Row is quickly becoming a nightmare of the past. 

Despite the thwarting efforts of the ACLU and other self-appointed "champions," the LAPD will continue to protect the weak and vulnerable on Skid Row, and end the culture of lawlessness.  We are succeeding in every dimension.  Fewer people are dying of overdoses, Paramedic calls for service are down, crime has plummeted 36% so far this year, and on top of an 18% reduction in 2006, no person wanting a bed has been left on the streets.  Furthermore, missions report that more people are seeking beds and treatment, and our Streets or Services (SOS) program is diverting misdemeanor arrestees away from jail into treatment and housing programs.  The people living on the street and the people living in the missions, hotels, and apartments in the area report feeling safer, because they are safer.  These results show the Safer Cities Initiative (SCI) in Skid Row is working. 

Ms. Ripston tells stories of several people on Skid Row who claimed that they were stopped and "harassed" for no reason, and also decries the "jaywalking tickets" written by our officers.  Yes, we write jaywalking tickets, just like police throughout Los Angeles. We write traffic tickets to change the behavior of people who choose to ignore the law, not to harass the homeless or anyone else for that matter.  Consider that in 2006, 4 out of 6 traffic deaths in downtown (Central Area) were caused by pedestrians in the roadway.  So far in 2007, 3 out of 3 traffic deaths downtown were cause by pedestrians in the roadway.  When you stand over the dead body of a homeless man, killed because he was jaywalking, suddenly the idea of police officers changing behavior by issuing jaywalking tickets makes sense.  I offer no apologies for the traffic enforcement conducted by efforts our officers make to save lives of people.  The expectation is that people will obey the law, just like they do in Van Nuys, West LA and San Pedro.

Just a few months ago, the streets of Skid Row were a place where "anything goes." It was a free-for-all, from the open-air drug bizarre with people smoking crack and injecting heroin, to the blatant outdoor acts of prostitution.  Today, approximately 1200 people who were dealing (selling heroin or rock cocaine) are in jail.  Hundreds of parolees in violation or with open charges are back in prison.

Ms. Ripston asked, "Where did all the homeless people go?"  I am sure some people have chosen to go to other communities where they can get continue their criminal behavior.  Many other people who used to hang around Skid Row actually had a place to stay; they just chose to stay on Skid Row because of the cheap and plentiful drugs, alcohol and prostitution.

Who would come to Skid row just to hang out?  How about Jason Johnson? An Azusa gang member, who last year at 2 A.M. on a Thursday morning, stabbed a Skid Row homeless man to death in a dispute over a bicycle?   Johnson lived in Azusa, and had a home, but chose to "hang out" on Skid Row because he liked to smoke rock cocaine and liked the "party" atmosphere.  Yes, he is one of the people in prison, where he belongs.

How about Kristi? a woman from a prominent family who found herself addicted to drugs living on the streets of Skid Row.  Despite every effort by her family and outreach workers to get her back home or into an apartment, she chose to live on the sidewalk at 5th Street and San Julian, right next to an open shelter with empty beds.  She was killed last year:  beaten to death on the sidewalk by a drug dealer, probably over a drug debt.   He was arrested at the scene by our officers.  Her family is devastated.

What kind of other people are our officers arresting on Skid Row?  How about Jimmy Lee Smith, who we caught two weeks ago hiding among the homeless on Skid Row? He was arrested for being a parole violator.  You may remember him as The Onion Field Killer, and responsible for the murder of LAPD Officer Ian Campbell in the 60s. Or how about Demond Little, an East Coast Crip gang member who was also arrested by our Safer Cities Task Force.  Mr. Little was convicted of a home invasion, rape, and murder, and was hiding out on Skid Row as an unregistered sex offender. 

Do you want to find out the truth about Skid Row?  Do you want to see if our officers are trampling on the civil rights of homeless people? Come down and see for yourself.  Walk around and talk to people like our LAPD officers do every day.  We take members of the public, City officials and members of the media out to see the reality of Skid Row.  And don't take my word on how the homeless are being treated, ask them yourself.  Or ask one of the 400 courageous men and women working LAPD's Central Area about life on Skid Row, and the human suffering they see every day.

We are proud of our officers who work the area of Skid Row.  We will continue to provide training on all the important issues in dealing with the troubled and troublesome population on Skid Row.  Do we need more money for housing, supportive services, and mental health care?  Of course we do. Yet, until such resources are available to make a difference, it is the job of the police department to make the Skid Row area safe for the most vulnerable members of our community, and give them the opportunity to recover from their addictions in a supportive environment.

Chief William Bratton has the courage to push forward the Safer Cities Initiative and the courage to take on the problems of Skid Row, despite the constant criticism from people like the ACLU.  Chief Bratton's increase of narcotics officers and foot-beat officers in Skid Row is making the community safer than ever.  Your LAPD officers are making a difference every day and night walking the walk, protecting the weak, mentally ill, and less fortunate.  When I "walk the walk" with my officers on Skid Row, I like to remind them of the quote from President Teddy Roosevelt, "It's not the critic who counts."  The reality is…. LAPD Central Officers are the ones that count, and make a difference to the community on Skid Row every day.

Captain Andrew Smith
Central Area Commanding Officer

ACTION vs. ACTIVISM

Hello again.  I am Senior Lead Officer Deon Joseph.  As you know, I am the Liaison between the homeless community and LAPD Central Community Police Station.  As Safer Cities rolls along, I must say that I am proud of what we have accomplished thus far.

As our efforts spread throughout the skid row area, it appears that my desire of a crime free environment for the homeless, business, and service communities is becoming a reality.  As a police officer, there were many days when I felt that real change in this community would never come to pass. I never really felt that people outside of this station cared like I did about the people of skid row.  But now with the right leadership in place here, we are making what was once said to be impossible, possible. 

As I walk the streets of my area, it pleases me to see less homeless and mentally ill individuals wandering the streets with black eyes, and swollen cheeks.  Fewer individuals are running to my patrol vehicle pleading for assistance after being brutalized by gang members, and other criminals within the midst of the homeless community.

We have been allowed to police aggressively and with compassion which shows this skid row community that what we are doing does not come from a place of malice or as an agenda for development interests as our detractors tout.

As I mentioned in each of my prior blog entries, there are those that want us to fail.  One of them is a small activist group who claims to be “for the homeless.”  This group hides the truth from their willing listeners by feeding them perverted versions of the real reasons we are down here. 

When I first met this group I truly believed that their ultimate goal for the community was a positive one.  But when you have to lie, embellish or demonize your perceived enemies to do so, it leads me to question what they really stand for.  Are they really for the homeless, or just for their goals.

The real conflict between groups like these and the Police Department is a contrast in ideologies.  Most activists today believe that their agenda is far more important than the individual human being affected by the situation they claim to be trying to improve.  By this I mean that they do not care how many people get stabbed, overdose, or robbed on skid row.  It doesn’t matter how many officers’ good names they smear, or how long they stymie the system, as long as in the end they get what they what they want.  In their minds, the end justifies the means.

This is in direct conflict of our objective, which has nothing to do with any agenda; it is just our job.  And that job is to protect every single individual that lives, works, or provides a service in the skid row area to the best of our ability on a daily basis.

They use huge fancy words like “Criminalization” and “Gentrification” to vilify the image of our officers.  From the outside looking in, they sound pretty impressive.  While touting their rhetoric, they conveniently leave out the drug dealing, the gang violence, and prostitution that occurred right outside of their office on a daily basis before the inception of Safer Cities.  The truth is, we cannot “criminalize” anyone.  If you don’t break the law, you won’t get a ticket or go to jail.  For far too long, people in skid row were pretty much allowed to break any law they wanted.  Due to groups like the one I speak of and powerful attorneys who back them, the criminal element in the area saw their lawless behavior as a “Civil Right.”  Also due to a lack of resources at the time, there was very little we could do to curb it.   

In the latest edition of their newsletter, I was appalled by their support of light sentences for drug dealers, who have for years thrived from poisoning or assisting the poisoning of this community which I believe is designed to rehabilitate those in need on skid row.

As I stated, there are people who profit from keeping people broke, uneducated and high.  I truly believe that this group and groups like it do not want crime and lawlessness in skid row to stop because it does not benefit them.   The reason why is simple.  These groups are funded via private donations.  If there is no one on the street overdosing, defecating, or prostituting in tents, it becomes harder for them to go to their donors and beg for money using sob stories of how they need funding to stop homelessness.  They hide from their donors the fact that the driving force keeping people down and out on the row is narcotics and the crime it produces.  They also fail to disclose that no amount of housing or drug programs that may come to this area will do a bit of good unless we rid this community of the criminal element that drive people to the drug programs over and over again. 

To me, they get more of a kick from “sticking it” to the police department, than becoming a partner with us in protecting the homeless.  In their newsletter, it is not the gang members or drug dealers that are the brutes, though they unmercifully cause some of the most heinous atrocities in the Skid Row area.  But we are the brutes when we try to enforce laws that truly keep these atrocities from happening.

That is the reality of skid row.  If we let them tell it, we are helping no one.  But if you ask the service providers who happily report a jump in people seeking their services, street dwellers and business owners who feel safer, I’m sure you will get a different response.

This group claims to be the “voice of the homeless” community, but they are not.  They are the same handful of people in orange shirts who routinely stage protest and call us monsters for trying to stop the crime that has crippled this community for decades. At every chance they repeatedly disrupt meetings in order to confuse the community so they do not understand our true purpose.  I truly believe that if this group and groups like it would spend as much time and energy protesting the gang members and drug peddlers, we wouldn’t have the need for a safer cities initiative.

It baffles me as they target us when we enter hotels to rid them of violent criminals and sex offenders, yet they do nothing about elderly members of the community being extorted by gang members within these same hotels.  They do nothing about the narcotics packaging and sales that are rampant within these hotels.

I truly believe that our efforts will cause skid row to be a place where the homeless can really benefit from the services provided within the area that we are in full support of.  We will let them rant and chant. It’s their right to do so.  But we will continue our efforts to truly help the homeless, for I feel we have done more for the homeless then they will ever do. 

It was not this group that exposed hospitals dumping patients still in need of medical assistance, we did.  This group never challenges the crime syndicates that truly exploit the homeless.  Whether we had the resources or not, whether we had the support of other agencies or not, we confronted these individuals to the best of our abilities.  When juveniles targeted homeless and handicapped people with violent malicious assaults, it was the Officers of Central Division who put a stop to it.  While they beg and cry for more programs, we refer people to programs.  While they sang parodies of Christmas carols, we gave out care packages to homeless people.

These activist are quick to videotape us when we arrest someone.  They make up their own biased minds as to why, but when they observe us providing medical care and shelter for the homeless they turn the cameras away.  They only want the public to see what they want the public to see, but refuse to tell the truth. We do not hide from their cameras.  In fact, I welcome them for we have nothing to hide.  So let them have their activism.  We are about action, and changing the face of skid row from a place of lawlessness, to a place of true healing and rehabilitation for the homeless.

But don’t take my word for it.  I urge anyone willing to see the side that some news reporters won’t show you, and activist won’t tell you, to come on down to skid row for one of our community walks.  We can meet in person and I vow to be honest, open and candid.  Just E-mail me at 32511@lapd.lacity.org, and I will give you the next date.  Looking forward to it.

Yours truly,

Senior Lead Officer D. Joseph.

COMPSTAT and Crime Reduction

January 11, 2025

Response to January 9, 2025 LAVOICE.ORG Article, "Is LAPD Fudging Our Crime Stats?"

From:  The LAPD's Officer in Charge of the COMPSTAT Unit, Detective III Jeff Godown

LAPD's current Chief of Police, William J. Bratton, was hired by the City of Los Angeles in 2002 with a stated goal of reducing crime. Chief Bratton brought with him an innovative system of addressing crime based on the use of technology coupled with police management accountability called Computer Statistics or COMPSTAT. He also brought with him a leadership style, which can be summed up in his often repeated desire to bring "transparency" to the LAPD organization in order to increase its credibility and capability to work in partnership with the communities it serves.

In past media articles and most recently on the Internet site LAVOICE.ORG, the crime reduction, which has occurred for each of the past five years as a result of COMPSTAT and the work of the men and women of the LAPD, has been called into question. The author and his sources bring up this issue by asking if the LAPD is "fudging" on its reported downtrend in crime statistics or "cooking the books", so to speak, leading to a distortion of the crime picture and a false sense of security. Manipulating crime statistics to reflect more favorably on the crime rate is on its face inappropriate, ethically wrong, and if allowed to be practiced, will erode the credibility of the Department.

The integrity of the processes being used to track and report on crime and arrests is critical to compiling the data used in the foundational step of the COMPSTAT process, which is to obtain "Accurate and Timely Intelligence." This data is ultimately used by LAPD command and staff officers in creating crime reduction strategies, allocating resources and deploying personnel. The operative word in this process is accuracy and follows the garbage-in garbage-out principle. In order to create the best crime reduction strategies, those strategies must be based on an accurate crime picture.

As the Officer in Charge of the COMPSTAT Unit, I have had many discussions with Chief Bratton and the opportunity to talk with every commanding officer on the LAPD regarding the importance of accurately documenting and correctly reporting crime in the city. Each command follows standardized crime investigation and reporting procedures. From attending every COMPSTAT meeting and, after first analyzing the statistics reviewed for patrol operations throughout the city, I can assure you that no Captain, Commander, or Chief level staff officer is "cooking the books" to reduce crime in his area to make themselves look good. Far from the portrayal given of New York Police Department commanders that, "They are, by nature, ambitious people who lust for promotions, and rising crime rates won't help anybody's career.", I know of no LAPD command or staff officer who would "risk" their career by encouraging, or participating in, the "fudging" of crime statistics. It is interesting to note that all the articles concerning these issues have been generated on departments from back east. However, I can only address the LAPD and my role in the COMPSTAT process here in Los Angeles.

Consider the fact that the LAPD is operating under the scrutiny of a Federal Consent Decree with its capability to monitor and audit any aspect of Department operations at any place and time. On many occasions, my staff in the COMPSTAT Unit has audited crime and arrest reports for accuracy and the proper use of crime class and modus operandi codes to ensure the oversight of statistical reporting procedures. Each Area command is also responsible for auditing its operations to monitor compliance with mandatory procedural requirements. These commands must respond to the oversight of their respective Bureau commands, which in turn require Bureau audits as a check and balance on all systems. At the highest level, the Chief of Police has directed integrity audits to be performed by Professional Standards Bureau. It is well known by line officers that their next call for service could very well be such a performance audit. Any officer, who fails to complete a required report from an internal integrity audit, or from any reporting person for that matter, will be disciplined by the Department. Line officers conducting preliminary investigations will not risk involvement in the disciplinary process by intentionally refusing to complete required crime reports for the sake of "year-ending crime totals".

Today's policing environment necessarily involves the processing of vast amounts of information. The COMPSTAT process is a framework for researching, analyzing and sharing statistical crime, arrest and risk management data with all levels of the organization. In addition, external sharing of data exists in cooperation with outside law enforcement entities. In January of 2005, the COMPSTAT Unit implemented a change in the reporting of Aggravated Assault crimes involving domestic violence to the FBI's Uniformed Crime Reporting (UCR) program. Aggravated Assault is one of seven "index" crimes routinely reported for inclusion in the UCR. This change brought the LAPD's Aggravated Assault crime reporting in line with the crime definitions mandated by the program. Consultants from the FBI and the California Department of Justice concurred with the change as necessary for the accuracy of LAPD's crime statistics. This change was undertaken to correct a UCR reporting error and not to induce a "fudge factor" or creative "spreadsheet shuffle" to make it appear that the crime of domestic violence had been reduced, as some Department detractors have inferred. This reporting change was transparently made and existing statistical documents used in the COMPSTAT process were appropriately annotated.

The anecdotal evidence of LAPD personnel attempting to artificially impact the accurate reporting of crime, as may be occurring in other jurisdictions, does not wash. Does the Department follow every officer around to make sure they take every required report? Of course the answer is no. It is also true that, at times, reports that should be completed are not, but not for the aforementioned reasons of trying to artificially reduce the overall crime rate. The men and women of the LAPD are trained to investigate, document and accurately report on the incidence of crime when completing their duties and responsibilities, be they patrol officers, detectives, supervisors, command personnel or the dedicated crime analysts who work behind the scenes. They do so, admirably, and are responsible for the hard work that has produced the crime reduction successes in conjunction with COMPSTAT, the Department's inspection and command accountability process implemented by Chief Bratton to guide the Department in reducing and preventing criminal activities. The sworn and civilian personnel of the LAPD are too busy fighting crime and serving the people of Los Angeles' business and residential communities to, in your words, "Cook the Books."

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

The men and women of the Los Angeles Police Department would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a safe and joyful Holiday Season.  With 2007 upon us, we should reflect on the  successes and failures of 2006 and use them to build a promising New Year so we may achieve the goals we set as individuals, families, and organizations.  Remember, the "future" will arrive whether we are ready or not.

Lieutenant Ruben De La Torre   

A cop in pursuit of trust

This article was first originally published in the Los Angeles Times, Wednesday December 13, 2024 by Will Beall. WILL BEALL, author of the novel "L.A. Rex," is a Los Angeles police officer.

AN ANCESTOR of mine, for whom I am named, was the sheriff in Neshoba County, Miss., before the civil rights movement. It's haunting to see my name stamped into his old tin star. I know almost nothing about the man, but I'm fairly certain William Joshua Beall conceived of law enforcement very differently than I do.

I have spent most of my career with the LAPD in 77th Division — the heart of South Central — serving and protecting people whose parents and grandparents migrated here to escape places like Neshoba County.

77th Division occupies less than 12 square miles, roughly from Vernon Avenue south to Manchester Avenue and from Central Avenue west to Crenshaw Boulevard. About 175,000 people live in 77th, mostly Latinos and blacks. So far this year, we've had 69 murders.

Most of our murders are gang-flavored, but many are plain Cain — raw homicidal impulses unchecked by middle-class propriety, the unfocused rage of the desperate and downtrodden. A man murdered over a chicken coop. Another killed over a cold beer on a hot afternoon.

Most of the victims are black men and, as they aren't apple-cheeked cheerleaders or children, few of their deaths make the news. These men are buried in places like Inglewood Park Cemetery, their pictures silk-screened onto oversized T-shirts and draped over their orphaned toddlers.

Some shooting victims survive, but I wouldn't call them lucky. They slump in wheelchairs with atrophied muscles, their fingers curled and claw-like, still defiantly wearing those goofy, straight-billed, powder-blue Yankees caps, still scowling at me as I drive past. They're the paralyzed veterans of South Central's sectarian violence — gang feuds so ancient that their origins are lost even to the gangsters.

Black men have bled and died down here for generations. When you process crime scenes in 77th and collect the empty shell casings from the ground, sometimes you find older casings, tinged with rust — the leftovers from some earlier, unreported shooting. Tragedy heaped upon tragedy, death upon death, and the trail of blood stretches back further than most of us care to look.

Spend enough time in South Central and you make some unpleasant historical connections. You begin to see the body count not just as the work of Crips and Bloods but as the legacy of restrictive housing covenants and economic isolation. Believe me, this nation's history of racial oppression doesn't feel so abstract after a few autopsies.

I know a lot of black people still don't trust cops. Can't say I blame them. For generations, police were the street-level enforcers of segregation and miscegenation laws. We were the guys with the dogs and water hoses at Selma. Little wonder the relationship between the black community and law enforcement in this country remains badly broken.

Folks in South Central remain understandably wary of cops like me. I walk into their lives uninvited, at inopportune moments — a retail sales rep from the same corporation that brought them the Middle Passage, Jim Crow, the Tuskegee syphilis experiments. Some of them hate me on sight. Others want to trust me, but it's hard. It is the nature of policing to displease. This is inherently violative work. We're not firefighters, after all. We pull people over. We ask unpleasant questions. We arrested your nephew, and he swears he didn't do it.

Many people are content to let poor black men kill one another. Fortunately, the men and women I serve with are not among them. Our vigorous pursuit of black perpetrators is legendary; we're less famous for our corollary efforts on behalf of black victims. Officers work in 77th Division because they believe the powerless are worth protecting.

A recent article in The Times reported that the LAPD has fallen behind the Sheriff's Department in recruiting. The article blamed this hiring shortfall, in part, on minorities' lack of trust in the LAPD. Eulia Mae Love. Rodney King. Rampart. Rocked by scandal after racially-charged scandal, this department struggles to reinvent itself while under a federal consent decree. Meanwhile, another generation of dedicated officers nears retirement age.

So here's my totally unauthorized recruiting pitch: If you believe justice belongs to the pauper as well as the prince, if the life of the untouchable is as sacred to you as the life of the Brahmin, if you believe safety is a civil right owed both the gated community and the blighted one, then take the LAPD written exam. Hey, come work the south end. We're still fighting an uphill battle, and we could sure use the help.

Progress is slow, but it is happening. In my eight years, I've won a few people over. They rage to me about a videotaped use-of-force on the TV news, or some highprofile shooting, certain they know the latent sentiments behind the official explanations. "But you're one of the good ones," they tell me.

That's not a bad start, really, considering we're all not that far out of Neshoba County.

Troubled, but No State of Siege

While I appreciate the substantial coverage the Daily News provided to this important issue, I want to correct the record as to my remarks regarding the state of the Valley.

I do NOT believe the San Fernando Valley is presently in a "state of siege" by gang violence.

The violence we have seen this year needs all of our collective efforts to quell. Our success in that endeavor does in part depend on each stakeholder and contributor having a sense of urgency to work more effectively. Describing our condition in a manner that elicits such an urgency is valuable, however, suggesting a "state of siege" exists is counter-productive in two manners.

One, while the levels of violence are unacceptable, their concentrations in the San Fernando Valley are not extreme in comparison to many other parts of the city or region. The use of the term "state of siege" poses the risk of the situation being exaggerated or magnified beyond its actual existence. Such a conclusion can result in people dismissing this as a real problem requiring real action on their part.

Second, the situation we are in can and will be successfully addressed by a sustained effort that disassembles those influences that are contributing to the increase in gang-related violence. However, terrifying those who live and work in our communities by describing our current situation in such an extreme manner risks undermining our success in gaining their willing participation to step out in their commitment of added resources to strengthen neighborhoods against the perils of gang violence.

The men and women of our Department are focused on reducing the level of gang violence we have experienced this year in the San Fernando Valley.  Their work, in concert with the contributions of others in the law enforcement community, schools, community and faith-based organizations are making an impact everyday. Successes have been achieved in addressing this increase in violence and I believe the added strategies discussed last week before the Board of Police Commissioners will further benefit this problem.

LAPD Deputy Chief Michel Moore
818.838.9465

Daily News Response

I was extremely disappointed with a Daily News piece I read in Mariel Garza’s column on Nov 12th.  Let me start by explaining that I am speaking exclusively for myself (not as a representative of any agency or anyone else).  However, I proudly serve as a middle manager on the LAPD at one of the Community Police Stations in the San Fernando Valley.  In my case, I work in my own community.  I waited for a significant portion of my 25-year career to work exactly where I do, and consider it an honor to serve there.

With that in mind I’d like to share a few recent contacts I encountered while on-duty at the station.  As a Watch Commander for the late-night shift, several college students recently came to the station in close proximity to gather information on a CSUN homework assignment they were completing.  One particular college woman and her boyfriend came to the station and spent some time with one of my desk officers.  After about 15-minutes the officer came to me informing that the young woman at the desk was requesting documentation related to her homework assignment that the Department couldn’t release to her.  The young woman pushed the issue stating that her professor informed her that she would be entitled to the documents she was requesting. 

I responded to the desk and engaged in a very positive contact with the student and her boyfriend. We had a good laugh over the “tomorrow” due date of her assignment … never do any homework today that you can put off until tomorrow …  We did, however, spend the better part of twenty minutes actually discussing her assignment.  The student was asking for copies of fresh crime reports and officers’ activity logs from that day (DFAR’s - Daily Field Activity Reports).  The information listed on such documents includes the name, address, and other confidential information on victims, witnesses, and suspects that is not available for simple release to the public.  Could you imagine the police releasing information on anyone who was included on a sexual assault investigation?  I did, however, also explain how the student could access public information via other sources.  I even extended her an invitation to come back during daytime hours to glean information from personnel in our Crime Analysis Detail (CAD Unit).  In each station the staff in that assignment keeps and continuously updates statistical data on crime trends, patterns, wanted suspect flyers, and an entire host of other related information that is available to the public.  I offered to leave word with the CAD staff that the student would be coming in the next morning, and to prepare to assist her.  She declined that offer, as the due date for her assignment would come around before she could take advantage of it.  My desk officer offered to give her and her boyfriend a station tour to assist her with her project.  She happily accepted, and I approved the officer’s time to do so.

Despite the mutually positive encounter with the student there was one exceptionally worrisome element in the contact.  The young woman described that her teacher had suggested to the students that they could earn a good grade on the project if they were to get themselves arrested and see the law enforcement function from the inside.  I was amazed that a college teacher would suggest such a thing.  I clearly and distinctly cautioned the young woman to think that advice through completely before acting on it.  I pointed out to the young woman that her marketability to the work force could be compromised should she do something that would get her arrested.  I made it very, very, clear that the teacher’s suggestion might not be in the students’ best interest.   I repeated the point to the student, and encouraged her to have the teacher contact me personally to discuss the teacher’s advice to the students.  In the end the above mentioned station tour was given, and the student and her boyfriend left with a spirit of good wishes and hopes for her success in the future.

A few days later I was supervising the Day Watch Patrol assignment when another student came to the station to gather information for a homework assignment from Pierce College.  This particular young woman came to the station with her approximately 20-month old baby (a darling child in a stroller working a binky that matched the outfit!).  This student was tasked with speaking to a police supervisor to address her homework project.  I had a field sergeant come to the station and submit to an interview with the young mother.  The sergeant spent over 35-minutes with her.  During that time I twice stopped what I was doing to wash off her baby’s pacifier that kept finding its way to the floor.  She too left my station after what turned out to be a mutually positive community contact.

With all this in mind, I repeat my disappointment with the Daily News article posted in the Nov. 12th edition.  The article displays the utter disdain and condemnation of the Valley LAPD stations as seen through the eyes of a CSUN journalism teacher who also writes for the Daily News.  The teacher opined that her students found an overall lack of care and cooperation during their encounters at several of the Valley’s Community Police Stations.  Granted I have no way of knowing what her students told her about those encounters.  Lord knows I have enough parenting and educational experience myself to know that her students could have told her anything about the timeliness of their assignment ... i.e. the dog ate my homework / the police wouldn’t give me any source documents / etc.  In any event, the simple truth is that I bent over backwards to accommodate the needs of these students, as I do with all citizens in this community.  I view the people who come into my station as my neighbors, and I demand my subordinate officers treat them accordingly.  Given the quality of the fine men and woman that serve the community along with me at “my” station, this is a self-fulfilling policy and not something I have to “sell” to them. Though I can’t account for the opinion Ms. Garza holds for those in my profession, I am certainly let down that as a Daily News journalist she would print the article she did on the Nov. 12th edition without first checking on the reliability of her story.

My thoughts go to an all too familiar twist to an old expression “No good deed goes unpunished!” I’ll close my thoughts with these two points (again, me personally).  First, if Ms. Garza should ever find herself as the victim, witness, or suspect on a crime report, followed by someone coming to the station asking for a copy of that police report (listing her name and other personal information), I promise to completely respect her privacy and not release an unauthorized copy of the report to a complete stranger.  Secondly, my opinion that the students should not get themselves arrested for a grade, stands firm.  I am available to discuss that opinion on my own time, on Ms. Garza’s schedule, and at her choice of venue.  As for the Daily News, I wonder if this response will hold the same prominence in your newspaper as the one displayed by Ms. Garza on Nov. 12.

Vincent Neglia 

Chief's Response to Daily News Article

I read with interest and some initial concern, Mariel Garza's column in the November 13, 2006, Daily News, "LA's an Armed Camp in Minds of its Police."  But I could not let some of Ms. Garza's points go without a comment, particularly when my staff's review of her assertions addressed my initial concerns.

One would expect a journalist, or in this case journalism students, be prepared for and understand how to ask for information they are entitled to from law enforcement organizations.  After much research and fact finding after the fact, it became clear; Garza's students were not prepared for this assignment.

For example, a management analyst who works in the Devonshire Area Crime Analysis Detail spent a great deal of time trying to help five of Garza's California State University Northridge students.  They asked for specific crime information under the "Freedom of Information Act," not the "California Public Records Act (CPRA)."  There is a difference; the Freedom of Information Act pertains to requests for federal records, and the CPRA deals with requests for information from state and local agencies.  According to the analyst, the students insisted they be given crime information under the Freedom of Information Act.   

Garza's column also did not explain that the CPRA requires that "access be immediate and allowed at all times."  However, "staff need not disrupt operations to allow immediate access, but a decision whether to grant access must be prompt."  One surely cannot expect a police division in the Valley that on average responds to over 700 calls for service in a week, handles over 300 crime and arrest reports in a week to drop everything when a student walks in and wants crime information and wants it now. 

That's why the LAPD goes to great lengths to make that information available through its Public Information Office, Media Relations Section and LAPDOnline.org.  In March, the Department re-launched its website with more information than ever before including weekly updates of citywide crime statistics and a new state of the art tool called LAPD Crime Maps.  It allows users, including college journalism students, the ability to find out exactly what crimes are happening, when and where in the city.  Reporters should be encouraged to utilize the resources already available to them.  If it is crime blotter information they want, that information is routinely provided to local newspapers by the area police stations through their Crime Analysis Units.  The LAPD's Records and Identification Division routinely provides a crime blotter service to news agencies. 

When some of the students did reach out to the Department's Media Relations Section, they did not, as Ms. Garza claims, ask for crime blotter information.    One student in particular wanted a copy of a watch commander's log, which is not the same as crime blotter information.  When an officer asked her what day and what shift, the student didn't know.  She was asked to be more specific and please send her request to Media Relations in an e-mail.  She never did.  Watch commander logs are not considered public records because they contain communications between the shift supervisor and that particular police station's captain.  Since the logs may contain confidential information, like a victim's personal phone number, such documents are not de facto public information.  I'm sure the public would expect the Department to protect confidential information and not release it to inquiring news reporters or journalism students.

The Department works with dozens of different reporters every day.  Many have a misconception about the CPRA and how to use it to get information.  In 95% of the requests, reporters don't need to invoke the CPRA; we're more than happy to help them get their information.  But when they do invoke it, specific protocols are followed and the Department's Discovery Unit ultimately decides which CPRA request can be honored.

Ask any police-beat reporter how often they need to invoke CPRA to get information -- their answer will likely be, rarely.  Being a good reporter means knowing what information one is entitled to, finding and relying on sources and contacts to get information, as well as learning how to utilize the Department's website for crime statistics.  It also means having a clear understanding of the difference between the Freedom of Information Act and the California Public Records Act.  That's a lesson that hopefully Garza will teach her students.  I offer the services of my staff to help Garza's students learn how to work with the Department to get the information they need, understand what information is already available to the public, and how to access it.

WILLIAM J. BRATTON
Chief of Police

Police Force, in Color

   by Greg Meyer

    The Hollywood Division officers "caught on tape" in a use of force incident provide the latest example of public outrage over police use of force.  Although the public and the media want immediate answers, it will be awhile before anyone can provide an objective analysis of the entire event.

    The increasing proliferation of video cameras guarantees that more and more police incidents will be captured.  So it seems to me to be useful to attempt to provide some context about how such incidents are analyzed.  For the past 17 years, I've worked as an expert witness on civil and criminal use of force cases around this country, usually in favor of the police, sometimes not, and some with video, some not. 

    The truth almost always lies deeper than the video.

    Many are tempted to pass judgment on the basis of a shocking video.  "It speaks for itself, the police beat this guy for no reason," many would say (and have already said in this case).  We have the usual outraged headlines and outraged Southern California ACLU judgment before the facts are in, and we have the usual outraged attorney with dollar signs rolling in his eyes.  All of that is par for the course.

    Regardless of the eventual analysis when all the facts are included, there are a few glaringly obvious facts about this video.

    First of all, there is not just one video.  There are three videos of this incident posted on YouTube.  One is 19 seconds long.  One is five seconds long.  One is one second short.  They each capture a different part of the incident.

    The videos were captured via someone's cellphone camcorder.  You should wonder (I do) about why the two shorter videos published on YouTube are so short.  And you should wonder why the longer video suddenly stopped just as the suspect's right hand was approaching the gun holster of one of the officers.  Were the videos edited to someone's advantage?  Or was it just the luck of the draw and the vagaries of an amateur pushing buttons on the cellphone?  We would all be better off if entire incidents were captured, but we rarely have that luxury.   Still, it's important to note that such videos don't capture the point of view of the officer involved in the heat of the incident.

    Second, newspapers have published excerpts of the officers' own report of the arrest, in which they admit hitting the suspect in the head after describing the suspect's alleged resistance to arrest.  It's very clear watching these videos that the officers are attempting to handcuff the suspect (one cuff is already on one wrist), but the suspect is not allowing that to happen.   

    Third, it is very interesting that the court commissioner who looked at the video (which was recorded in August) refused to dismiss the criminal case against the suspect, and stated, "The issue here is not whether the officers had to use force. The question is whether or not the defendant used force in resisting the lawful arrest, and I find that he did resist, using force."

    The fact-finding missions by the internal affairs processes of the Los Angeles Police Department will play out, as will the investigation by the FBI, as will the criminal court case involving the suspect, as will the suspect's forthcoming lawsuit.  It will be quite awhile before all the facts and opinions are in about whether the officers acted reasonably or not.

    Use of force by police in this country for the past 17 years has been judged by Graham v. Connor [490 U.S. 386, 109 S.Ct. 1865 (1989)].  Very few citizens have had the opportunity to sit in judgment, whether criminal or civil, in police use of force cases.  There aren't that many criminal cases brought (cops, after all, are the only ones that society gives authority to use force proactively), and the civil suits are most often settled or dismissed before trial.

    When there is a trial, what jurors wrestle with are the requirements set forth by the Graham case.  When police must use force, the Court says, the force must be "objectively reasonable" with respect to the facts and circumstances the officer is facing, and without 20/20 hindsight.

    The court decided that, "The ‘reasonableness' of a particular use of force must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene, and its calculus must embody an allowance for the fact that police officers are often forced to make split-second decisions about the amount of force necessary in a particular situation."  Also what must be considered are the severity of the crime, the immediate threat to the safety of the officers or others, whether the suspect is resisting arrest or attempting to evade arrest by flight.

    The list of facts to be considered is lengthy, but its highlights include: the number of suspects and officers involved; the size, age and condition of the suspect; the known or perceived fighting ability of the suspect; the duration of the action; the experience level of the officers; the distance from the officers to the suspect; and the weapons (including the officers weapons) in the immediate vicinity of the suspect.

    Law enforcement officers are unique in society because they are permitted by law to use physical force to compel others to do their bidding.  Officers intervene in a variety of urgent, unpredictable situations, and their mission is to keep the peace or to restore it.  This awesome power must be wielded sparingly in a democratic society.  The public rightly holds public administrators, including police officials, responsive to public preferences and demands.  When officers use force they must do so to control a situation, not to punish an offender.

    Use of force by police naturally upsets onlookers across the street as well as viewers of the six o'clock news.  Conditioned by fictional media depictions of sanitized violence on one hand and fantastic "megaviolence" on the other, most people have no frame of reference other than personal emotions to evaluate an incident.  The average viewer has little or no experience with real violence and the chaos that typically surrounds it.

    People tend not to understand even legitimate use-of-force incident dynamics; people are repulsed when they see force applied to a fellow human being.   But force is used in relatively small percentages of police confrontations, and people should not be surprised or offended that police must occasionally use force.

    Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa are right to express concern about the Hollywood incident because the incident is obviously of concern to the public.  But the Chief and the Mayor are also right to withhold judgment until the various investigations play out.

    The public—and the media—would do well to listen to them.

Greg Meyer retired in May as a captain at the Los Angeles Police Academy.  He is a member of the National Advisory Board of the Force Science Research Center, and a speaker and expert witness throughout the country on law enforcement use of force.

To Protect and To Serve

August 23, 2024

Re "Officer Injured in Rifle Attack," Aug. 14

On Aug. 12, I said goodbye to my wife and kids and went to work like any other day. I am a police officer for the city of Los Angeles. I work Hollenbeck Division. That evening, two events occurred that were distressing for me. Early in the night, my partner and I chased a man who was trying to evade arrest on domestic violence warrants through the Ramona Gardens Housing Projects. His girlfriend, the alleged victim, was present during the arrest and was extremely angry. She called us "corrupt pigs," among many choice words. She did not understand that we were simply doing our jobs. A few hours later, my partner and I conducted a traffic stop for a burned-out headlight. The passenger in the car met us with a hail of bullets from an AK-47 assault rifle. Again, we were just doing our jobs.

ADVERTISEMENT Neither event will deter me from going to work every day and serving the community of Hollenbeck Division in a professional and compassionate way. I am proud to be a police officer, and I work with some of the finest police officers in the world.

Like me or not, respect me or not, shoot at me or not, I will keep doing my job.

JOHN C. PORRAS

Los Angeles

CHIEF'S MESSAGE – August 2006

One of the most difficult jobs of any law enforcement organization is to build trust with a skeptical public.  By its very nature, policing is a job of enforcement.  Cops are considered bad guys because they force people to follow the law.  While what we do doesn’t always make for good public relations, our job is vital to preserving a free democratic society.

Everyday, the men and women of this Department are working hard to foster and gain the trust of the communities we work with.  Through a commitment to transparency and positive institutional change the Department continues to restore community confidence in the LAPD and markedly reduce crime.  These changes would not have been possible without a workforce comprised of civic-minded individuals committed to best practices in policing.

But to truly fulfill our vision to make LA the safest big city in the nation, I need more talented, hard working, dedicated cops.  Over the past several years my goals for the Department have remained the same – reduce crime and the fear it instills, fully implement the Consent Decree, and prevent and respond to acts of terrorism.  Now, I’m adding recruitment as my 4th goal.   

Over the next five years, the LAPD will be hiring 1,000 recruits, beginning with 650 new hires in fiscal year 2006/2007.  As we work to achieve recruitment and other Department goals we must remember that community partnerships built on trust will effect long-term social change in this City. It is my belief that transparency in our day-to-day operations inspires public support.  But transparency goes both ways.  We need to know, in a way that is not filtered through the media, what the public thinks about the job we are doing.

A few months ago the Department launched this new blog as a web-based tool to serve as a window into the LAPD.  As an online, interactive journal used to deliver real-time, unfiltered information, it has done a number of things to promote transparency.  It has allowed the Department to respond to criticism or misrepresentations without having our responses edited; it lets us gauge the public’s pulse; and it encourages that two-way communication.

Since its May launch, the blog has had over a 100,000 visits, averaging almost 2,000 daily.  In its brief existence, more than 500 comments have been generated in response to Department postings.  The Department reviews comments to ensure that they do not contain inappropriate remarks or profanity and they do not appear on our web log until approved.

At the outset, this blog’s primary purpose was to engage a local audience in open dialogue about current events.  It has done that and more.  Throughout the country and around the world—from the United Kingdom to Mexico—bloggers are blogging.

In May, for instance, a major counterfeiting-operation shutdown in Downtown Los Angeles prompted a flurry of discussion. During the two-day raid, officers seized $18.4 million worth of counterfeit designer-brand merchandise.

Regularly monitored by our command staff, sworn and civilian personnel, this blog item prompted our own people to participate in the online discussion.  Deputy Chief Mark Leap, Commanding Officer, LAPD Counter Terrorism Bureau, replied to a blogger who questioned the operation’s merit.  Deputy Chief Leap wrote, “Since September 11th, law enforcement in general, not just the LAPD, has linked counterfeit goods to terrorist funding… [These] investigations have resulted in disruptions of [terrorist activities] and should continue to be the focus of the LAPD.”

Another news item that generated many comments was the shooting of LAPD Officer Kristina Ripatti on June 3.  Bloggers expressed concern, empathy, and encouragement for Officer Ripatti, who suffered serious wounds after being struck twice by gunfire.

Similarly, a “Los Angeles Daily News” editorial titled, “Lowered Standards,” prompted rapid-fire dialogue.  The article referenced a proposal by Councilman Bernard Parks. The policy sought to reinstate a zero-tolerance mandate that would disqualify police officer candidates with any history of drug use.

In this instance, the blog allowed me to comment on the proposed policy and the subsequent “Daily News” article.  It gave me the opportunity to explain that our standards have, in fact, increased—in many respects—but that we have a practical and flexible hiring approach.  My response generated almost 30 comments. 

The torrent of e-chatter truly testifies to the blog’s success. Though the Department reserves the right to withhold comments that contain profanity or other inappropriate material, it does not shy away from posting criticism.

As this blog matures we will continue to expand its content, including sections for each geographic area.  Transparency, either through the media, our website—LAPDonline.org—or the LAPD Blog, helps us to connect with people in the communities we protect and serve. As we connect we are fostering trust and building the kinds of community relationships and partnerships that we need to be a successful and respected law enforcement organization.

WILLIAM J. BRATTON
Chief of Police

Skid Row Drug Trade

I appreciate Los Angeles Times reporter Steve Lopez’ frustration with the open air drug bazaar that he witnessed last Friday on Skid Row (Points West, August 19).  Imagine the frustration my LAPD officers feel every day, trying to enforce the law they are sworn to uphold and bring order to the chaos downtown, within an entire system that is terribly broken.

It is not hard to find drugs on Skid Row, and almost as easy to arrest people for it.  We arrest kids as young as 12 for selling drugs, and elderly women in their 70's for possession, along with everyone in between.  Gang members downtown hire children, undocumented workers and addicts to sell for them. Ever been to Amsterdam?  I have seen it, and its easier to find drugs here on Skid Row.

So, with drugs and drug dealers on nearly every block, why don’t we just arrest them all?  The answer is, we do.  In 2005, in the 50 square blocks of Skid Row, we arrested more than 6,000 people for narcotics violations - up from 5,600 during 2004.  If I sent my patrol officers out of the station with the orders to make drug arrests, they would all be back in no time, drug dealer and drugs in hand.  Unfortunately, it takes two officers 4-6 hours to process a drug arrest…all day if the doper is sick or injured, and most of them are.  With the officers in the station processing drug arrests, that thin line of police presence and protection is gone from Skid Row.  That’s when the knifings, assaults, street robberies and murders occur.  The drug crazed, the mentally ill, the parolees and gang members that thrive on Skid Row prey on those that are weaker and down-and-out when the police aren’t around.

Steve, the entire system is broken.  There is no incentive to stop selling drugs downtown.  Under the new “Proposition 36” rules the California voters approved, any simple narcotics possession arrest results in a court order to “get into rehab” and no jail time…for as many as 7 separate arrests.  First time rock cocaine and heroin dealers get probation when we catch them.  Second offense is 180 days in jail (the Penal Code mandates 3, 4, or 5 years).  And with the County’s early release practice, that second strike heroin dealer is out of jail after serving 10% of his sentence – only 18 days.  Third offense is 270 days (actually serving 27), and so on. System Broken.

The prisons are full, the jails are full and the courts are so busy that last month they took a plea of 120 days county jail (serving 12 days) for a major downtown cocaine trafficker who was facing an exposure of 15 years state prison time. Last week a notorious Skid Row narcotics dealer with 7 prior narcotic sales convictions was caught and sentenced again…he was placed on probation.  No jail time. System Broken.

With 10 of my best officers working undercover narcotics in the Skid Row area every day, and with the additional help of the 12 member narcotics task force we had working Skid Row all summer, as you have seen, we have hardly made a dent.  What can we do?  The 50 officers planned for Skid Row as part of Chief Bratton’s Safer Cities Initiative is a terrific start.  Then, fix the court system, put some teeth into the sentencing of repeat offenders and support Senator Gil Cedillo’s bills to make Skid Row a Narcotics Recovery Zone. 

Let’s end this mess.  Let’s shut down this open air drug market. Let’s end the culture of chaos downtown and give those addicts trying to get clean a fighting chance at recovery. 

Captain Andrew Smith
Commanding Officer
Central Area
Los Angeles Police Department

IT'S NOT LIKE THE MOVIES 472.2

I was honored to deliver an invocation at the Los Angeles Police Academy.  As I shook the hand of each graduate, I could feel their earnestness and eagerness to begin their careers protecting and serving the community and being worthy of the pride and confidence of their families, instructors and classmates.

I don't think many citizens realize how complicated, demanding and dangerous policing is in today's world.

Media sterotypes depict high-speed chases, shoot-outs, fistfights and roughing up bad guys. We see "one-man-army" avengers who take on incredible odds, and "rules-are-made-to-be-broken, make-my-day" rebels who flaunt laws and disobey orders.

In fact, professional and communications skills (often in two languages), self-discipline and unwavering respect for the law.

There's simply no room for irresponsible, insubordination, or emotionally self-indulgent individuals. Most of the famous movie cops would be fired or imprisoned in real life. The job has changed so much that professional policing associations have changed their designation from "law enforcement officers" to "peace officers" to better reflect the array of tasks the modern officer performs.

Law enforcement - chasing criminals, interrogating suspects, making searches and arrests and testifying in court - represents only a fraction of what peace officers do. Most of their time is spent helping people in other ways, including resolving disputes, dispensing advice, taking reports, regulating crowds and traffic, and aiding persons in danger or distress.

Yet despite this commitment to service, these fresh-faced newbies will have to endure physical dangers, verbal abuse and continual criticism. It's a very tough job and they deserve our appreciation and support

Michael Josephson, Creator of Character Counts

Research: A Practitoner's Perspective, From the Streets

Given at the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Annual Conference July 17, 2024 by Chief William J. Bratton

Good afternoon and thank you. Thank you for the opportunity to address this exceptional gathering of scholars, researchers and criminal justice professionals. Like all of you I enjoy and appreciate these conferences in that they give us an opportunity to look at where we have been, where we are, and most importantly, where we might be going and to be intrigued and inspired about the possibilities the future holds. Unlike most of you I am first and foremost a practitioner, a cop, and have been for 36 years. But I am also a consumer and strong advocate of research. As the current president of the Police Executive Research Forum, the foremost practitioner- research partnership organization in policing, I am a proponent of more intimate partnerships and collaboration between practitioners and academics – partnerships that helped to shape successful problem solving and community policing philosophies of the 20th Century and can lead to a better understanding of the complexities of the rapidly expanding paradigm of crime and Criminal Justice in America in the 21st Century.
(To view the entire text, please click here...)

LETTER TO THE EDITOR, LOS ANGELES TIMES

In the July 13th Los Angeles Times, “A Complex Portrait of Rampart’s Redemption,” reporter Jill Leovy got it absolutely correct in writing that many factors contributed to the remarkable turnaround in Rampart area, and more specifically in MacArthur Park. 

In 1991, Rampart was the most violent piece of real estate in Los Angeles; fifteen years later its crime rate lies below the city average.  While credit for the success must be shared, it’s important to recognize that the Los Angeles Police Department under Chief William Bratton deserves recognition as the primary change agent.

Ms. Leovy’s article focused on homicide rates as the sole measure of crime reduction.  While homicide is an important indicator of a community’s health, it’s an imprecise indicator for Rampart since two-thirds of the area’s murders are gang related.  So the precipitous drop in murders is more a measure of reducing gang influence than crime in general. 

To understand the full measure of Rampart’s redemption, one must look at the totality of major crime as well as the pattern of arrests.

At the point Chief Bratton took office in October 2002, Rampart’s crime decline had been on a two-year spike upward.   Who knows how long the up trend would have continued?

The impetus for change in Rampart came through leadership, dedication, and focus within the police department.  It was a concerted effort over two years in which all areas of crime dropped, and murders reached their lowest levels ever, 28 for the year 2004.

While Rampart got its redemption, MacArthur Park saw its renaissance.  In those two years, this Los Angeles landmark went from being a magnet for crime to an inviting oasis in an urban center. 

The renaissance is best illustrated through the arrest profile around MacArthur Park.  What the article missed was how monthly triple-digit arrests in the 1990s have dropped to a mere trickle in last two years, with crimes rates remaining low.

As the captain in Rampart during that renaissance, I want to share the credit and the success with the community, businesses, schools, and all levels of governmental partners.  It was a true partnership.  But make no mistake, the real credit goes to the men and women of LAPD who worked Rampart during that period.  They met many challenges:  scandals, the lack of public trust, and critics who said it could not be done.  But they persevered through it all in large part thanks to Chief Bratton’s faith in them and his ability to trust in their professionalism and dedication. 

The police can be a catalyst for change in society, but society must be willing to jump in and work with the police.  And when the renaissance occurs, society must be willing to sustain the effort.   

CHARLIE BECK, Commander
Los Angeles Police Department

LAPD RESPONSE TO DAILY NEWS COLUMN

Original Column, Los Angeles Daily News, May 28, 2025

Why am I not surprised?  Just 15-days after the Department launched LAPDBlog.org, a Daily News columnist has decided the “LAPD blog just bogs down net.”  To read the May 28th column one would think the LAPD had committed some horrible blogosphere crime.

When we re-launched the Department’s website last March, (check your facts Daily News, taxpayers don’t pay for LAPDOnline or the separate blog, the Los Angeles Police Foundation does and the redesign of the site cost $382,000…the blog only costs $15 a month) Chief Bratton did commit to stepping into unchartered blog waters.  I say unchartered because some time spent researching Google confirms there are no universal hard, fast rules when it comes to blogging.

So we designed the blog to do a number of things, respond to criticism without having our responses edited, gauge the pulse of the public, let people know what’s happening in the Department, both good and bad, and yes even plug the positive contributions of its men and women.  The audacity of this LAPD “flack” to actually want people to know that yes, cops are people too and they do good things.  They don’t, as the writer would have you believe, spend the majority of their time going from one fast food restaurant to another. Transparency goes both ways you know.  Why, even the Daily News prints some “good news” stories. And don’t even suggest we are making up personalities to praise ourselves.  If papers like the Daily News committed to even a weekly column listing all of the heroic acts of officers (I won’t hold my breath) we probably wouldn’t even need a blog.  But we do.

And then there is this line from the column; “I want to imagine that when The Man is not meting out firm but fair justice, he is sipping lattes and updating his blog,” (I don’t even want to imagine the future headline on that one).  Now, while the Columnist may want officers to sip and blog, most cops I know want nothing more than to go out and put lawbreakers in jail, save lives and survive so they can go home to their own families. 

They also want people to have the opportunity to tell us like it is, bad and good.  Will the blog, as you say “reverse years of secrecy and conflict with the community?”  Our hope is that in time the dialogue will help to heal old wounds.  But come on, you’ve got to give us more than two weeks!

Mary Grady
LAPD Public Information Director

LAPD RESPONSE TO DAILY NEWS EDITORIAL

Original editorial, Los Angeles Daily News, May 10, 2025

Your recent article and editorial regarding the Los Angeles Police Department crime statistics require a deeper explanation and discussion than you have allowed.  You are absolutely right that Chief Bratton inherited a Department with leadership issues, weak morale and a tarnished image. He also inherited a Department that did not keep crime statistics properly.

First we must shed some light on just what statistics we are discussing.  More than 89 years ago, the Federal Goverment adopted what is called a "Uniform Crime Report" (UCR). Just as the name suggests, this is a system designed to overcome the myriad of ways in which the 50 states report crime. The purpose was, and is, to allow direct comparison between cities and states by providing a consistent clearly defined set of criteria for crime reporting.

One of the categories created is called Aggravated Assaults. By definition Aggravated Assaults are classified as "An attack for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury, usually accompanied by the use of a weapon or means likely to produce death or great bodily injury." These Aggravated Assaults are classified as "Part One" crimes by UCR. All other assaults are classified as Part Two Crimes. Most assaults, including crimes of domestic violence, fall into the Part Two crime category based on the guidelines of the UCR.

This all seems straightforward until you get to the early 1980s. During that time period there was tremendous pressure to change the way Law Enforcement dealt with domestic violence. Traditionally domestic violence had been treated as a family matter and often ignored by many aspects of society, including the police. Reform was needed and indeed occurred. In fact domestic violence became one of the priorities in policing and arrests and prosecutions skyrocketed. As a consequence of this increased attention, the Los Angeles Police Department made an internal reporting decision that led us to the current controversy.

That decision was to take all reported domestic violence incidents and categorize them as Part One Crimes, irrespective if they fit the criteria for that crime class. For the next twenty plus years the LAPD over reported Part One Crimes to the Federal Goverment virtually negating the system used to measure crime nationwide. Keep in mind that UCR crime codes are completely independent of California criminal codes and have nothing to do with how cases are investigated, prosecuted or the penalties associated with conviction. California has classified almost all domestic violence crimes as felonies and UCR codes have no effect on the enforcement of these laws.

The Los Angeles Police Department remains committed to the reduction and serious investigation of domestic violence. We have not made recent changes in our response and handling of these type crimes nor have we stopped tracking these incidents. Domestic violence statistics are still available to any and all who want them. In fact we are taking steps to make these statistics more accessible and easier to understand by posting them on the crime analysis portion of our website. We will combine Part One and Part Two occurrences into a single domestic violence statistic that should increase the transparency of our efforts and help domestic violence service providers get the numbers they need for funding.

To sum it up, we take crime reporting and crime reduction very seriously. In 2004, we achieved a 13.6% reduction in violent crime and a 10.5% reduction in Part One crimes with no changes in how crime was reported from 2003. In 2005, we reduced violent crime by over 11,000 incidents and even allowing for the 5,000 domestic violent crimes you discussed, achieved a significant crime reduction of well over 10%. Year to date for 2006, we are at a 11.9% reduction in Part One crime.

When we changed the way we reported domestic violence it was done publicly and was well covered by the media during the summer of 2005. For the Daily News to accuse us of "fudging" the numbers is not only wrong it is dismissive of an attention to detail in crime reporting that is unparalleled in our profession. Chief Bratton invented the COMPSTAT process and one of the tenets is "Timely and Accurate Intelligence." We use accurate intelligence, in this case crime statistics, to assign and direct scarce police resources. Without accurate statistics we will never achieve our goal of making the people of Los Angeles the safest in the nation.

We've Changed

Original editorial, Los Angeles Times, May 11, 2025

When I became chief of police 3 1/2 years ago, I promised the people of Los Angeles that the LAPD would do three things: reduce crime, protect the city from terrorists and reform the character and style of our policing.

Owing in large part to the extraordinary efforts of our officers, we have reduced crime every year since then.  Today, Los Angeles, on a per capita basis, is the nation's second-safest large city.  In the last year, serious crime has fallen to its lowest point since 1956, while arrests have steadily increased.  With the assistance of the mayor and the City Council, the Los Angeles Police Department also has broadened and deepened its capacity to prevent terroism.

It is not enough, however, to drive down crime and to interdict terroist terroist threats. The police must do so consistently, compassionately and constitutionally. We have made tremendous strides in our quest to reform this department's culture, policies and practices, and the work is ongoing.  This process has been driven largely by the consent decree the city worked out with the U.S. Department of Justice in 2001, a year and a half before I was appointed chief.

Some people have recommended that the entire decree be extended by two years - beyond the June 15 expiration date - saying that the LAPD is unwilling or unable to adhere to its reform agenda.  This is just plain wrong. As we are struggling to become more open, the pundits appear to have become more myopic.  Let me set the record straight.  The men and women of the LAPD largely have embraced the tenets of the consent decree, realizing that many of its requirements formalized findings of an earlier, internal process and have greatly improved the organization. The vast majority of the reforms are now part and parcel of LAPD policy.

This is a new LAPD. Fully one-third of our officers have been hired since the consent decree was implemented in 2001, and more than two-thirds have joined the department since 1995, when the Justice Department began its investigation. So, a significant percentage of our officers accept these "new" practices as normal operating procedure. Among the changes: watch commander review of arrestees and booking charges, stringent selection standards for anti-gang and field training officers and creation of a specialized division to investigate uses of force.

The reform process has become an ongoing conversation involving the police, city leaders, the federal monitor and judge. In most areas, particularly those involving the investigation and resolution of citizen complaints, the department, the civilian Police Commission and its inspector general and our federal partners have agreed that real reform is taking place.

The LAPD is now recognized world wide as a leader in "best practices policing. " We are regularly asked to provide advice on topics such as police performance auditing, ethical decision-making and supervisory training. In terms of the investigation of police shootings - down to half what they were in 1995 - the LAPD's review and investigation procedures are widely considered to be state-of-the-art. The department continually reinforces its commitment to transparency of operations by maintaining an ongoing dialogue with community and civil rights groups and by posting all audits, monitor reports and Police Commission findings on our website (www.lapdonline.org).

We are committed to completing TEAMS II, a computerized system for tracking officers' disciplinary records, which will serve as a prototype for similiar systems throughout the country. Its scale and ambition have presented formidable technical challenges. However, the pace is reflective of the careful consideration hat has gone into the process and does not represent a failure or lack of willingness to implement reform. The LAPD also seeks to outfit every patrol car with a video camera in order to provide an objective view of our transactions with the public and to promote a sense of openness and cooperation with the community.

The LAPD has learned from the past and is ready to take on the mantle of accountability the community expects of its police department. We are commited to openness, dialogue and best policing practices aimed at making Los Angeles the safest large city in the nation.

Chief William J. Bratton