Mike Foster: One of the South Bay's best cops
I learned some sad news today about a passing that I missed.
I tried this week to contact former sheriff's Sgt. Mike Foster, a cop who I came to know and like
on my beat. His wife, Christine, responded today. She told me he died Feb. 8 at age 62.
Sgt. Foster looked like he should have been riding a Harley. He had long hair and a Zapata mustache that made him appear tough. It worked well for his role as an undercover cop.
He was able to buy stolen property and drugs from criminals. He infiltrated a motorcycle gang that dealt in methamphetamine.
Foster was anything but a tough guy. He was one of the most friendly law enforcement officers I have ever met.
I tried this week to contact former sheriff's Sgt. Mike Foster, a cop who I came to know and like
on my beat. His wife, Christine, responded today. She told me he died Feb. 8 at age 62.Sgt. Foster looked like he should have been riding a Harley. He had long hair and a Zapata mustache that made him appear tough. It worked well for his role as an undercover cop.
He was able to buy stolen property and drugs from criminals. He infiltrated a motorcycle gang that dealt in methamphetamine.
Foster was anything but a tough guy. He was one of the most friendly law enforcement officers I have ever met.
The sergeant used to take me out with his Lennox-based West Regional
Burglary Team in the early 1990s. I got stories for the Breeze and his
team received some publicity.
I remember standing in a parking lot with his group just before they swooped in and took down a chop shop. I remember raids to arrest burglars and other assorted bad guys.
In 1991, Foster was on a surveillance team watching notorious pedophile Joseph Noble. Noble had just been released from prison.
Foster was among the cops following Noble as he drove near schools and parks throughout the South Bay. Foster helped put Noble away for good when Noble committed a lewd act near a school.
"He was like a hunter going out and selecting prey," Foster said in 2001 article I wrote. "I worked with some bad people, but he scared me. Joseph Noble was by far and away the smartest and the most skillful at what he did and the potential for absolute disaster was higher with him than anyone else I ever worked."
Following some health issues, Foster retired from the Sheriff's Department in 1992 and started a successful career as a private investigator.
Foster had a book in him, but he never looked to write it. When Sirhan Sirhan killed Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, Foster was a young deputy assigned to a unit called "Special Unit Senator," a group of cops who took Sirhan to and from court and sat with him in his cell.
"That was the idea, to get him to talk," Foster said in a profile of him I wrote in 1994. "He would profess his hatred of the Kennedy family and anything Jewish."
I had hoped Foster would tell more of his relationship with Sirhan for a story to coincide with the upcoming 40th anniversary of Kennedy's death.
Foster's wife called with the sad news that he died from the effects of a stroke.
The last I heard directly from Sgt. Foster was about a year ago. He sent me an email congratulating me on an award I received. It included some very kind words.
"Larry, when I asked you to accompany and work along with my teams years ago it was because I knew someday you would be rich and famous. Well, famous at least!"
He said some nice things about me and told me he could trust me.
I trusted him too. I told his wife this morning that I really enjoyed working with him. I always liked when he called.
In that 1994 profile, Foster said this when asked for his "one-sentence philosophy of life":
"To always treat people with respect in the manner I want to be treated myself."
About a year ago, we said we would do lunch at some point and never did.
That's too bad. I will definitely miss him.
Here's the article I wrote for our "Quick Sketch" series of profiles we used to do in the early 1990s. It ran April 11, 1994:
Quick sketch
Mike Foster may not be a sheriff's deputy anymore, but he still spends his days tracking criminals.
The retired sergeant spends most of his time searching out telecommunications fraud, primarily in the cellular telephone industry. He and his partner, former Carson sheriff's detective bureau commander Lt. Steve Switzer, operate Ocean Investigative Services, a private eye firm in San Pedro.
"What I look for is people who are cloning, which is illegally reprogramming telephones with someone else's number."
He also works for defense attorneys, investigating capital murder cases.
"I enjoy it because it's as close to law enforcement as I can remain in being retired," he said. "I interact with law enforcement daily. I'm still in the courts all the time. Staying close to law enforcement is very important to me."
Foster was one of the youngest cadets when he joined the Sheriff's Department in 1967, and went on to a distinguished career, primarily in undercover and surveillance work. He estimates he played a role in arresting more than 3,000 felons.
Foster worked in a unit called "Special Unit Senator," a group of deputies who guarded Robert F. Kennedy's assassin Sirhan Sirhan, taking him to and from court and sitting with him in his cell.
"That was the idea, to get him to talk," Foster said. "He would profess his hatred of the Kennedy family and anything Jewish."
Besides a year as a Lennox patrol deputy, and working on the bomb squad and hazardous materials unit, Foster spent his career watching criminals and making undercover arrests.
"Unless they were child molesters or violent people, I always had a sense of compassion for the crooks," Foster said. "There are crooks who are nice people and I found, not that I would identify with them, but I had compassion for them. That's how you start establishing informants."
Following the 1984 Olympics, he worked for three years identifying and watching terrorist groups active in the Los Angeles area.
"All of these assignments allowed me to work undercover," he said."I always enjoyed working undercover. That's where I wanted to be."
Perspectives
WHY DID YOU GET INTO LAW ENFORCEMENT? "I was your typical ratty kid. I had had a lot of interaction with law enforcement, getting stopped for fighting, getting stopped for drunk driving. . . . I was lucky enough just to come into contact with some cops who were nice guys and took the time to straighten me out."
AFTER BEING A DEPUTY FOR SO LONG, HOW CAN YOU AID DEFENDANTS? "Every case like that is tough because with the law enforcement background you have the mindset that these people are guilty. But I've had one or two that when I go out and develop the information, there was some doubt in my mind as to their guilt or their degree of guilt."
WHAT KINDS OF THINGS DID YOU DO WORKING UNDERCOVER? "I was able to buy stolen property, buy drugs. I was able to infiltrate a motorcycle gang dealing in methamphetamine."
WHY ARE YOU GOOD AT UNDERCOVER WORK? "I communicated with street people real well, I found it really easy to identify with their socioeconomic problems."
ONE-SENTENCE PHILOSOPHY ON LIFE: "To always treat people with respect in the manner I want to be treated myself."
HOW DO OTHERS PERCEIVE YOU? "In my personal appearance and my dress perhaps eccentric. Outside of the long hair I'm actually very quiet and introverted."
Vitals, interests
BORN: Feb. 27, 1947, in Dallas.
RESIDENCE: San Pedro since 1953.
FAMILY: Married to Christine for 26 years; children, Laurie, 25, and Michael, 23.
FAVORITE VACATIONS SPOTS: "I've never taken a vacation . . . I've always enjoyed what I was doing to the extent that leaving for a vacation wasn't a vacation."
I remember standing in a parking lot with his group just before they swooped in and took down a chop shop. I remember raids to arrest burglars and other assorted bad guys.
In 1991, Foster was on a surveillance team watching notorious pedophile Joseph Noble. Noble had just been released from prison.
Foster was among the cops following Noble as he drove near schools and parks throughout the South Bay. Foster helped put Noble away for good when Noble committed a lewd act near a school.
"He was like a hunter going out and selecting prey," Foster said in 2001 article I wrote. "I worked with some bad people, but he scared me. Joseph Noble was by far and away the smartest and the most skillful at what he did and the potential for absolute disaster was higher with him than anyone else I ever worked."
Following some health issues, Foster retired from the Sheriff's Department in 1992 and started a successful career as a private investigator.
Foster had a book in him, but he never looked to write it. When Sirhan Sirhan killed Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, Foster was a young deputy assigned to a unit called "Special Unit Senator," a group of cops who took Sirhan to and from court and sat with him in his cell.
"That was the idea, to get him to talk," Foster said in a profile of him I wrote in 1994. "He would profess his hatred of the Kennedy family and anything Jewish."
I had hoped Foster would tell more of his relationship with Sirhan for a story to coincide with the upcoming 40th anniversary of Kennedy's death.
Foster's wife called with the sad news that he died from the effects of a stroke.
The last I heard directly from Sgt. Foster was about a year ago. He sent me an email congratulating me on an award I received. It included some very kind words.
"Larry, when I asked you to accompany and work along with my teams years ago it was because I knew someday you would be rich and famous. Well, famous at least!"
He said some nice things about me and told me he could trust me.
I trusted him too. I told his wife this morning that I really enjoyed working with him. I always liked when he called.
In that 1994 profile, Foster said this when asked for his "one-sentence philosophy of life":
"To always treat people with respect in the manner I want to be treated myself."
About a year ago, we said we would do lunch at some point and never did.
That's too bad. I will definitely miss him.
Here's the article I wrote for our "Quick Sketch" series of profiles we used to do in the early 1990s. It ran April 11, 1994:
Quick sketch
Mike Foster may not be a sheriff's deputy anymore, but he still spends his days tracking criminals.
The retired sergeant spends most of his time searching out telecommunications fraud, primarily in the cellular telephone industry. He and his partner, former Carson sheriff's detective bureau commander Lt. Steve Switzer, operate Ocean Investigative Services, a private eye firm in San Pedro.
"What I look for is people who are cloning, which is illegally reprogramming telephones with someone else's number."
He also works for defense attorneys, investigating capital murder cases.
"I enjoy it because it's as close to law enforcement as I can remain in being retired," he said. "I interact with law enforcement daily. I'm still in the courts all the time. Staying close to law enforcement is very important to me."
Foster was one of the youngest cadets when he joined the Sheriff's Department in 1967, and went on to a distinguished career, primarily in undercover and surveillance work. He estimates he played a role in arresting more than 3,000 felons.
Foster worked in a unit called "Special Unit Senator," a group of deputies who guarded Robert F. Kennedy's assassin Sirhan Sirhan, taking him to and from court and sitting with him in his cell.
"That was the idea, to get him to talk," Foster said. "He would profess his hatred of the Kennedy family and anything Jewish."
Besides a year as a Lennox patrol deputy, and working on the bomb squad and hazardous materials unit, Foster spent his career watching criminals and making undercover arrests.
"Unless they were child molesters or violent people, I always had a sense of compassion for the crooks," Foster said. "There are crooks who are nice people and I found, not that I would identify with them, but I had compassion for them. That's how you start establishing informants."
Following the 1984 Olympics, he worked for three years identifying and watching terrorist groups active in the Los Angeles area.
"All of these assignments allowed me to work undercover," he said."I always enjoyed working undercover. That's where I wanted to be."
Perspectives
WHY DID YOU GET INTO LAW ENFORCEMENT? "I was your typical ratty kid. I had had a lot of interaction with law enforcement, getting stopped for fighting, getting stopped for drunk driving. . . . I was lucky enough just to come into contact with some cops who were nice guys and took the time to straighten me out."
AFTER BEING A DEPUTY FOR SO LONG, HOW CAN YOU AID DEFENDANTS? "Every case like that is tough because with the law enforcement background you have the mindset that these people are guilty. But I've had one or two that when I go out and develop the information, there was some doubt in my mind as to their guilt or their degree of guilt."
WHAT KINDS OF THINGS DID YOU DO WORKING UNDERCOVER? "I was able to buy stolen property, buy drugs. I was able to infiltrate a motorcycle gang dealing in methamphetamine."
WHY ARE YOU GOOD AT UNDERCOVER WORK? "I communicated with street people real well, I found it really easy to identify with their socioeconomic problems."
ONE-SENTENCE PHILOSOPHY ON LIFE: "To always treat people with respect in the manner I want to be treated myself."
HOW DO OTHERS PERCEIVE YOU? "In my personal appearance and my dress perhaps eccentric. Outside of the long hair I'm actually very quiet and introverted."
Vitals, interests
BORN: Feb. 27, 1947, in Dallas.
RESIDENCE: San Pedro since 1953.
FAMILY: Married to Christine for 26 years; children, Laurie, 25, and Michael, 23.
FAVORITE VACATIONS SPOTS: "I've never taken a vacation . . . I've always enjoyed what I was doing to the extent that leaving for a vacation wasn't a vacation."
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About the Blogger
Larry Altman has covered crime in the South Bay since 1990. He's seen it all - the missing model who turned up dead in the desert, the wives found dead in trunks, the high-school coaches who get a little too close to their players. He drives his young colleagues nuts with his "I remember when" stories. He welcomes your tips and observations about the present, and you can mix in a little Lakers basketball talk if you like.
E-mail Larry at larry.altman@dailybreeze.com.
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About the Blogger
Denise Nix knew as young as grade school, when she spent every summer working on the camp newspaper, that she wanted to be a journalist. Denise has spent most of the last 12 years of her career in the courtroom. She joined the Daily Breeze in 2001, where she tracks and reports on hundreds of cases at every level of the justice system. And she's never, ever, seen a judge use a gavel.
E-mail Denise at denise.nix@dailybreeze.com.
Twitter updates from Denise Nix
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Dear Larry:
I just read the loveliest tribute to my father that any one has ever written. Thank you so much for your kind words and sentiments that you expressed. My father always spoke of you with the deepest admiration and respect. I know he is with the Lord now with a feeling of inner peace and joy.
May God bless you now and always,
Laurie Foster
To the best of my recollection John Null, an old partner of mine from Firestone days, introduced me to your Dad at Carson station one day some years ago. He introduced your Dad as the "best of the best" and from John, who didn't shade the truth or was one to patronize, that was meant in very high regard for your Dad.
Your comment, "I know he is with the Lord now with a feeling of inner peace and joy" is most encouraging as now I know I shall see your Dad again! :)