Recently in LAPD Category

Avenues gang members rounded up.

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Certain events retain a power that stays with you for life. Clearly the Kennedy assassinations or that of Martin Luther King have that sort of effect on people.

I would argue that June 18, 1994 might be one of those moments -- certainly in my life.

The title of this post should give away the content (if the picture doesn't). I spent that Friday from about 6:30 a.m. until at least 11 p.m. outside Parker Center, O.J. Simpson's Brentwood home and back outside Parker Center as part of one of the most surreal events I'll ever cover.

Here's some of what we ran the following day:

Simpson's arrest ends day of drama

'Fallen American hero' faces murder charges in death of former wife, her friend

By Tom Scanlon, Tori Richards and Frank Girardot Staff Writers

O.J. SImpson took off on the longest, most dangerous run of his life before being arrested on murder charges last night.

"O.J. Simpson is in custody," said LAPD Cmdr. David Gascon at a 10 p.m. news conference. "He is being booked and processed."

The double murder defendant -- called a "fallen American hero" by the man in charge of prosecuting him was arrested at his Brentwood home after a 60-mile 90-minute police chase. The chase began in Orange County and crossed much of Los Angeles with Simpson, 46, keeping police away by pointing a gun to his head.

The 8:50 p.m. arrest of Simpson, accused of killing his ex-wife and her male friend capped a bizarre day that included a bomb scare, fears that Simpson would kill himself, a mysterious 911 call to the home of murdered Nicole Brown Simpson, pleas by officials to have Simpson turn himself in, a police force on the defensive and a public reading of an emotional note from Simpson.

The former USC and National Football League star running back had eluded police since 11 a.m. when he was suppossed to turn himself in.

The question of the day was "Where's O.J.?" For most of the day the Los Angeles Police Department had no answer.

He was considered armed and dangerous, and after he was finally arrested, a gun was recovered from the cat that led police on a chase watched by much of the country.

Simpson was carrying photos of Nicole Simpson and their daughter when he was arrested. Gascon said SImpson would be taken to the Men's Central Jail. He probably will be held there -- perhaps under a suicide watch -- until Monday, when he is likely to ... 

In the course of researching a column for Friday's paper, I ended up interviewing Munir Sirhan, brother of Sirhan Sirhan, the accused assassin of Robert F. Kennedy who died 40 years ago Friday.

Munir had some interesting things to say and introduced me to some people who believe there's more to his brother's story than the lone gunman narrative.

Among those taking up Munir's cause are Summer Reese, who is affiliated with KPFK radio, and Dr. William Pepper, who has a pretty interesting history of his own, and knew both Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy.

Pepper and several other researchers interested in the Kennedy assassination are getting together tonight near LAX to discuss new theories and information that's become available in recent months.

Here's a YouTube video about the organization known as COPA.  

Last week in this spot I wrote about some wonderful historical pictures.

Many of the shots can be found on the Web either through the Los Angeles Public Library, UCLA or at fototeka.com, an art site devoted to ancient LAPD crime scene photos.

There's a reason I'm writing about these photos again this week: I made a mistake describing my favorite one of the bunch.

The picture in question, shot in 1921, depicts a funeral procession for a 106-year-old man. Santo Juncio's casket is being escorted just beyond the walls of an unrestored San Gabriel Mission.

A group of cars is parked alongside a dirt path next to the mission. I described the cars as Model A's.

They were, in fact, Model T's.

Almost 100 years later, that doesn't seem like a huge distinction. But to several of you who called, wrote and e-mailed me it was a glaring error.

Here's an example, written by Bill Ruh of Montclair:

"The Ford Model A was not around in 1921. Ford did(n't) produce the Model A until late 1927. The cars had to be the Ford Model T. The Model T speaks even more volumes about the photo - the first mass-production motor car along the final road of a man who was born when all humans relied on horses."

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Thanks, Bill.

A couple others were less complimentary. And, quite honestly, I should know better.

In case you didn't know, or if I haven't  said so before, I was born in Detroit and have lived most of my life on the Los Angeles freeway system.

By default, the American automotive industry is in my blood, and I should know the entire history of Henry Ford, assembly lines and how the Model T's DNA runs through the cars we drive today.

So, excuse the mistake. By the way, there's a great Detroit photo Web site called "Ruins of Detroit." Take a look; you'll be glad you live here.

Since we are on the subject of these wonderful archives, I can take the time to point out a few other Los Angeles-area photos that are quite interesting.

This past week has been filled with talk about the possibility of billionaire developer Ed Roski Jr. bringing professional football back to Los Angeles by building a stadium in Industry.

A search of "pro football" in the public library archive went as far back as 1927.

None of them mention Industry, but there is a great 1944 photo of a guy named Roy

"Bullet" Baker, a USC left halfback who racked up 107 yards in the 1923 Rose Bowl - the first played in the "new" stadium.

Roski's proposed stadium will be built where the 57 and the 60 freeways come together. A search of the library archive for "Pomona Freeway" revealed a 1969 shot titled "Pomona Freeway Mudslide."

Here's the caption:

"Mudslide covering all eastbound and two of the westbound lanes of the Pomona Freeway, 2 1/2 miles east of Pico Rivera."

What's fascinating about the shot is that there is a car atop the massive pile of mud. The car has obviously been pushed from the fast lane into oncoming traffic.

I tried hard to figure out the make and model of the car, but no such luck.

One thing for certain: it's not a Model T.

This from the Friendly Fire Blog at LADN.

Crime Scene reader Robert CJ Parry blogged the latest news about LAPD's planned SWAT reorganization. here's an excerpt:

The LAPD SWAT Board of Inquiry report that Police Chief William Bratton unveiled this morning is a remarkable insult to the people and police officers of Los Angeles. It recommends a litany of politically correct changes that have been used to eliminate 13 of the 18 standards SWAT has used for two decades in selecting its new officers. It even goes so far as to describe SWAT - not the criminals it captures - as “a threat to” Los Angeles as a whole.

In my research on this issue, I’ve interviewed officers whose experience totals more than 150 years on the department, a century in SWAT. Their comments on a draft copy of the un-released BOI report have been consolidated in a “Counter Analysis,” which will be released later today. It is a point-by-point review of both the BOI’s recommendations and their methodology for reaching them. In short, there was none.

These officers refuse to be identified because of an unprecedented campaign of intimidation LAPD management has pressed on SWAT. Bratton has gone so far as to remove officers from operations because of the comments of their wives and threatening to transfer out any officer who speaks his mind – publicly or privately.

An archive of old LAPD photographs recently found its way online. The black and whites add to a rich photographic history of our region that is slowly finding its way on to the Internet.

For example, last year UCLA put up nearly 3 million old newspaper photos. The Los Angeles Public Library has a pretty extensive collection of old newspaper shots as well as private photos. It's been online since at least 2004 and continues to grow.

What's interesting about browsing these collections is the first-hand look at the rich history they offer.

For example, in the Los Angeles Public Library archive there is a shot from about the 1920s labeled "The Tamale." I found it by searching for Whittier. Here's a description:

"Exterior view of The Tamale, a restaurant specializing in hispanic (sic) foods. Building was built in the shape of a tamale. Located at 6421 Whittier Boulevard."

In the picture, it appears as if there are no other buildings in the neighborhood. The Tamale stands alone against a background of dirt lots and shade trees.

Here's where the fun part comes in. When you search Google for the address, you can actually see a "Street View" of the location.

And, guess what? The Tamale, which was a lunch counter way back when, is still there.

It's called Charley's. It's now a beauty salon.

In the UCLA archive there's a photo taken in 1921 of a funeral procession outside the San Gabriel Mission. The photo  strikes me for several reasons. First of all the Mission is completely unrestored, so it's probably the original construction we see.

Here's the caption: "Funeral cortege of Santo Juncio, leaving San Gabriel Mission yesterday. Chief Youngturtle of the Chickasaw tribe (in the headdress) is leading the native pallbearers carrying the coffin of the 106-year-old man."

The photo amazes me. Catholic priests in full regalia lead a procession of sandal wearing Native Americans outside the unrestored mission.

Just think, in 1921 Santo Juncio, at 106, would have been born in 1815; before California was a state; before the Civil War; before autos or planes.

As if highlighting the dichotomy of that amazing life, a group of Model-A Fords are parked right up alongside a dirt path that separates the primitive adobe mission from a parking lot.

Hoping for some of the same Google magic I had with the Tamale, I was a little disappointed by the "Street View" of the mission.

The 1921 newspaper photo shows several eucalyptus trees surrounding the church. I couldn't find them looking through Google. It seems as if they've all been replaced with palm trees.

Obviously, the extensive restoration of the 1980s and 1990s probably obliterated much of the historical sense of the place where Los Angeles was born.

I could go on and on about some of the interesting photographs I've found and the stories they tell, but I don't have the time - or the space. I will post links to the galleries and some of the photos from today's column on the Crime Scene blog.

Until then if you want to see a sample of the LAPD photos, which cover a period from the mid-1920s until the 1960s, they can be found at http://www.fototeka.com

It's called Rate My Cop and essentially it allows users to rate their interaction with the cops on the beat or at the station.

Seems to have a lot of potential, but it's not really being hit -- yet.

I attempted to look up officers from Covina, Alhambra and the LAPD without much success. I'm sure the size of the database will grow as it gets more use.

The site is here.

*After a little more searching of the site I came across some ratings for El Monte Police officers. Of the 148 listed officers, four have been rated, including Chief Weldon. There's also this gem from user "flores666":

"This officer helped me with my problems even though he has arrested me in the past. He is fair."

This photo, from the LA Daily News, came with this caption:

 Gino Sesto operates his RateMyCop.com website out of his Culver City  

Eric Leonard, one of the better cop reporters in the county, got his hands on a copy of the Board of Inquiry investigation into the LAPD's SWAT unit. Here's a link to the pdf. LA Observed has some other links.

Among those on the board was Pasadena police Chief Barney Melekian, noted for his opposition to gang injunctions, and this blog. Included in the recomendations are proposals to bring more women and minorities onto the team; go to 24-hour 7-days a week scheduling; and rotation of members out of SWAT and into other assignments.

The board implies that SWAT has become an anachronistic arm of LAPD and change is necessary.

Besides Melekian, Merrick Bobb and several prominent members of the local community participated in the board.

Here's an excerpt from an LADN story on the panel's formation in 2005:

``Almost as important as the review is that we are looking at a cultural change in the process,'' Villaraigosa said. ``Chief Bratton and I are committed to changing the department from its days of a closed-door attitude. The LAPD is opening itself up for an outside review. This is the kind of opening that I as mayor want to see continue.''

Among the members of the Board of Inquiry is Merrick Bobb, an attorney who oversaw an inquiry into the Sheriff Department's use of force policy and is a consultant to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Other members include attorney Richard Aborn, who investigated misconduct inside the New York Police Department; William Geller, a consultant on police use of force policies; Lt. Phil Hanson of the Sheriff's Department; attorney Greg Longworth, a retired NYPD officer considered an expert in deadly force cases; Pasadena Police Chief Bernard Melekian; LAPD Assistant Chief Linda Pierce, who oversees the LAPD Criminal Investigations Bureau; and attorney Eugene Ramirez, a former Deputy District Attorney who has worked with SWAT teams.

Bobb said he was pleased to be part of the group and welcomed the chance to look at SWAT.

``As far as I know, this is the first time a police department has voluntarily opened itself up for this kind of review,'' Bobb said.

The panel was formed after the death of Susie Pena, a 19-month-old killed in a standoff between LAPD officers and her father Jose Pena.

BTW, blogger Miss Havisham has posted the contents of an email interview she did with Melekian, now the interim City Manager of Pasadena. Here's a link.

 *It's only right to point out that the story was broken originally by Monrovia resident Robert CJ Parry in an opinoin piece that ran in last Sunday's LA Times. We blogged it last week. In case you missed it here's a link.

Monrovia resident, blogger and commentator Robert CJ Parry wrote quite an interesting opinion piece Sunday on LAPD's plans for the future of its SWAT team.

The column created enough buzz that the Times followed it an A-1 piece today.

Interestingly enough a group of former and current U.S. Marines that I know are keeping an eye on the situation. There is a chain mail with Parry's entire column circulating in Armed Forces circles. I've always believed that if you write something powerful enough to make a chain mail, you are having an impact. Here's the header:

Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:12:51 -0700
Subject: Fw: LAPD SWAT

Another taste of " Political Correctness" coming soon....
 
So much for Chiefs being hired from "out of state"
 
Lets all hold hands and sing koumbaya......B.S !!
 

This letter comes from Brent Hopkins, who left the Los Angeles Daily News (with several other editorial employees last week).

Brent will be moving on to a career in law enforcement. Here's (most of) his letter to friends and colleagues:

Hi folks,

As many of you have heard, we've had a hard round of layoffs at the
Daily News today. I took a voluntary buyout and will be moving on,
leaving fond memories and many good friends, both at the paper and in
the community. It's been a pleasure getting to know many of you and
working with you over the years and I hope you'll keep in touch.

If you need to get ahold of the Daily News, try my editor, Aron
Miller, (snip) or the (snip) general city desk at 818-713-3707.

(snip).

I'll be leaving the industry for an entirely new career with the LAPD.
While I'll miss my colleagues and my work here, I'm excited to be
starting something new with an equally dedicated bunch of people.

Thanks a bunch and stay in touch,
Brent

Brent Hopkins
(former) reporter, LA Daily News

Just received this note from Robert Parry, a frequent commenter on this blog and others:

Friends:
 
LAPD Officer Randy Simmons, who was killed in the line of duty this morning, was an acquaintance I had recently met.  I have penned a tribute to him at the LA Daily News' Friendly Fire Blog.
 
www.insidesocal.com/friendlyfire
 

Sheriff's homicide detectives are investigating the shooting death of a former LAPD officer, apparently shot to death as he changed a tire late Sunday night. The details of the case initially seem similar to the shooting death of Michael Miller on the Long Beach (710) Freeway on June 12.
The news follows on the heels of a horrific accident that claimed the life of an LAPD motor on the 101 Sunday and the discovery of an LAPD officer whose car had gone off the side of the Ventura (101) Freeway (also Sunday).