Greetings from the Los Angeles Police Department. The following is the
monthly update for November 2003. I hope you find the information
useful. You are encouraged to continue to visit our Web site at
www.LAPDOnline.org as it has grown to over 10,000 pages since its
inception in 1998.
CHIEF’S MESSAGE
Try to visualize this scenario. A police officer and their partner,
initiate a traffic stop for a speeding driver who is weaving in and out of
traffic on one of the wide avenues in the San Fernando Valley. The
circumstances of the stop quickly change when the officers learn the
driver has a felony warrant for assault with a deadly weapon, and has
eluded police for several months. The possibility of the suspect taking
off or deciding he’s not going to jail is very real. The officers call
for back up, but it could take several minutes to arrive. So the officers
rely on their skills, training and tactics to control the situation and
take the suspect into custody.
Although this is a fictional stop, it reflects the “dangerous realities”
faced each and every day by Los Angeles police officers.
I mentioned in the September issue of this e-newsletter, that the
Department’s comprehensive five-year plan of action would be unveiled by
the end of October. Now that it’s almost complete, I want to share with
you the purposes of the plan and issues and challenges the Department
faced as the plan was being developed. First, the plan will help the
Department accomplish my stated goals of reducing the incidence and the
fear of crime, fully implementing the Consent Decree, and creating a world-
class counter-terrorism bureau that will serve as a model for police
organizations worldwide. I like to refer to these three goals as the
Department’s “internal realities.” I see them as measurable, necessary
and, most importantly, attainable. I see these “internal realities” as
the only way of making Mayor Hahn’s vision to make Los Angeles the safest
big city in the country, a reality.
Secondly, the plan of action will also describe candidly “external
realities” that Los Angeles police officers must deal with. The “reality”
that the LAPD is the most understaffed major metropolitan police
organization in the country. East coast and mid-west cities like New
York, Chicago and Boston all have more cops per capita. Some have almost
twice as many officers per capita as Los Angeles. Add to that the
staggering amount of real estate that the LAPD covers, close to 500 square
miles, bound together by a system of clogged freeways that on their best
days yield top speeds well below their intended design, and you can begin
to appreciate just how good of a job the Department does, considering how
little it has to work with.
Another “external reality,” the intensity and fear of crime in this City
often times seems to outweigh that of many other large cities in this
country. Although we have significantly reduced the number of homicides
this year and overall violent crime, remember, a year ago Los Angeles was
the murder capital of the nation. In just my first year as the Chief of
the LAPD, I’ve talked with numerous cops who have been involved in gun
battles or been shot at in Los Angeles. The level of unprovoked violence
against police officers seems to me to be much more of a problem here than
at any other Police Department where I’ve worked or with which I am
familiar. I have come to believe that without the intense focus the
Department places on officer safety related security, training
coordination and tactics, the rate of injury from those assaults would be
much higher.
I have come to understand that what sets the Los Angeles Police Department
apart from other law enforcement agencies in a positive way is our
emphasis on officer safety and tactics. As an understaffed organization
and through its evolution, the LAPD has been forced to rely on rapid
mobilization and tactics “to get the job done.” In the 1960’s and 1970’s,
these tools helped to create the image of the LAPD as the worldwide leader
in law enforcement. Now, some thirty years later, the focus has not
changed. We still rely on tactics and other methods used when our
population was half of what it is today, before September 11th and before
gang culture and gang crime were able to create so much fear in our
neighborhoods. Although the cops and detectives out on the streets still
work hard to “get the job done,” the resources given them clearly have not
kept up with the demand. The people of this City are by and large
receiving the best policing for the price they have been willing to pay.
But clearly, as we enter the 21st Century, a continuing case must be made
for more resources and most importantly, more police officers and civilian
support staff.
Many people believe that the disconnect between the LAPD and the people of
Los Angeles is the result of an insular Department, closed off to public
influences. While that may be true to some extent, another “external
reality” is that our uniformed officers have been sent out to “get the job
done” oftentimes without the proper tools, training, development and most
importantly, staffing. Because of their dedication to the
profession, “getting the job done” has been their priority. However,
cutting corners in the absence of adequate funding, has lead to the
wearing down of established policies, has tarnished the Department’s
outstanding reputation, and has eroded the trust of the people our
officers have sworn to protect and to serve. The lack of personnel causes
erosion in everything the Department does, and in particular, finding time
for all of our officers to build critical bridges of trust and confidence
in many of our troubled neighborhoods.
The public and the politicians have as much responsibility for the LAPD
and its ability to perform constantly, compassionately and
constitutionally as do the Department’s command staff, officers and
civilian employees. I know that the outstanding men and women of this
Department, sworn and civilian, are capable of doing more with less, but
I’m also aware that they cannot do everything. That is why this five-year
plan of action is so important. It outlines the Department’s
responsibilities and goals within the next half-decade, but it also
factors in the responsibilities of all players involved in making Los
Angeles the safest big city in the nation. Working with employee unions,
Mayor Hahn and the communities that are showing an increasing willingness
to partner with us, my commitment to the men and women of the LAPD is to
use all of my skills, power, assets and energy to fight for the tools and
additional resources that are so desperately needed to “get the job done”
the right way. These men and women are the best and have clearly shown
their ability and commitment to do more, but we owe it them to fight as
hard for more cops, for their safety and for yours.
CRIME STATISTICS - CITY-WIDE
Year to Date as of November 1, 2003
Homicide Down -22.7%
Rape Down -7.7%
Robbery Down -2.3%
Aggravated Assault Down -7.0%
Domestic Violence Down -4.4%
---------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL VIOLENT CRIMES Down -5.0%
Burglary Down -0.5%
Burglary/Theft from Vehicle Down -3.7%
Personal/Other Theft Down -7.7%
Auto Theft Down -3.7%
---------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL PROPERTY CRIMES Down -3.7%
WEST BUREAU TOWN HALL MEETING
This Town Hall Meeting will bring people from the Hollywood, Pacific, West
Los Angeles and Wilshire Areas together with local government to discuss
community concerns. The Chief of Police will be in attendance along with
the Commanding Officers from West Bureau Community Police Stations, and
other police and City officials. This is the forum for community input
and a vital component of the community/police partnership.
The Town Hall Meeting will be held on Thursday, November 20, 2003 at 7:00
p.m. at Mears Center, 1760 North Gower Street. Please join us.
CHIEF’S HOLIDAY PARTY
Preparations are being made for the 2003 Chief of Police Community Holiday
Celebration, benefiting the Los Angeles Police Foundation. The
festivities include dinner, dancing, entertainment and more. The event is
scheduled for Friday, December 12, 2003, at 7:00 p.m. at the Century Plaza
Hotel, 2025 Avenue of the Stars in Century City. The cost per person is
$125. To purchase tickets, contact the Los Angeles Police Foundation at
(213) 741-4550. For additional information, visit the Foundations web
site at www.lapolicefoundation.org.
LAPD HAS RE-ESTABLISHED ITS LATERAL ENTRY PROGRAM
The Department has re-established this program for qualified California
police officers. The lateral program includes an expedited testing
process and an abbreviated training and orientation program. The training
program will cover areas where LAPD training exceeds the State’s Peace
Officers Standards and Training (POST) mandated training and areas that
are LAPD specific. The training will be conducted in a manner that
recognizes current police officer’s standing as experienced California law
enforcement professionals and not as new recruits.
Lateral candidates must meet all of the requirements for entry-level Los
Angeles Police Officers, have valid California Basic POST Certificates and
have completed probationary periods with a California police agency. They
must complete all LAPD tests, except the qualifying written tests. The
tests are an oral interview, a physical abilities test, a background
investigation which includes a polygraph examination, a medical
evaluation, written psychological tests, and a psychological interview and
evaluation.
Interested candidates may contact a recruiter at (866) 444-LAPD, or log on
to www.lacity.org/per/safety.htm for more information.
WILLIAM J. BRATTON
Chief of Police
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