Holiday greetings from the men and women of the Los Angeles Police Department. The following is the monthly update for December 2003. We 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 This is the time of year when our thoughts turn to family, a time of looking back and assessing the past year. As I reflect on my first year as Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, I can say without any reservation, I truly did save the best police department for last. I feel privileged to be a part of the LAPD family. Over the past 12 months, both the Department and I have been on a learning curve. I’ve had to learn the differences between West Coast and East Coast policing styles, and the men and women of this Department have come to understand many of the ideas, initiatives and expectations I have for the organization. One of my primary missions was to refocus this organization to be more responsive to the crime problems in the city and more pro-active in our community policing and trust building efforts. That is what the re-engineering of the LAPD is all about. But first, I had to take the time to learn how this Department works as well as the people behind the badge and the civilians that are the glue that holds the Department together. What I’ve learned and have come to respect is the essence of this organization, the traditions and history that have shaped and influenced the Department, and the pride and esteem felt by each member of the LAPD family. That is what I like to call “the Real LAPD.” I have become keenly aware of just how difficult it is to be a cop in Los Angeles. The level of violence here, directed against the police, compared with other large cities, is disturbing. Gang members outnumber officers considerably and have little respect for law enforcement. The volatile mixture of gangs, guns and narcotics is the source of significant amounts of the violence in this city, and the simple truth is, we don’t have enough cops on the streets at any one time to make a significant, timely impact on that problem. My number one priority is to get more officers on the streets by increasing the number officers, but that will take time. There is a flip side to the Department’s limited ranks and it represents one of the Department’s greatest strengths. Because there are so few officers, they have become very good in performing their duties, being efficient, skillful and tactically superior. What the Department lacks in quantity, it has overcome in quality. To that end, the officers of the LAPD have become the best and most highly trained urban police force that I have ever encountered. These men and women are truly second to none. What I have also observed and support as “the Real LAPD,” is the cohesiveness of this organization, and how officers depend on each other. Again, because there are so few, there is a special and unique bond between partners. I’m sure that comes from the dangers that patrol cops face out on the street. An officer’s partner is their first-line back up and the trust required in that type of relationship often extends beyond the job. An officer’s partner becomes their brother or sister both on and off the job. Over the past year I have looked into how the Department investigate crimes, and the outstanding skills that are possessed within the organization by our detective workforce. The American image of the modern police detective was modeled after Los Angeles officers through the radio and television series Dragnet. But that image is merely a Hollywood version of the real LAPD. The strengths of our detectives have been overlooked and misdirected by the paper-driven bureaucratic process, primarily making the detective function that of a desk job. Through the reorganization and the establishment of the Detectives Bureau, my goal is to get more of our detectives back in the field, investigating crimes and making arrests. I am also aware that the critical investigative infrastructure of this Department is woefully insufficient. We are deficient in DNA and forensic capabilities and other resources that are critical in our detective’s efforts to solve crimes. I will continue to fight for resources that will give detectives the tools they need to perform to the capacity that will again elevate their status to national and worldwide prominence. I have also come to appreciate the incredible work done in the community through the Senior Lead Officer program. Although small in number, these officers are the human face of this Department and the essential trust building link for the people of this City. The work of these 168 officers has helped to build a bridge, and the efforts have been paying off considerably. Community members are coming forward as never before to partner with us to reduce crime. SLO’s help people have a greater comfort level with police. They are more willing to reach out not only in moments of crisis or terror, but they can speak candidly during investigations and openly regarding quality of life issues. These partnerships can and have lead to some of the Department’s greatest successes in problem solving and crime prevention. Eventually, I would like every cop to have the time to interact with the community as Senior Lead Officers do. But until there are sufficient patrol staffing levels, the Senior Leads are the thin blue line of the Department’s outreach and community policing efforts. The strength’s of the organization I’ve mentioned best illustrate “the Real LAPD.” As I move into my second year as Chief of the LAPD, I want to build on these strengths, on the incredible foundation that exists. With the Department’s outstanding tactical, investigative, and outreach abilities, coupled with its cohesive, cooperative, and self-reliant spirit, I have quite a story to tell about the men and women of this Department. And this story will be told to the people of Los Angeles and the decision-makers, as the Mayor, the Police Commission and I fight for the additional resources needed to make this the safest big city in America. Our goals for the Department are to get more cops, more training, the best technology available, and to keep the people of this City safe, and to keep officers safe so that at the end-of-watch each day, they can return to their families. It has been my pleasure serving as the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department for this past year, and I look forward to serving you in 2004. As an organization, the men and women of this Department have made tremendous strides in reducing crime and fear over the past 12 months, but doing better has never be enough for “the Real LAPD.” Where we are is not where we need to be. Through the commitment and expertise of the 13,000 sworn and civilian employees of the Los Angeles Police Department, I am confident that continued success awaits the people of this City in the New Year. During this holiday season I wish all the best to you and your families. CRIME STATISTICS - CITY-WIDE Year to Date as of November 29, 2003 Homicide Down -25.6% Rape Down -8.4% Robbery Down -3.7% Aggravated Assault Down -7.5% Domestic Violence Down -6.0% --------------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL VIOLENT CRIMES Down -6.1% Burglary Down -1.3% Burglary/Theft from Vehicle Down -4.2% Personal/Other Theft Down -7.0% Auto Theft Down -4.2% --------------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL PROPERTY CRIMES Down -3.7% 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 To unsubscribe from this newsletter please click on this link http://listserv.lacity.org/cgi-bin/wa.exe?SUBED1=lapd_monthly&A=1