Law enforcement career perspectives: changes witnessed over five years in the field

Interview with a Law Enforcement Specialist

This interview took place on October 10 with a retired police officer. He spent 32 years with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and had some very interesting things to say about the changes he has witnessed over the years.

What were some of the typical law enforcement issues when you first worked for LAPD?

We were responding to murders, arson, street crime and domestic disturbances though not as often nor as dangerously like we are today. We also had a lot of stolen cars and we had auto accidents with injuries to attend to.

Were you a beat cop?

Almost every cop starts out that way. Yes I worked the streets in what is now known as Korea Town. I also worked the streets in downtown Los Angeles, in Carson, and even in Watts. By my fifth year on the force I was patrolling in a squad car part of the time and working in the investigation unit as well. Street gangs were out there and beginning to create serious problems, violent problems, as they tried to protect their territory from other drug dealers coming into their neighborhoods.

Question: So you were there when the Rodney King riots were happening in South-Central Los Angeles. What was that like for a policeman in Los Angeles?

Answer: I still can smell the smoke from the burning buildings. It was very sad and frightening, and I was sent into an area where young African-American males were looting stores and setting fire to buildings. I saw two young African-Americans -- they may have been gang members -- pull a Caucasian man out of his car and beat him with a board. The man screamed for help and I fired a shot over the heads of the perpetrators and they ran, screaming racially-themed obscenities at me and at the man they had attacked. It was hell on earth.

Question: What are the most dramatic changes you have witnessed over those 32 years?

Answer: There are many more street gangs than before and they are more sophisticated. They have cell phones, they use social media to network with each other and they are armed with far more powerful weapons than when I started. Gang bangers listen to police radios so they know where cops are a lot of the time. Also, today there are citizen review boards that investigate police shootings and other police matters -- and so there is a great deal more accountability on the shoulders of the officer than before. Why is this true? When a gang member is seen holding a weapon and is threatening a citizen or a police officer, the natural response of the officer is to defend himself and protect the innocent civilian. But in the back of the officer's mind there might be the fear that the citizen review board (or the public) might not understand the training an officer has, training that has molded in his mind that there is a key moment when violence is needed, and shooting the suspect should be a last resort but sometimes reactions take over when there is no time for thinking.

Question: Any other changes you witnessed that you can share in this interview?

Answer: Yes, the media is far more powerful than it was before. Television reporters are often on the scene of a crime before all the police investigators are there. An officer accused of a shooting that was questionable in terms of its necessity is tried in the media now, which is unfair.