Los Angeles Times Spreading Disinformation on LAPD Turmoil
Sometimes it makes me want to scream.
I refer to the misinformation that persists in the media — specifically in this case the Los Angeles Times — regarding the turmoil currently afflicting my employer, the Los Angeles Police Department.
In my most recent column here on PJ Media, I tried to shed light on some of the continuing pernicious effects of the federal consent decree under which the LAPD operated for the better part of the last decade. This week I found that still more light is required. I hope regular readers will forgive me if some of the following is repetitious.
Though the consent decree, which arose from the LAPD’s Rampart scandal of the late ‘90s, was lifted in July 2009, some of its provisions are still in effect and subject to monitoring by the U.S. Justice Department. Among these is one which requires officers assigned to gang and narcotics units to submit for inspection their personal financial records under the theory that the information might serve to reveal any among them who have enriched themselves illicitly or may be prone to doing so.
On Saturday, Los Angeles Times columnist Sandy Banks posed the question: “Will LAPD gang units’ turmoil lead to benefits later?”
LAPD officers charged with fighting gangs are walking away from their jobs en masse, because they don’t want to disclose to their bosses details of their personal lives. They consider insulting, invasive and potentially dangerous a rule aimed at ferreting out corruption by requiring gang and narcotics officers to submit for scrutiny their personal financial records.
All of which, as I pointed out in the previous column — as indeed I predicted three years ago — is true as far as it goes. But Banks goes on to put her naivete on exhibit when she delves further into the issues. For example, she discusses the gang problem in Los Angeles and the reasons gang-related crime has been declining. “Gangs have changed in the last decade,” she writes, “and so have the LAPD’s tactics. It’s no longer about banging heads and battering down doors but about enlisting others in community efforts.”
This might have her readers believing that the LAPD had adopted some sort of touchy-feely approach to gang enforcement, that cops are now “engaging” with gang members so as to reach a mutual understanding. She goes on to laud one such community effort and completely misinterprets its benefits.
It’s no coincidence that gang-related crime tumbled 40 percent over the last three years in neighborhoods where a city-funded summer program kept parks open until midnight, offering sports programs and counseling. High-profile raids of dangerous gangs and the sweeping reach of gang injunctions have made their mark on dangerous streets. But so have basketball games and free meals.
Rubbish.
Very often it still is about banging heads and battering down doors, as any cop working in L.A.’s many gang-plagued neighborhoods would have told Ms. Banks had she bothered to ask. It is fanciful thinking to imagine that a hoodlum bent on gunning down a rival over some perceived slight can be deterred from doing so by a free hot dog and a game of pickup basketball.
Crime went down near those city parks that hosted the “Summer Night Lights” program not because the gangsters, sated from all that convivial grubbing and dribbling, put aside their differences (and their firearms), but rather because LAPD gang and patrol units were directed to show a heavy presence in those very same neighborhoods. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wanted the program to succeed, and he made sure the LAPD cooperated by beefing up patrols near the affected parks.
Had those same parks been deserted all summer long, crime would have fallen just as much if the same number of cops had been deployed around them. As it happened, the added police presence liberated the parks from the gang members who had occupied them and allowed law-abiding families to venture out and enjoy them as they hadn’t before.
Just as irritatingly, Ms. Banks repeats a common fallacy about the Rampart scandal, which, she writes,
shocked us into realizing that dozens of officers in the LAPD’s former gang unit, Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums, were conducting themselves like hoodlums: beating suspects, dealing drugs, planting evidence and lying to cover it up.
She further labels the scandal “[o]ne of the most egregious cases of law enforcement misconduct in national memory.”
More rubbish.
A scandal should be measured by its true dimensions, not by the amount of press coverage it receives. The LAPD and the Los Angeles Times for years have had an uneasy relationship (see here and here for more on this), and no media outlet is more responsible for the widely held though erroneous belief that the Rampart scandal was as far-reaching within the department as Ms. Banks seems to believe.
“Gang officers, though, work odd hours, including weekends and holidays. Moreover, their schedules are subject to change on short notice, imposing a strain on family life even beyond that experienced by most police officers.”
On top of that my son, an ex LAPD gang-officer, used to spend his days off in court, despite working the previous 48 hours straight. Oh, did I forget to mention that the city does not pay overtime, but the gangbanger called Antonio Ramón Villaraigosa donates millions to Mexico.
My wife and I told my son after his army stint that he should select any other department in the country except LA, NYC or Chicago. We showed him a two-hour video, where ex and current LAPD officers explained the shit called “serving in the LAPD” – why they quit and why are they leaving.
We did our best to try to convince him that after the crap from Rampart to OJ, in addition to Latino invasion, there will be no chance for an honest police officer to work and enjoy his job in Los Angeles – ever.
I doubt a criminal cop can work without his buddies looking the other way. The LAPD officers have nobody else to blame but themselves. Those who can leave the LAPD are lucky, the city does not deserve the good cops. F LA!
You said:
That might seem logical, but in reality a criminal cop has the advantage of working in a closed culture where one is expected to trust a fellow-worker with his life. So if “life” is so critical, then other issues must come in much lower. This attitude is both a weakness and a strength, and can be used for either evil or for good.
It’s very difficult for officers working in a team to imagine one of their own is “dirty”. Not because they want to protect the scum, but because they all believe the potential penal environment of a sentenced ex-cop would be so hazardous that no one they think they know is that stupid. But that’s not really true, is it? A few are.
And as in the Perez case, some “suits” in an office made decisions without knowing all the facts and gave Perez a far easier time of it than his criminality warranted – all on the eventually unrealized expectation that he was blowing the lid off a major, major, major scandal. They gambled and the city lost. But that’s OK. At least they were promoted.
You mention your son was an “ex LAPD gang-officer,” and not just “ex LAPD.” No matter where he works now, he was smart enough to look past your racist rant to know he wanted to be part of the best police department in this country, when he joined. You discredit him and every police officer who would risked their lives to back him up by saying we have nobody to blame, but ourselves. Blame for what? You make it sound like every member of the department is involved directly or indirectly in corruption.
If your intent was to show the department (and city) has not appreciated the work of your son when he was a gang-officer you have failed. Instead you paint all LAPD officers as involved in corruption and thus justify the department agreeing to intrusive provisions of the consent decree such as the financial disclosure of gang-officers.
In my 21 years with LAPD, I have worked with many officers and detectives who worked hard to put criminals in prison and would risk their lives to defend strangers. Corrupt officers come and go. The rest of us do our jobs to protect and serve the citizens of Los Angeles without the fanfare a corruption scandal brings.
“Racist”? Why “Racist”? Because the mayor, an absolute incompetent, is Hispanic? Because the vast majority of gangmembers in LA are black or brown? Because ethnic minorities, asians excepted, are two to five times more likely to commit felonies that their white counterparts?
Grow up, get real, be a Man. Reality is what it is; not what we might like it to be. I assume you are a great cop. So was I, for 42 years, with 5 different agencies and at 6 different levels. With a chinese wife and an adopted mexican son. We must not tag people as “racist” because they criticize someone from an ethnic minority- who may very well deserve the criticism.
Jack, as always, you are spot on with your analysis of this issue. If you will excuse the pun “No Justice – No Police.” Get real L.A. Times, report the news, stop trying to make it.
tim ackerman….ur an idiot who knows nothing of policing in L.A. No one needs u or ur dumb son. Im an Angelino and a current copper in good standing. Ur son got plenty paid by LA which you say “f” to. He sat on his ass getting very well paid for doing nothing. 4ur info, gang coppers have it real good. They work far less than the regular patrol guys and when they go back to patrol, still work less because they just know one thing…gangs. They eat very well…city wide.. and most of the times dont respond to radio calls… Trust me…..its a good gig. Dont be bitter cuz ur son probably did something stupind to get him fired…LA is still the best…if you dont like it… move out of the state…And i dont appreciate ur racist views towards the mayor. I dont like him either but i wont call him a gangmember without proof you racist moron. and by the way there is no latino invasion timmy boy…whites invaded mexican territory and stole it…your dirty ancestors killed off most of the natives with ur deseases and u call it a latino invasion…typical misinformed racist. move to europe becasue u live in CALIFORNIA (a spanish word)…big clue..furthermore,,,ur dumb son wore the mexican flag proudly on his chest when he worked for LAPD because the flag is on the badge along with the spanish flag, california flag, and lacity crest….
Anonymous-
You sound like a La Ley / La Raza tool. There was a little war can the Mexican American War. Mexico lost. It was settled with a thing called the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. When you lose a war you give things up. The Mexicans gave up land. The US should have insisted on Baja too…The Mexicans living in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, and Utah won the lotto. When the US won the war LA was a desert…Now it has Disneyland. Remember who butters your bread, amigo.
Alway a bad combination, the Lame Scream Media, and career politicians, but that’s what we have. This is particularly true in Cal. Maybe when enough officers vote with their feet the public will take a closer look, but don’t hold your breath.
Someone close to me has suggested that the LAPD application requires more intrusive information than the current information required for gang officers.
But like Rahm and Obama these twits are not about to let a tasty scandal go to waste. They have a vested interest in keeping crime and angst at elevated levels. The last thing the lawyers and reports want is ‘all quiet on the western front’.
glad ur an x-copper cuz u aint very bright blaming obama for this…..
Anonymous-
Spell correctly and quit typing like you txt…tool
The L.A. Times is a leftist magazine.
I’ve written to a number of L.A. Times journalist and the answers I received were rude and insulting.
Well, the L.A. Times will always write a story based on what they want it to be and they certainly don’t want the facts to get in their way. The police will always come out as thugs while serial killers will be the victims of a bad childhood and an underfunded welfare system.
I’m surprised they didn’t pin global warming as the reason the police don’t behave the way the Times wants them to.
Not to worry, LA will get what they have coming to them I do not doubt for a minute they won’t !!! Surely had the Gang Officers or Drug units subscribed to such invasive conditions it would have spread to Chicago, NY, Milwaukee, Miami and other Large Metro areas within Months because like all “good” Politicians they want what’s best for there Police Departments right !! I say what’s good for the goose is good for the Gander where the Politicians, Police Chief’s, and other in Public office should have to surrender to the same virtrol they wish to impose on those that they wish to push around !!
Mr Dunphy,
As a former LAPD gang cop, I recently left due to the disclosure and it is refreshing that you write about the common factors that all gang officers feel. Your column is much appreciated. Its tiring to have a bunch of political idiots who have no clue of how the real world works outside of there take home cars, traveling allowances and all the other great benefits that they get.Its a travesty and quite frustrating. I would like to drop them in the very neighborhoods that have shootings on a regular basis with A hole gangster running around and see how much they want us to be touchy feely. Further more, im tired of all the brass in the upper echelons of this department trying to hide from the fact that there are several divisions without any gang officers at all all the while telling the public that there are in fact gang officers there. And they are worried about us being deceitful but cant tell the public how it really is. I hope the gangster make a come back and bring chaos to the city, then they will see what gang officers mean to this department and city. And in regard to promo guy in this post….its not just about how intrusive the form is, its also about principle.
It is not only the treatment of Gang officers a joke by the city. The hiring process is also a joke by the city. I used to work with a reserve officer who wants to become full time LAPD, only GOD knows why and he soon learned. He is trained as a traffic officer and other special training. He was not hired because he had opened complaints while as reserve officer, so the city said he is a risk and will not hire him. But he was still welcome to work as a reserve officer for free.
So he quit and went to work for a Orange County City Police. All that special trainings now went to Orange County. Stupid city.
I agree with most of the comments here but I think that a very important issue has been left out here, one that I think has to due alot with how the LAPD functions. You have all these command staff personnel running the department wo have absolutely no idea what it is to be a true officer. They will tell officers that they worked the worst parts of the city when they probably did but does not exactly mean you know how a true officers goes out and works. For example a recent command officer has a son that recently was sent to Southeast div, a division that is seen as one of the toughests divisions to work in the city. He was hand selected not for his work ethic but for his relationship to this command officer and was placed in one of the units that deals with specific problems in that division. This officer was in that unit for less than six months and performed terribly then was once again hand picked to leave the division and go work another division were he was handed a promotion by becoming a training officer. All this by the hands of his now comand staff father. Now this just goes to show how this department now works and how officers in certain postions with no experience or knowledge have become. You have people running this department that have no idea what it is to truly go out and do police work. One last thing, now that there are no gang officers in all the the divisions that truly have gang problems, the department has no officers to show up at court and testify as gang experts. But wait a minute. The department has threatened all the former gang officers that if they don’t show up to court and testify as gang experts even though that is not their function anymore, that they will be desciplined by the department by issuing official repremands thus affecting that officers future career. This is how officers get repaid by this department.
What you say is rampant in all Metro Cities and is no different than how the Political World work’s, Take Megan McCain for instance just to show how what you say is also true in the Politcal world where she has asbolutely no experience being a Politicians or a Author for that matter but because Daddy Johnny “My Friends” McCain has been in the Political Arena for so long he’s now a wanted fossil for the Smithsonian. But Megan has rode on Daddie’s Coat Tails all her Teenage years and had it not been for that, no one would want her on there MSM shows or no one would think about buying her Book if her Daddy wasn’t who he is !!! It’s as simply as that and it’s no different in the PD’s across the Land, and it’s no different than those CEO’s in the Banking World or any other high influenced Corporation where the Young & the Restless get a free pass to the top while shitting on their Co-workers or commanders along the way to the top !!! You make a very valid point in that regard !!!
I think it’s also important to express the fact that officers leaving the gang units are not doing it to punish the department or the citizens of the city. They’re simply weighing the pros and cons of the situation, and making a personal decision based on their conclusion. They are still going to be the knowledgeable, hard-working officers they always were, serving the same communities. They will just be doing it via DV radio calls rather than gang enforcement. To imply that they’re lazy or traitors is disingenuous. Employees in all fields make choices that they feel are for the benefit of their career paths and/or personal lives. These officers are just doing the same thing.
I fixed the problem. I moved. The City has been taken over by Mayor Tony and His Thugs, and made into a sanctuary city. Glad to be gone after 50 years.
I gave up too! My partner has gave up and he will MOVE back east.
ALOT OF PEOPLE ARE GIVING UP- NEARLY 800,000 over the last few years.
In Texas my Butcher is from Thousand Oaks, My TV repair guy-whitter. I have people in my Gym from Fresno, San Diego, and Costa Mesa. My family is from the SFV.
My Governor LIKE THE FACT we are all now armed! READ HIS BOOK “FED UP!” That sums it up for me-MADNESS like this only cements the idea in my mind that WE MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE TO LEAVE!
I have real pitty for those I left behind- Tony V is a thug and LA gets what they deserve for electing him-TWICE!
I never thought I would live to see this day- POT STORES AND FREE MEALS TO GANGMEMBERS! I don’t go to Church but maybe I should-LORD HELP US ALL
It used to be there was great competition to get into a gang unit. Many, many years ago it was not uncommon to get 50+ people competing for a single position. Now it’s exactly the opposite. Commands will take almost anyone. It will take many years to even come close to the level of expertise that is fleeing the gang unit ranks. Unfortunately, the solution rests with the political leadership of the City as they are the only ones who can decide to challenge the DOJ and Federal court order. This is the best live entertainment I have seen in many years. A true dog and pony show to rival any circus. Just one more reason why I moved out of Los Angeles many years ago.
You know only a retard could not have seen this coming! I would in NO WAY ALLOW THE CITY OF LA TO HAVE ACCESS TO ANYMORE OF MY LIFE THAN THEY DID- I retired in 2008, and this was boiling then.
I get paid to do a job- I get the same pay if I work the desk, HANDLE RADIO CALLS, or work a CRASH (YEA I SAID IT CRASH!)-if the city wants this info- GET A WARRENT! I will NOT EVER give this info to the goverment- and the LAPD is just that. Right on you guys- STICK TO YOUR GUNS- DONT GIVE IT UP! IT WONT BE YOUR CHILDREN BEING MURDERED- IT WILL SOME OTHERS KID! This is way to much to ask of an officer!
I CANNOT BELIVE ANYONE WOULD THINK OR SAY THIS, “But so have basketball games and free meals.” refering to gangmebers AND REDUCED CRIME. THANK GOD I LEFT LOS ANGELES AND CALIFORNIA- THIS REPORTER MUST HAVE O/D’ED ON HER MEDICAL MARIJUANA!
At the end of March I come get my ol partner who I worked “F15″ with for YEARS. He is retiring as a detective who is investigating these little pukes. HE CANNOT WAIT TO GET OUT OF LA AND CALIFORNIA- I AM COMING TO HELP HIM DO IT!
Man, to think we are “giving them free meals” MAKES MY SKIN CRAWL! To think that SOMEONE REALLY BELIVES THIS-well, LA IS LOST, might as well throw in the towel!
In the nearly 25 years I worked at LAPD I had but one view towards any gangmenber, and that view is this “A GOOD GANGMEMBER IS A DEAD GANGMEMBER-WE NEED TO MAKE THEM ALL GOOD GANGMEMBERS”..I dont care what the color of thier skin is/ was- a gangmember is social terrorsit. Yet, we are giving them “free meals”- THAT’S AID AND COMFORT TO THE ENEMY!
When I return next month to move my partner out of California- it will not be a question of “if” I am armed- but “how much ammo I decide to bring with me from Texas to LA” TO PROTECT MYSELF! Clearly, due to this lodgic I am at the mercy of these vermin!
Geeezzz, Chief Gates, (RIP) and Bill Parker (RIP) must be rolling over in their graves right now! FREE MEALS AND BASKET BALL! Sh@t!
Jack, I love to read your stuff, and you are a real master and pulling together the important points on a topic.
This one however, I just could not finsih ready-it upset me so. To think that some young copper would have to give up their rights like this makes me wonder if working for LAPD THESE DAYS, is “really worth it”. It is a honorable job, and a great part of the USA, but to sit and watch it slip into the abiss like it has-I think the answer is NO WAY! Apply for Burbank, Texas Department of Public Saftey, or Pinkerton-BUT NOT LAPD.
Great artical once again Jack, too bad I just cannot finish it becuase it pisses me off to see that a city would REALLY DO THIS TO THEIR PEACE KEEPERS
It’s a shame that a well respected police department like LAPD bent over backwards to satisfy the whim of CADOJ and judge “Fuzz”…the department is too political and unfortunately the politics don’t just hover at the top…they trickle down. The ” Rampart Scandal ” was not what it was made out to be….if I may suggest the book ” labyrinth ” w/ by Det. ? Liga. The financial disclosure is a joke and a slap in the face of LAPD cops
I been proud member of the law enforcement community since late 1970′s. I also been advocate for peace officers job rights for over thirty years. There are many injustices i seen over the years to LAPD.
For example I am on phony and illegal medical leave from County of Los Angeles, law enforcement. Most people think LAPD always been dirty department thats wrong on many fronts.
The local press is afraid to exposed the conspiracy between Board of Supervisors and others to violated my personal or professional civil liberties.
I know first hand LAPD officers in general are a honest group of officers. The Rampart scandal was caused by someone who had never been hired in the first place. The former personnel officer of LA City blame for that error not LAPD in general.
Much of what you say is true, but the facts that you are both illiterate and stupid detract seriously from your affirmations.
I read all the comments here and agree with most of them. The bottom line is that its the same old story. Politicians and bureaucrats will always be a majority character flawed community. And the ones who run our department no longer value integrity, principle, or placing the interest of their troops before their own. The majority of LAPD brass do what they can to better their positions and their likability among their own. I think Chief Gates was a rare exception and any and all other LAPD brass hopefuls should strive to emulate his leadership. I left gangs because I wouldn’t agree to sign a document telling me I was a liar and a thief. I still value principle and many of my co workers feel the same. I wouldn’t lower myself to take money/bribes from a low life gangster. Corrupt cops are few and far between on this department. Most if not all the cops I’ve worked with just want to do the right thing.
I however still love coming to work everyday, because I love the rush and I love putting bad guys in jail, the hospital or the ground. If i start complaining about whats not being done to suit my personal interests I turn into the politicians that run this DEPT. I will continue to work hard and back my fellow officers. I value the relationships I have with the officers I work with…18
john 17…..Wow! Way to lay it out there and explain it to us. NIcely done! 12…..
I agree with those affected by this…DONT sign your rights away….However, lets be fare….your all getting paid damn well in this economy so stop crying. Go out there and put gangsters in jail…You all swore an oath, not to gangs or gang units but to tax payers who pay your salaries…There are plenty of thirsty young men an women who wish they had your jobs….I dont remember getting hired to be a gang officer for all of my career. You can continue your work in a patrol capacity just stop whining about it…ur not victims…the people victimized by gangster and who live in LA are…if you all claim to be the hard working coppers that you claim to be…shut up and get back to work. some of you just dont like real police work.
Clearly you are not a cop, because if you were, you would know that police officers do not do this job for the money. Police work is a calling, a passion and some would even say “god’s work.” That being said, police officers do not work for “tax payers who pay our salaries”, police officers protect and serve any and all people who are preyed upon by cowardly, despicable criminals and gangsters that unfortunately take up space on this earth. You clearly have no idea what it takes to be a police officer, nor do you have any idea what it means to work gangs. You and the “young men and women” that you say would love to have our jobs are clearly the type of people who are or would want to be on this job to simply collect a paycheck. Gang cops live, breathe, eat, and sleep their calling. Gang members are terrorists that suck the life out of our communities and the good people who live in them. Do not insult us with your idiotic notion that we are afraid of real police work, gang officers never stop working to combat against gang crime and the terrorist actions of gang members.
I have been an officer with LAPD for going on 28 years now, and have worked a variety of uniform and undercover assignments. NEVER have I EVER seen an ounce of corruption exhibited by my fellow officer. Maybe it’s because they already know I would never stand for it, I don’t know. Those who continue to rant about the way LAPD sucks are simply crybabies who aren’t looking at the big picture. Most of us came on this job because we recognize the higher calling. We came on to make a difference. To be able to hold our heads high and know we have great jobs that allow us to put serious bad guys in jail. There will always be those who criticize and throw up statistics to say what supports their slanted views and we recognize that LAPD will always be there as a whipping post. So what else is new? I have but four years left on DROP before I leave. Until then I will continue to come to work on time, wear my pressed unifrom with pride, and hold my head up high with the knowledge I work with and for the best Department in the world.
Areas that require gang units DO NOT HAVE THEM. LAPD Areas like Southeast (Watts), 77th (South LA), Hollenbeck (Boyle Heights, East LA) have no gang officers because of this ill-conceived and never been tried effort to thwart corruption. Meanwhile, patrol officers from throughout the city (like they did in January 2011 for two weeks) will be pulled from their assigned areas city-wide (Valley, Westside, Etc.) to work patrol in areas plagued by gang violence. By the way, hardly anyone cares if the gang unit in West LA is dismantled because their gang crime is minimal compared to the more depressed areas of the city.
The argument that by providing the LAPD my bank’s names I supposedly will prove to DOJ/City Hall/Command Staff that I am a “clean” officer is weak. An audit on officer’s accounts should also reveal corruption is unproven and the format of the audit is still debated. To use the word naïve for this endeavor is a complete understatement. However, the Command Staff of LAPD understands this is one of the last provisions of the Consent Decree and that the LAPD must have substantial compliance (the other, Digital In-Car Video Systems) with it in order to rid the DOJ from the workings of the LAPD. This political solution is unsavory, especially for the non-political that are made to sacrifice further; like let’s say an LAPD gang officer. I mean it’s not like you are asking city leaders or police commanders to sign disclosure in order to work.
Here is an issue most miss and the most dangerous part
No longer are the qualifications for a future LAPD gang officer scrutinized as much as his/her desire/willingness to sign the financial disclosure. In other words, if you are a warm body (and I’ve seen them) ready to sign disclosure and since there is little or no competition for the numerous vacancies – WELCOME TO THE GANG UNIT!
Arguably the merit system is long gone with the LAPD and this is another shining example. Rather it is the willingness of the applicant to sign financial disclosure that is the main factor, maybe even the only factor, for placement in these once coveted spots. Therefore, with less than qualified people starting to trickle into gang/narcotics unit, it is absolutely predictable CORRUPTION OR INEPTNESS WILL FOLLOW. Mistakes will be made and people will be hurt or die as a result.
I wonder how many lives will be lost because of this decision or if anyone cares enough to realize what it is doing to the City tonight.
I been around law enforcement since late 1970′s. The present time on medical suspension Deputy Probation Officer for the county of Los Angeles. One of my professional mentor first employed at the probation department was Jim Galipeaud. Unfortunately deceased from the many years working the streets of throughout County of Los Angeles. We both found majority of LAPD officers were honest and hard working. Los Angeles times always had bias view of LAPD from Chief of Police D.Gates era and etc. They are liberal paper who refused to hear the truth. I been an advocate for California peace officers job rights for over thirty years. I don’t agreed with all the feds spin on this subject but I understand there point of view. We all took an oath to uphold the law for the many we protect. I challenge Los Angeles times to interview the few know the truth. Report only stories of the bad ones. About stories about real honest police officers, deputy sheriffs, DA investigators, firemen or ( woman fire services, and probation officers who risk their life’s everyday for all us to live the free world.