Q & A With Central Division Cop?
Officer, I was thinking, I have a lot of kind of “generic” questions about life as a LAPD Officer, especially one working Central Division/Skid Row. And I’ll bet some of the other downtown readers have questions too- maybe I’ll need to do a little “moderating” but I think everyone could ask decent questions w/o disrespecting you or all the men-in-blue. So I’m going to take a chance that you might play along and answer some questions- you are 100% anonymous.
I’ll start out with a softball question:
Q: Do you ever bother to stop your cruiser to write a ticket for jay walking? I assume you would if you wanted to use it as an excuse to see if someone was public intoxicated or whatnot, but say a businessman that steps off the curb while the light is flashing, but clearly makes the walk while the traffic signal is green- under what circumstaces would YOU arrest, or at least contact, a jay walker?
A little tougher, but “generic” question- you don’t have to answer from personal experience:
Q: I think I’ve heard that policemen have the highest divorce rates (or relationship issues), and even the suicide rate is higher than most occupations. Do you think this is true, and is it just that the stress is high and working hours make it hard, or are certain people more likely to become police officers that have these traits already?
I know you are a busy man, Officer, but this might be a cool way that you can tell a good many Historic Core (and beyond) folks what is really happening in our streets. Just tell the superiors that you need a laptap w/ WiFi in your patrol car so you can stay in touch with the people 
People in the Military have a VERY high rate of divorce; (trust me I know about this) but as far as LAPD or police officers in general, not sure if it’s any higher than say, the US Army. Would be interesting I guess if he knew the answer… =)
October 30th, 2008 at 11:02 pmI dated a cop (SDPD) for about 5 years and would go on ride-alongs every now and again. He worked in the more dangerous part of San Diego (although I’m sure it’s nothing compared to Los Angeles’s danger zones) and I would hide behind him or stay in the car most of the time. Once, he arrested a guy and put him the the car, with me in the front seat while he went to do something outside the car. Try to make small talk with some dude in handcuffs behind the protective barrier…awkward!
I found though (and this may have just been him) that he barely ever bothered with the “small stuff.” He had pulled over this drunk guy, who was more than likely an immigrant with no papers, and all he really did was impound the car for no registration or something like that. He didn’t arrest the guy, or call immigration or anything like you would think or expect. He told me that he just wanted the guy off the streets (being drunk and all) but that it would be a waste of time and resources to try to book someone with no papers/ID. The long walk home and impound fee would be sufficient penalty, in his mind. i’m sure that’s not protocol, but I noticed he didn’t bother with stuff like pulling folks over for rolling stops at a stop sign, jaywalking, blowing through a yellow/red light….he justified it by saying there was real crime he had to take care of, and writing chicken shit tickets would just be a waste of his time.
E, maybe you could do a ride-along with CDC (IF LA has such a program.) It’s very interesting, if you’ve never done one.
Cops are an interesting breed. I will say no more.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:42 amMeeko- you are right that the Military divorce rate is very high. I attribute this partly to there being so many young people (18 - 25) in the service that probably should not have gotten married in the first place. It’s kind of crazy getting married and joining the service when you can’t even buy a beer yet (that’s a whole ‘nother topic, I know).
Divorce Statistics for people married before 18 and before 20
They say the Military divorce rate is a well-guarded secret. It’s hard to find statistics for Police officers too.
October 31st, 2008 at 6:24 amI have a question: how do you balance public safety with respecting the skid row population? It’s something I struggle with personally. On the one hand, I don’t want people to be harassed just because they are dirty or mentally ill. OTOH, I don’t want to see people crapping on the street, be hassled by aggressive panhandlers, etc.
October 31st, 2008 at 10:17 amLi I realize they have the APTs (auto pay toilets) but that requires panhandling (or at least enough quarters to keep you using the facility all day/ night) when needed. That’s also assuming they keep operating. These things seem to break down more often than I was ever aware in San Francisco (which has MANY APTs that everyone uses, not just the homeless).
I wonder if they would consider putting APT on Main or Spring St.??
October 31st, 2008 at 7:03 pmaren’t all of the pay toilets actually free now? the one at 5th and los angeles always was, and i thought they made the rest free because dealing with the jammed mechanism wasn’t worth the quarters.
October 31st, 2008 at 8:28 pmE,
Thanks for creating this opportunity. I’m sure a lot of people out there have the same questions. So here it goes.
Question 1:
Jaywalking is only an infraction, so it’s at an officer’s discretion to cite, warn or ignore. Since I personally jaywalk and I don’t believe in being a hypocrite, no, I wouldn’t cite your average, “Joe the Jaywalker”.
Where I do use the jaywalking infraction as probable cause to stop someone is when they are exhibiting behavior consistent with gang membership, drug sales or similar criminal activity. It gets our foot in the door to stop, question and/or frisk this subject.
Do I think it there’s a need to stop and at least warn people of the perils of jaywalking or walking on red? Sure, that’s why we have our motorcycle cops out there. Let them do it while I focus on the critical issues.
A lot of traffic backup downtown is due to vehicles waiting to make turns while streams of peds are walking on a flashing red hand. Once that signal flashes said sign, you can’t continue crossing.
People are under the assumption that you can cross as long as the hand isn’t solid. Don’t so it-there’s plenty of officers who will cite you in a NY minute.
November 1st, 2008 at 9:08 amCDO- THANK YOU for the j-walking info. As I walk ALOT downtown I’ve been more and more careful since I hear there is a crack down in effect. I would feel so stupid getting a ticket for that. I was under the impression that you could walk anytime as long you were not in crosswalk when traffic signal went red- the “flashing hand” was just a warning. But there are some intersection where it goes “flashing hand” in 4 sec- no joke. You sneeze, and you missed the chance to walk. But I don’t have the energy to fight a ticket like that.
November 1st, 2008 at 9:20 amAlright, it’s clear that I started taking this thread off-topic by asking a “generic” question about divorce rate, etc- and I don’t think CDO has any say in where public toilets are installed. Let’s ask him questions specific to what HE sees and does daily. I’ll bet we will get some answers if we keep on-track.
November 1st, 2008 at 10:28 amOfficer- if you are in a one-on-one combative situation with a true psycho kind of guy, what is your strategy? Night stick, taser, pepper spray? And if it goes mano-y-mano, what do you do?
I was taught to fight by a cop when I was a teenager, and his teachings still are in the front of my mind- never hit with a fist (why break hand when you can do damage with the heel of your palm), pull ears, nose, facial hair, and gouge eyes to inflict pain, and definitely the groin-area is a good place to hit. But now with MMA techniques (arm bar, etc), do you get trained in that type of combat?
November 1st, 2008 at 10:36 am2nd Question: Divorce
Did you know that the leading cause of divorce is marriage? Hahaha!
That being said, there’s a 50% chance of getting divorced if you are married. So if you add in any risk factors,i.e. working nights. You will now tip the scales over the 50% rate, and you now have a “high” divorce rate.
Police work entails working nights, holidays and long stretches of work days without time off. So spending time with the family and kids can often take a back seat. Most wives can tolerate that for awhile, but not forever. It can grind away at even the most patient of souls.
Add that to the Type-A personality most cops have, along with the propensity to take sometimes unwarranted risks and you now have a very unstable marriage/relationship.
This definitely factors in when you encounter the bountiful plethora of women throwing themselves at you. Risk taking genes, available women…..You figure out the rest!
As for the suicide rate, I attribute this to the fact that police work is a male dominated arena. Men commit suicide at a higher rate than women. Plus, when you again add in people who have the “risk taking” gene, along with the availability of a pistol, it makes for a recipe for disaster. In the last two months, the LAPD has lost 2 fine officers to suicide who may have offed themselves due to troubled home lives.
Question 3: Homeless
Li, some people may call it “hassling or harassing”, others call it enforcing the law. We are a service-driven org. We go where the complaints are. So when the public complains about a certain segment of society, that’s where our assets are going to go.
In Central, a good portion of that is curbing the criminal homeless. Just because one is homeless that does not give them a free pass to commit crime. Being dirty and mentally ill isn’t a crime, but drinking beer in the street and acting disorderly is.
I draw the enforcement line here: If someone isn’t hurting anyone but THEMSELF, King’s X. But once someone complains or gets affected, that’s where I step in.
If a vagrant is in a back alley mumbling to himself, while peeing in a bottle. Knock yourself out. But once they get in a woman’s face and start intimidating her, that’s where I step in.
November 2nd, 2008 at 11:35 amGreat, great answers Officer- Thank You. I did more research on occupations vs. divorce and suicide rates and there is not as strong a correlation as I thought… age for marriage seemed a pretty good predictor, and access to a gun seemed to be high among suicide victims- go figure…
I know I really appreciate you taking the time to stop by this thread… you ‘da MAN!
November 2nd, 2008 at 1:36 pmcentral division officer: I usually don’t cross on a flashing red; I was always told if it’s flashing red you need to be at least halfway across the street by then. I know a couple places on Main Street where I truly wish they would fix the pedestrian walkway there as it is very slow and frustrating and I can see why people jaywalk as much as they do (@ $150 a ticket (after taxes) the City could make a good chunk of their budget ticketing jaywalkers between 4 and 5th streets alone). I think it’s the indiscriminate nature of the ticketing that people find even more frustrating though.
Cops do a really great job though with the limited budget and resources they do have. Thanks you & the rest of the really cool LAPD folks out there. =)
November 2nd, 2008 at 5:39 pmQuestion 4: Fighting with 5150s
When it comes to a fight while on duty or off duty, you want to get it over with as fast as possible. Strike first, strike hard and strike to win. The longer a fight goes, the greater the chance for an injury.
If you are ever confronted by a bully who is about to start a fight with you, strike him in an area which can’t be built up with muscle or a part of him which isn’t used to being hit, i.e. testicles, throat. Gouge eyes, rip ears, pull nose. All is fair in a street fight. Get Three Stooges on him! If you are in a bar and you are outnumbered, grab a chair and violently thrash your opponent and make a hasty exit.
You want your actions to be quick, violent and explosive. Fights aren’t fair and they aren’t pretty. Be prepared for bloodshed and anarchy. After making a tactical rear exit, notify your local PD from a faraway safe location. Get your story out there first. Defending yourself is a right, going to the ER is a hassle. Never start a fight, but always end one (your way).
As for my techniques while on-duty. I usually avoid pepper spray. It seems to only work 50% of time and even less when it comes to mental patients and intox combatants.
I’ll use a TASER when one is around and that isn’t often. But I usually go for the hand to hand action. Quick, explosive action that gets the perpetrator to the ground and ready for cuffing.
We do get taught the MMA tactics, but the old bumrush, yoke techniques work best.
Meekorouse, I hear what you are saying. When most people are stopped, they usually say, “Hey, what about everyone else jaywalking? Why am I the only to be stopped…?”
My answer is this. When you go fishing, do you catch all the fish in the ocean?
By the way, the above aforementioned comments and tips aren’t the opinion of the Los Angeles Police Department. They are exclusive to this private citizen, Central Division Cop.
November 5th, 2008 at 12:00 pm