LAPD Blog

Valley Traffic Division Fallen Officer Memorial

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Thursday January 24, 2013 - LAPD’s Valley Traffic Division (VTD) honored 7 of their fallen heroes with a ceremony that brought retired officers, elected officials, and command staff under one tent on a rainy afternoon. The ceremony was a reunion of family, friends, and former patrol partners assigned to VTD.

Chief Beck was on hand for the ceremony that ended with the unveiling of the Fallen Officer Memorial, an artistic monument that stands 20 feet tall located in the main lobby/front desk of VTD.  Incorporated in the monument are glass squares with an inscription of each fallen officer’s name.

Officer Chad Bigley with artist Tim Lampros presented Chief Beck with a metal LAPD badge art piece for the Chief's office.  Also recognized at the ceremony was Captain Ivan Minsal who was presented an appreciation art piece by Officer Bryce Verna, Tim Lampros and the Valley Traffic Advisory Council.  Councilmember Dennis P. Zine presented VTD a recognition certificate for their efforts in honoring the men and women who sacrificed their lives.

Speakers also included Congressmen Tony Cardenas, Councilmembers Tom LaBonge, Mitchell Englander, and Paul Kortez.

VTD officers honored:
Charles Caraccilo End of Watch 6/21/1973
Paul Verna End of Watch 6/2/1983
Jack Evnas End of Watch 10/22/1983
Randy Marshall End of Watch 6/2/1987
Raymond Messerly End of Watch 10/21/1992
David Schmid End of Watch 12/16/1992
Clarence Dean End of Watch 1/17/1994

405 FWY CLOSURE September 28 & 29

Avoid the 405, E

Eat, Play and Shop Local.  Be part of the success, and use alternate transportation

The LAPD would like to remind everyone to plan ahead and avoid the 405 Freeway the weekend of September 29th and 30th.  A 10-mile portion of the 405 Freeway will be closed between the 101 Freeway and the 10 Freeway in all directions during beginning Friday night at midnight and will remain closed until Monday morning at 5:00 a.m.  The closure is due to the demolition of the northern half of the Mulholland Bridge.

We are encouraging the public to make plans to stay local during the closure weekend and Eat, Play and Shop in your local area.  Make this the weekend to walk, bike and use public transportation to avoid the need to drive around the impacted area.

Last year’s closure success was due to the cooperation of the public who made the effort to avoid the closure area.  This year will also be a success if everyone does their part.

Thank you for being part of the solution.

LAPD

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405 FWY CLOSURE September 28 & 29

Avoid the 405, Eat, Play and Shop Local.  Be part of the success, and use alternate transportation

The LAPD would like to remind everyone to plan ahead and avoid the 405 Freeway the weekend of September 29th and 30th.  A 10-mile portion of the 405 Freeway will be closed between the 101 Freeway and the 10 Freeway in all directions during beginning Friday night at midnight and will remain closed until Monday morning at 5:00 a.m.  The closure is due to the demolition of the northern half of the Mulholland Bridge.

We are encouraging the public to make plans to stay local during the closure weekend and Eat, Play and Shop in your local area.  Make this the weekend to walk, bike and use public transportation to avoid the need to drive around the impacted area.

Last year’s closure success was due to the cooperation of the public who made the effort to avoid the closure area.  This year will also be a success if everyone does their part.

Thank you for being part of the solution.

LAPD

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Follow @lapolicefdtn

59-Year-Old Pedestrian Critically Injured in Hit-and-Run

$50,000 Reward Being Offered

Los Angeles:  Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Central Traffic Division detectives are asking for the public’s help with providing any information that will lead to the arrest of person responsible for a tragic traffic collision that seriously injured a 59-year-old female victim in South Los Angeles.

On August 11, 2011 at about 8:40 a.m., Irma Rodriguez was standing behind her vehicle, which was stopped on Long Beach Avenue and north of 40th Place, when the incident occurred.  An unknown vehicle traveling northbound Long Beach Avenue struck the victim from behind.

After hitting the victim, the driver failed to stop to render aid and identify themselves as required by law.  The hit-and-run vehicle fled the scene leaving the injured pedestrian in serious condition, which ultimately caused the amputation of her legs.

The Los Angeles city Council approved a reward of $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for this vicious crime.

Anyone with information about this crime is urged to call Central Traffic detectives at 213-972-1840.  During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7.   Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477).  Tipsters may also contact Crimestoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone.  All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on "webtips" and follow the prompts.

2010 Toughest Cadet Alive

April 22, 2010 - In a test of endurance, speed, agility, and toughness, the Toughest Cadet Alive competition was held on the campus of James Monroe High School.  The physical abilities challenge pits students from the seven Department Magnet schools against each other in a day long competition.  The schools included were Monroe, Reseda, Dorsey, San Pedro, and Wilson High Schools along with Mulholland and Burbank Middle Schools, with Burbank Middle School being new to the program this year.   

Students competed in strength events such as pull-ups/chin-ups, push-ups and sit-ups; endurance events such as jump rope, the mile run and the obstacle course; and a speed event in the 100-yard dash.  Participants also had to show academic excellence in their classes and compose an essay in order to participate.  Winners are awarded medals for individual and team performance and the student with the highest average score is awarded with the envious title of Toughest Cadet Alive.

This year’s competition saw the Reseda High School Police Academy Magnet team take home the top honor in the essay portion of the competition.  However after combining total scores in fitness and academics the Monroe High School Police Academy Magnet team took home the top honor and was awarded the Toughest Cadet Alive trophy.

The police magnet program offers a rigorous curriculum geared toward preparing students for a career in law enforcement.  In addition to the basic high school requirements, magnet programs offer students specialized coursework, training, mentoring, work and volunteer opportunities.  There are approximately 1500 students currently enrolled in the seven area magnet programs. 

The Los Angeles Police Department would like to congratulate the Monroe High School Police Academy Magnet Cadets on their victory and thank all the participants in this year’s Toughest Cadet Alive competition.

FROM A SKID ROW COP - What the Holiday Season Means to Me

The holiday season is a chance for us all to reflect on the year and be thankful for being able to see another come to pass.  As the Senior Lead Officer for half of the Skid Row area, there are many things that I can look back on this year and feel a sense gratitude for.  One of the things I am thankful for is the continuing reduction in crime in the Skid Row community thanks to Safer Cities Initiative (SCI).  I was glad to be a part of the SCI unit for the past seven months, which gave me a deeper respect for the dedication of the officers and leadership that is assigned there.  I am grateful to be able to drive down Skid Row streets that I survey, and see far less people suffering from the aftermath of Skid Row violence.  I am especially thankful to the Skid Row community for opening their hearts and minds to me over the last four years.  I am ever encouraged by the solid relationships that I have formed over my time in Skid Row with the wonderful community I serve.  Many thanks go out to the Skid Row community members who boldly brushed aside their fears and reported crime and crime trends to me.  Just a few short years ago, a rational fear of retaliation from the criminal element deterred many Skid Row citizens from reporting crimes either committed against them or to others.  As the community has become safer, community members and their involvement in crime reduction have become more common place in spite of efforts to derail the SCI, and demonize the officers involved with it.

For the many that came to the Skid Row walks to see Skid Row for themselves and talk to the people, rather than simply reading about it and forming an opinion of our efforts, I truly thank you for having an open mind.  I look forward to walking and talking with many more individuals in an effort for all to remove their judgmental ideals of what being homeless in Skid Row truly is.

I fully expect to continue in these gains well on into the next year.  By working together, I believe that this place we call Skid Row will truly become a place of rehabilitation for those in need of it.  You are always in my thoughts.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM SLO DEON JOSEPH

 

IN MEMORIUM

I would like to take the time to honor the members of the Skid Row community who lost their lives this year.  Our thoughts go out to the families, co-workers and friends of the following individuals for their loss:

Ann Leslie – A member of the SRO Corp.;
Leslie Carter – A Skid Row Community member;
Carol Taylor – Employee of the VOA at 628 South San Julian Street;
Sheila Jashuam – Crime Victim;
Kevin “KK” Cohen – Actor and Skid Row Activist/Crime victim;
Tommy Hayes – Crime Victim; and,
Leslie Taplin – Community Activists and Friend to the Skid Row Community.

To the friends and family, you have my deepest condolences and are in my prayers.

Commander Paul Gillen Memorial Service

November 19, 2009 – In a small ceremony held in front of the Police Memorial at the new Police Administration Building, Commander Paul Gillen was memorialized for his service and sacrifice to the Department and City. 

Family members including Commander Gillen’s wife Margie, dignitaries, active and retired personnel and invited guests watched as Assistant Commanding Officer of Special Operations Bureau, Commander Scott Kroeber unveiled the portrait of Commander Gillen which will be permanently displayed in the new Police Administration Building.  Police Chief Charlie Beck also presented Commander Gillen’s widow with the Purple Heart which is awarded to officers who are wounded or killed in the line of duty.  The ceremony also included a helicopter flyover and a wreath laying at the Memorial.

On May 29, 1974, Commander Paul Gillen was killed in a Department helicopter crash.  Commander Gillen was the commanding officer of Uniformed Services Group, and at the time of the crash, he was on board an aircraft that was involved in SWAT training.

Reseda High School Police Academy Magnet Valley Bureau Children’s Room Distribution Day

On Monday November 9, four Police Academy Magnet cadets, Officer Joel Frias, Alise Cayen and three members of a non-profit organization called TKO (Turning Kindness On) loaded crates full of children’s book up in a police van and headed out to Van Nuys Division.  It was an event that had been in the works since Alise Cayen, Reseda’s Police Academy Magnet Coordinator saw Topanga Division’s children’s room first hand at their grand opening ceremony.

Ms. Cayen was so in awe over the room’s aesthetics and so moved by the story behind the mural that it was at that event that she promised to donate a copy of a her children’s book to each Valley Division’s juvenile soft room before my book had even been released. Soon after the Ella Fitzgerald Foundation found out about her book donation plan, they joined in; donating more than 300 additional books and suddenly, the police academy had crates full of books for every Valley Bureau’s children’s room, which their cadets artistically decorated.

Ms. Cayen wanted to learn more about these rooms and more importantly, she wanted the experience to be a teachable moment for her cadets. Ms. Cayen and Officer Frias took four of their cadet leaders and representatives from the TKO Organization along to learn more about each station’s children’s rooms and give them crates full of books.  With the support of all the Valley Bureau Captains and detectives, they were able to hit every Valley Division, meeting the captains in charge, touring each room and taking photos. It was a very rewarding day that was a learning experience for everyone involved.

The TKO Organization would like to pursue efforts to raise money so that every station can have a mural and more resources to make their juvenile soft rooms more pleasant for the young kids who use them.

From a Skid Row COP

OFFICER NEEDS ASSISTANCE

Hello Los Angelinos.  I am Senior Lead officer Deon Joseph, of the Los Angeles Police Central Community Police Station.  As many people know, I have been engaged in a mentor program for at risk youths for the past two years called the “Just like U” program.  The program is designed to encourage and uplift teenagers who have the highest potential to fall into the trappings of the criminal lifestyle via talking to them about numerous topics that directly affect them.  The core facet of this endeavor is the mentor aspect, which consists of me bringing in professional people who have life paths that mirrored the lives of these children, yet in spite of their surroundings, they rose up from the ashes and became a success in their chosen professions.  These children desperately need to see that someone who looks “just like them” can be a success regardless of their upbringing, and environment, and need them to show them how it happened, and make them believe that anything is possible if they just put for the effort, and stay the course of bettering themselves.

I am looking for passionate African American and Latino speakers, in various professions (i.e. doctors, lawyers, athletes, scholars, activists, radio or T.V. personalities).  It does not matter what you do for a living, as long as your have been successful at it and have a story that can identify with these youths.  The only thing I need from you is 15 to 30 minutes of your time to share your story, so that we can plant a seed in these young minds that will encourage them to think beyond their current circumstance.  These kids desperately need to know that we value their lives, and want them to live long and productively.

If you are interested in being a part of this program, please call me at (213) 793-0740, or email me at 32511@lapd.lacity.org, so I can add you the pool of speakers.

Bring Your Child to Work Day

The Los Angeles County Probation Department observed “Bring Your Child to Work Day” on Tuesday, April 21 with a first ever tour of the Los Angeles Police Department.  The children of Probation Department employees were treated to an inside look at the inner-workings of the
9-1-1 Communications Center located in Downtown Los Angeles.

“Whoa! This is cool,” said Manuel Gonzalez, nephew of Probation Department Clerk Alexandra Cuadra.  “Look at all the computers,” he said as he pointed with a smile.

Police Service Representatives Angela Rodriguez and Jenelle Williams of the Community Relations Unit, offered the children informative reasons on when to call 9-1-1 and when not to use the emergency number.  They also answered questions on everything from graffiti to not going to school as reasons to use the emergency service.

The children were also able to take a tour of the Criminal Courts building where they sat in on a hearing and met with Judge Ronald Rose for a question and answer session.  They were given a talk on the dangers of gangs by Deputy Probation Officer Thomas Williams and at the end of their busy day, the children were given a check in the amount of $5.00 for their hard work.

 The Los Angeles Police Department would like to thank the members of the Los Angeles County Department of Probation who participated in “Bring Your Child to Work Day” and for their expressed interest in the LAPD.   While we belong to different organizations, we all belong to the law enforcement family.