LAPPL Blog: The official blog of the Los Angeles Policy Protective League
LAPPL Endorses Proposition 23
By LAPPL Board of Directors on 08/31/2010 @ 04:07 PM
This November, California voters will face Proposition 23, a ballot initiative that would temporarily suspend California's global warming plan, including curbing gas emission mandates in an effort to improve the state's jobless rate. Although AB 32 was intended to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it’s quickly becoming clear that all it will actually reduce are jobs and local public safety budgets.
Until the state is back on track and our economy is healthy again, we strongly support Proposition 23, and according to an August Los Angeles Business Journal survey, we're not alone. The Journal revealed that most voters would support the job-boosting initiative by 58%, compared to 38% who would not support the bill.
On closer examination, AB 32 would, in reality, beget the loss of an additional one million jobs – not to mention cost the City billions in fancy regulations for electricity, natural gas, gasoline and diesel, vehicle costs and new homes. We understand that loss in government revenue means one thing: less funding for our law enforcement services and communities. Meanwhile, we know the current cuts being made to the City's budget are already taking their toll on LAPD.
How can our community know we are here to protect them if we continue to cut more hours worked by officers? We urge our members to vote YES on this ballot measure, which would save additional severe cuts from being made against our much-needed law enforcement services.
While we want to do our part for global warming, now is not the time to slap the City with reduced revenues and increased energy costs. The League cannot afford – financial or public safety wise – to jeopardize its top and only priority – safety of its police officers and the citizens we serve. Go to www.yeson23.com for more information on Proposition 23.
Play ball! Frank McCourt hits one out of the park for the LAPD
By LAPPL Board of Directors on 08/30/2010 @ 11:35 AM
It's understandable if LAPD officers citywide are humming, "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." That's because at the Eagle & Badge Gala on Saturday, August 21, LA Dodgers owner Frank McCourt promised complimentary game tickets for LAPD officers and their families. A man of his word, McCourt delivered 10,000 vouchers to the LAPPL last week - each one good for four free tickets to a game on September 17, 18 and 19 or October 1, 2 and 3.
The complimentary tickets represent a very generous, morale-boosting gesture from Mr. McCourt, one of three civic leaders honored at the Gala for outstanding community service. When he stepped to the mic at the Gala, we had no inkling he would honor and show his appreciation to “the men and women in blue from the boys in blue” by graciously offering 40,000 Loge and Reserve level seats.
As LAPD officers and their families prepare to enjoy a great American pastime, on their behalf we extend our sincere thanks to a great Angelino and American, Frank McCourt. May the Dodgers have a strong close to the 2010 season with LAPD officers cheering them on!
YouTube videos for a friend and fellow officer
By LAPPL Board of Directors on 08/23/2010 @ 03:50 PM
He was serving his country as a Marine reservist in Afghanistan when the 15-pound roadside bomb Marine Staff Sgt. and LAPD officer Joshua Cullins was disarming exploded. Joshua suffered a concussion in the blast and when the alarming news reached LAPD’s Central Division, his fellow officers turned to YouTube to send a pair of get-well-soon messages to their friend and colleague.
As recounted in a must-read story by LA Times’ writer Bob Pool, Captain Daryl Russell remembered that one of his officers, David Marroquin, was experienced at producing videos. Marroquin proceeded to record personal messages to Cullins on video starting off with Chief Beck. Then Marroquin recruited a friend, actor-musician J. Hunter Ackerman, to write a song to accompany the get-well messages for an MTV-style music video.
The completed two-part video began streaming on YouTube late last week. The polished music video labeled "Hunter Ackerman — Welcome Home” quickly received nearly 4,000 “hits” and scores of favorable comments from viewers touched by the bravery and sacrifice of a true American hero.
It speaks volumes about Josh that his friends here at home went the extra mile to let him know how they feel about him, and to wish him a speedy and full recovery. We don’t know if the music video will win an MTV award (it should!), but it will long be remembered in the LAPD ranks as an outstanding tribute to Josh and the thousands of men and women who serve their country at home and abroad.
LAPD at a crossroads
By LAPPL Board of Directors on 08/16/2010 @ 03:45 PM
In just 36 photographs and four-and-a-half minutes of narration, photojournalist Robert Nickelsberg sums up one of the most compelling and accurate portrayals of what life is like for today’s LAPD in On the Streets with the LAPD, featured on TIME.com. The multimedia slideshow takes viewers from a ride along with specialized unit officers in the South Bureau’s Southeast and 77th Divisions, to working an investigation up close with K-9 and Gang Units. The slideshow is available for viewing on TIME’s website here.
“In an era of steep budget cuts, police officers’ work just gets harder,” says Nickelsberg, introducing his dramatic program. He notes that the combination of budget cuts, elimination of overtime and forced home leaves (T/Os) are contributing to the adverse reduction of police officers’ presence in the city, particularly areas where gangs have been challenging law enforcement for three generations. He continues on to address another concern affecting enforcement efforts, which is the requirement for members of specialized units to disclose personal and family financial records beginning in March 2011. This ill-conceived requirement from the Consent Decree is already driving officers away from the gang units where, ironically, they are most needed. If you’re unaware of how budget cuts and financial disclosure are inadvertently working together to create a perfect storm for trouble in our city, this presentation will be your wakeup call.
Regrettably, the drastic budget cuts and strict financial disclosure rules currently directed at hundreds of our specialized officers, will prove a lethal combination that will likely push police work in Los Angeles toward the breaking point.
The Mayor, Chief of Police and City Council would do well to be among the first to view this powerful presentation. It would make a good opener for a City Council meeting where LAPD issues are on the agenda. As city officials watch, we hope it dawns on them that the LAPD is at a crossroads: We can continue to build on the substantial progress that has been made in the past decade, or we can begin a long, painful slide back to a terrifying time in our city’s past, recently chronicled in a Los Angeles Times story.
We urge you to watch the TIME presentation while there is still time to reverse course and build on the progress of recent years. We have come a long way, but that also means we have a long way to fall if city leaders make the wrong choices and decisions in the months ahead. Our profound thanks to photojournalist Robert Nickelsberg and TIME, for visually telling the story that needs to be told -- and understood -- before it is too late.
LAPPL supports familial DNA searches in the national database
By LAPPL Board of Directors on 08/11/2010 @ 02:55 PM
When the LAPD requested a state check of familial DNA in the “Grim Sleeper” case, it was fortunate that the match occurred in California. If the suspect’s son had been arrested and jailed in, say, Nevada - or any of the many other states that currently don’t permit the use of familial DNA searches - finding a match, and therefore making an arrest, would have been unlikely. For this reason, the LAPPL advocates allowing the FBI to conduct familial DNA searches via the national DNA database.
To this end, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., has smartly introduced the Utilizing DNA Technology to Solve Cold Cases Act of 2010 that instructs the FBI to create a mechanism for conducting familial searches of the national DNA database while providing appropriate privacy protections.
"The ‘Grim Sleeper’ was a case that spanned nearly 25 years of investigation and claimed the lives of 11 innocent victims," said LAPD Chief Charlie Beck. "It was not until we attempted to use familial DNA that our investigators got the clue they needed. Familial DNA testing proved to be an invaluable tool that assisted our detectives in the apprehension of the ‘Grim Sleeper’ murder suspect, and the ability to utilize the national database would strengthen that tool even further."
On July 30, the bill was referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. It deserves speedy consideration and enactment. Many cold cases in Los Angeles and throughout the United States will stand a better chance of being solved, and give many affected families closure, once this common-sense legislation becomes law.
Suspects still at large after senseless killing of SEIU 721 regional director’s son, Matthew Butcher; $50,000 reward offered
By LAPPL Board of Directors on 08/10/2010 @ 03:47 PM
We are pleased to see the City offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the remaining suspects in the execution-style murder of a clerk at an Echo Park medical marijuana shop. Raymond Lemone Easter, 27, is accused of murdering Matthew Butcher, 27, who was shot and killed on June 24 after three suspects stormed the Higher Path Holistic Care Collective on Sunset Boulevard.
After ransacking the business and stealing money and marijuana, the robbers shot a store worker, Matthew and a security guard. Matthew died from his injuries and the guard is in recovery. Another suspect in the case, Daniel Hinton, 31, was arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder. Police are also looking for information about the third suspect and driver of a getaway car.
Matthew was the son of Julie Butcher, regional director for SEIU 721, the Southern California Public Service Workers Union, which represents many city employees, including LAPD civilian personnel. The LAPPL Board of Directors joins Julie’s many friends and colleagues throughout the city in expressing its profound sympathies for the senseless death of her son. We are also determined to do all things possible to bring the killers to justice.
Anyone with information in the case is asked to call LAPD's Robbery Homicide Division Detectives Dennis English or James King at (213) 486-6890. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7.
Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting “LAPD” plus their message to 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads). Additionally, you may submit your tip online via the Crime Stoppers website.
Putting a difficult decade in perspective
By LAPPL Board of Directors on 08/06/2010 @ 02:37 PM
A recent Los Angeles Times headline summed up a decade that all of us in law enforcement hope will never be repeated, when they wrote, “It was a terrifying time.” On Wednesday’s front-page story, veteran crime reporters Scott Gold and Andrew Blankstein recount a 10-year period beginning in 1984 when the LAPD was recording a violent crime every eight minutes and people could be killed with impunity. The article is a recommended reading for everyone – police officers and citizens alike.
To put the era in perspective, in 1984 Los Angeles police investigated 757 murders, 240% more than they investigated in 2009, and 51,247 violent crimes, 216% more than they investigated in 2009, according to the Times story. And they had to do it with 2,000 fewer officers than today’s force. In South L.A. and the surrounding neighborhoods, LAPD detectives estimate that more than 100 women, almost all African American, were killed during that 10-year period. Some of the cases have been solved; others remain open. Detectives say many are tied to five serial killers operating in the area.
The story describes how police work and the LAPD are much different from 20 years ago. For one, today’s LAPD uses tools which weren’t available then, such as the Three-Strikes law, gang injunctions, DNA technology and new communications capabilities. All of that has been a factor in turning around what seemed like a hopeless situation at the time. This is not to suggest everything is rosy in policing L.A. Every day brings new challenges and threats. Today, we are having to work with fewer resources than in recent years due to the city budget crisis.
If you were a police officer in that era (1984-1993), stop and reflect on how much has changed since that most difficult decade -- to the benefit of our quality of work life, the Department and the City. If you are a relative newcomer to L.A. city policing, read the Gold-Blankstein article for an appreciation and better understanding of what law enforcement was like in those days and how far we’ve come.
Forty-four events planned in L.A. for Tuesday’s National Night Out
By LAPPL Board of Directors on 08/02/2010 @ 01:15 PM
The LAPPL is pleased to see the LAPD going all out to support the 27th Annual National Night Out on Tuesday, August 3. A variety of special community events, such as block parties, cookouts and peace marches, are among the 44 events planned across the city. Click here to download a listing of all the events from the LAPPL website, or here to see events in your area.
National Night Out is part of a year-long community building campaign designed to:
- Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness
- Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs
- Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships
- Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back
Last year's National Night Out campaign involved citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from over 15,000 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide. In all, over 36 million people participated in National Night Out 2009.
The LAPPL urges its members and friends to attend one or more events this year to show your support for this worthwhile and productive annual tradition.
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