LAPD's rank and file thank the community for it's support

Veronique de Turenne
Jul 18, 2008

LAPD says thanks with Randal Simmons Billboards

LAPD's rank and file thank the community for it's support

The billboard pretty much says it all, a blend of photos of slain SWAT Officer Randal Simmons backed by scenes from his funeral and topped with a thank you note from the LAPD. Simmons was 51 when a gunman shot him to death, and his funeral became one of the largest and most elaborate in LAPD history.

The first of 20 commemorative billboards went up today in Los Angeles on Florence Ave., just west of 5th Ave., and will stay in place for a month. The Los Angeles Police Protective League paid about $5,000 to print them and -- are you sitting down? -- Clear Channel is posting them for free.

Simmons Billboards

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The first of 20 billboards honoring slain Los Angeles police SWAT Officer Randy Simmons went up today near Inglewood.

The officer's family wanted to express its gratitude for the support it has received since Simmons was fatally shot Feb. 7 by a disturbed young man who had killed his father and two brothers in Winnetka.

Simmons became the first officer with the LAPD's Special Weapons And Tactics team to die in the line of duty. Former Chief Darryl Gates created the first such police unit in the country in 1967, then working as a Deputy Chief for former Chief Ed Davis.

``Our family wanted to find a visible way to express our sincere appreciation for the outpouring of love, support and prayers that we have received from everyone around the world. The cards, flowers and words of condolences are too numerous to count,'' said Simmons' wife, Lisa. The first billboard went up in Los Angeles on Florence Avenue just west of Fifth Avenue. The billboards will be in place for 30 days.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League paid $5,000 to print the billboards, and Clear Channel Outdoor donated the space for them, which usually would have cost $75,000.

Simmons spent 27 years with the LAPD. In addition to his wife, Simmons is survived by two children, his parents and two sisters.