Police Safety

http://Indent%20OffRe%20"Unstable%20future%2C"%20Jan.%2026Re "LAPD's priorities," Letters, Jan. 25 This letter writer shows ignorance of the role of the police when he implies that getting injured is part of the job description. I've been a police officer for more than 35 years. Though it is understood that there is inherent danger in the job, nowhere is it required that an officer is subject to unreasonable risk. For the public to believe that officers are expected to get injured is naive and plain ignorant.

Calling it an act of domestic terrorism, Hemet police are on high alert after a booby trap targeting members of a gang task force went off, narrowly missing an officer as he left his car to open a gate. The is the second time in recent months that members of the Hemet-San Jacinto Gang Task Force have been targeted in a potentially fatal incident. In Tuesday's attack, an officer was stepping out of his car to open a security gate at the task force's Hemet headquarters when there was a loud crack and a bullet flew just a few feet from him, landing 100 yards away in a driveway.

At a loss to explain why so many of his officers die in the line of duty, San Diego Police Chief William B. Kolender has ordered a wide-ranging internal task force study into police safety. Kolender decided to initiate the safety study after a shooting in Encanto last Sunday left Officer Thomas E. Riggs, 27, dead and Officer Donovan Jacobs, 28, seriously wounded.

This month, patrol officers in the Pasadena Police Department tried something new: They went door to door, introducing themselves, handing out business cards and saying hello. Some residents greeted them with mouths hanging open, interim Chief Christopher Vicino said. Others wanted to know what the trouble was that brought the police to their door. The 10-hour "community day," in which officers sought to build relationships with the residents in neighborhoods they patrol across the city, was one of the new measures sparked in part by a watchdog report that reviewed a fatal police shooting of a man during a traffic stop one year ago. Going door-to-door was an idea proposed by the officers' union, Vicino said.

This month, patrol officers in the Pasadena Police Department tried something new: They went door to door, introducing themselves, handing out business cards and saying hello. Some residents greeted them with mouths hanging open, interim Chief Christopher Vicino said. Others wanted to know what the trouble was that brought the police to their door. The 10-hour "community day," in which officers sought to build relationships with the residents in neighborhoods they patrol across the city, was one of the new measures sparked in part by a watchdog report that reviewed a fatal police shooting of a man during a traffic stop one year ago. Going door-to-door was an idea proposed by the officers' union, Vicino said.

Three Los Angeles police officers speeding to assist detectives in an arrest on Skid Row were killed early Monday when their two cruisers collided, sending one careening into a metal light pole and the other into a deep trench at a construction site. Authorities called it the worst accident in Los Angeles Police Department history. Never before have three members of the force been killed at one time. "It's a terrible loss," said Police Chief Daryl F. Gates.

Norman Wiley made his big mistake lunging not once but twice at police with a butcher knife. When he charged a third time, one of the Burbank officers opened fire with a 12-gauge shotgun, the blast hitting Wiley squarely in the chest and hurling him to the ground. Lucky for Wiley, his lapse in judgment last month didn't cost him his life.

A judge on Friday placed the financially troubled city of East St. Louis on one year of probation for potentially endangering its police officers by not repairing their squad car radios. The city was convicted on Jan. 4 of reckless conduct. That was the city's second reckless conduct conviction in three months and only the third such conviction known against a city in Illinois in more than 75 years, St. Clair County State's Atty. John Baricevic said.

A preliminary investigation has concluded there was little that could have been done to prevent last week's fatal shootings of two federal drug agents and the wounding of a third during an undercover operation in the San Gabriel Valley, a top Drug Enforcement Administration official said Monday.

The San Diego Police Department has adopted one-third of nearly 100 recommendations submitted by an internal task force studying police safety, but the suggestion for mandatory armored vests is still being debated, a police official said Friday. Task force manager Cmdr. Mike Rice said the proposal to require bulletproof vests has stirred controversy among the department's 1,400 officers.

The union representing rank and file Los Angeles police officers filed a labor grievance Friday demanding that officers be required to wear safety equipment while trying to control crowds in street marches and other gatherings. The grievance, filed with the city, stems from a recent protest in Westwood by people protesting against Israel's invasion of the Gaza strip. The Police Protective League says that LAPD commanders ordered officers not to don helmets and face shields out of concern that the gear would incite the crowd.

http://Indent%20OffRe%20"Unstable%20future%2C"%20Jan.%2026Re "LAPD's priorities," Letters, Jan. 25 This letter writer shows ignorance of the role of the police when he implies that getting injured is part of the job description. I've been a police officer for more than 35 years. Though it is understood that there is inherent danger in the job, nowhere is it required that an officer is subject to unreasonable risk. For the public to believe that officers are expected to get injured is naive and plain ignorant.

The Pasadena Police Department on Thursday issued a safety advisory for Saturday at the sold-out Rose Bowl, where UCLA will host USC in football. In a news release, police announced they would be taking a "zero tolerance policy to drunk and disorderly conduct both inside the stadium and on the grounds surrounding the Rose Bowl." That includes areas used for tailgate parties.

LAPD Officer Kristina Ripatti was wearing a standard issue bulletproof vest when a suspect shot her Saturday, but a bullet managed to slip through a vulnerable section of the body armor, authorities said Monday. The bullet, fired by a fleeing robbery suspect, struck the 10-year veteran in the left armpit, just above the top of her vest. The unprotected area, which is problematic to cover, is common to body armor, police officials say. "The question is, 'Can we cover that area?'

Ron Kessler walked along the suburban highway, clutching a bunch of wildflowers in one hand and a claw hammer in the other. As he went down an exit ramp, a car pulled up alongside. The young driver wondered if he needed a ride. "Get away from me!" Kessler barked, waving the hammer. Soon afterward, alerted to this encounter, two police officers in patrol cars appeared.

President Clinton, speaking at a Capitol Hill ceremony for fallen police officers, said the federal government will buy 90,000 bulletproof vests for law enforcement officials this year, and he urged Congress to fund twice that number in the future. The president also used the annual memorial service to renew his call for tougher gun-control measures.

Taking a cue from last year's North Hollywood bank shootout, the Clinton administration will urge federal and state laws that impose heavier prison terms on people who wear bulletproof vests while committing violent crimes. White House officials said that Vice President Al Gore today will announce the administration's support for such laws when he presides at a Capitol Hill memorial service for police officers slain while on duty.

A shootout between an Anaheim police officer and an illegal immigrant who had been deported twice has prompted the police officers' union to ask for an immigration officer to be stationed at the Anaheim City Jail. "We're seeing a rise in problems with illegal aliens, especially in narcotics," said Officer Harald Martin, the association's treasurer. "The shooting of our officer has prompted us to say enough is enough."

Sgt. Ron Acuna and Deputy Brad Riches left the Orange County sheriff's station in Lake Forest about the same time early Saturday, Acuna to pick up a cup of coffee and Riches to patrol the quiet city streets. Both men's paths took them to the 7-Eleven at Muirlands Boulevard and Ridge Route Drive, a spot frequented by deputies because of its convenient location and their concern for the well-being of the overnight clerks.

Sgt. Ron Acuna and Deputy Brad Riches left the Orange County sheriff's substation about the same time early Saturday morning, Acuna to pick up a cup of coffee and Riches to patrol the quiet streets of Lake Forest. Both men's paths took them to the 7-Eleven at Muirlands Boulevard and Ridge Route Drive, a popular spot for deputies drawn by the convenient location for coffee and concern over the well-being of the overnight clerks.