LA Weekly blasts School Police....

[LAschoolCop]

Wow what a load of crap.....I dont know where this guys gets this un true information...Gotta read it!

http://www.laweekly.com/2009-09-03/news/lausd-39-s-finest/

[SHU]

Standard liberal rag like the village voice on the east coast. Only good for poddy training puppys.

[towncop]

So the stuff that the article said about Officer "King" wasn't true? None of that happened?

[LAschoolCop]

So the stuff that the article said about Officer "King" wasn't true? None of that happened?

Some of the stuff about him is true. I dont know how the two incidents actually went but the one he was arrested and convicted for ws told to me a little different.

[FJDave]

So if one incident is just "a little different" how far off the mark is the article? I have no experience with your agency, so I really can't say anything one way or the other.

[LAschoolCop]

So if one incident is just "a little different" how far off the mark is the article? I have no experience with your agency, so I really can't say anything one way or the other.

The officer did what he did and got punished for it. But the rest of the article talking about our SWAT team and other stuff is completly un true. Every dept has its bad seeds and we had one and he is gone. The article makes us look like we are a bunch of rogue cops with no supervision and that couldnt be further from the truth.

[Blizzination]

Geeze. Do they do anything right?

[richjorg]

I went on a ride-along with the LA School Police last year. I found the department to be well-run and impressive. When I arrived I was greeted by a very courteous officer who showed me around the department. The officer with whom I did my ride-along was just as friendly, helpful and accommodating. During every part of my experience with LA School Police (i.e., arrival, roll call, my interactions with the officers and staff) I found the organization to be professional.

Ditto! I did a ride-along about 5 years ago and had the same impressions.

[SPD358]

Wow, after reading that article I have to say- WOW. They seem to really have it out for you guys. I look at some of the things you guys have and think I'd be proud to say our YSU had its own SWAT.

The problem with these rags are that they are trying to break "the big story." This was their attempt and they tried making the story as good as possible but have obviously overstepped their bounds.

I'm an SRO here in Oregon (its a little different up here, we are Patrol Officers that are assigned to the school for four years). If I head that way anytime soon, I'm gonna have to do a ride along with you guys.

[WPD954]

The article is a joke....even the LA Times wouldnt stoop that low (close though)

[FJDave]

True dat. I read the article this morning when I had a chance....wow, that is one shoddy piece of self-serving crap. There is so much wrong with it that it is overall a POS.

[Kieth M.]

Okay, here's what I read...and I know many of these guys...

Al Kerstien was a slick-talker, who brought in Steve LaRoche, tried to re-create a miniture LAPD, complete with motors, SWAT & K-9. Guilty!

Larry Mannion was perhaps underqualified and/or overwhelmed and failed to raise the standard and practices of his organization - Yeah, sounds about right!

Dep. Chief Tim Anderson has no detective training and put in charge of internal investigations - You saying he is qualified? I'll have to take your word.

Dep. Chief Nancy Ramirez sat on IA cases so long that they went out of statute - Sounds like it happened. Did they get that wrong? She got everything in on time?

Nowhere, other than talking specifically about Officer King, does it say that L.A. School Police Officers, are buffoons. Looks to me like the L.A. Weekly fronted the dead wood by name.

I think what you're experiencing is exactly what I went through many times at LAPD. I worked with the Hollywood Burglars (Myers & Venegas). People thought we were all dirty for 459. I worked Rampart after Perez & Durden. People thought we were all dope-stealing, gangsta' framers/shooters.

So, here's what you do.....

You shine your boots and gear, or you take it to the carwash at Olympic & Fig and get it shined for you. You make sure the cleaners keep the press sharp in your uniforms. You polish your badge and square away your s-it. You take your shop through the carwash, every shift and you clean up after yourself.

You spend a little more time on the range and you get one of those nice, shiny silver or (better yet) gold marksmanship medals (do you guys still get LAPD marksmanship medals?).

You complete quality investigations. You write tickets that don't get kicked back. You explain your actions and you use the words, "Sir" and "Ma'am" alot. You remember what you might have said in your oral, about providing quality service and protection to the people who depend upon you. And you do it every day you possibly can.

And you make a personal commitment to your brothers and sisters in your agency to work to turn public opinion in your favor. You tell the people you work with that you appreciate them when they do something right, and you let a sergeant know when they do the right thing, make a great arrest, or save a life. You insist that the sergeant write them up for their quality service or brave deeds...

...and, finally, if I can't get you to tell a supervisor when they do something evil or stupid, you avoid them like the plague that they are....because they'll drag you right down with them.

You might think of heading up to 6th & Valencia, one of these days. Chances are, you'll be able to meet a Rampart Officer who worked there before, during, and after the Perez/Durden-CRASH scandal. Have a cup with him or her, listen to their story of what it was like, what happened, and what it's like today. Perhaps you'll hear this underlying theme...tough times never last, but tough people do.

[QRF]

Is this the same Ian King who once worked as an intern for LAPD while desperately trying to get hired, but in the end was DQ'd by LAPD? The same Ian King whose father was a well known Los Angeles area attorney? That same Ian King?

[Garbage Man]

One problem is you have your own reps being quoted as basically agreeing with the premise of the article.

As for bashing the whole agency because of one rogue cop, we had our share and fired them promptly.

To me it just sounds like all you guys need is a good Chief who understands how to organize and manage. But since the hiring body of the board of Sups for the district, they would not know a good Chief from Goofy. In the end the Achilles heal of all specialized agencies is that they are run by civs who just don't get it. The difference between a board of sup and a normal city council is a city council comes from a variety of backgrounds, many are former cops, while the board of sup for a school district are all going to be educators.

[Bully]

Ok, I can chime in on this subject. Most of you know I used to work there for many years, so here it goes.

Alan Kerstein was the best thing to happen to that dept. For years, guys were disgusted with the blue and white paint scheme on the units. He changed it. Guys didn't like the black and gold patches. He changed them. Guys were complaining that Wesley Mitchell wouldn't let us be cops. ABK changed that. Guys were complaining about vindictive supervisors. ABK put the sgts in check and stopped all those old witch hunts.

Traffic is the biggest complaint around schools. He formed a motor unit. We constantly did bldg searches for 459's and needed K9's. He got them. He did not start a SWAT team. The team was originally called SRT. It was formed by Wesley Mitchell in order for him to show he had special teams and could try to be chief somewhere else. ABK just changed the name to SWAT.

Cortines did not squash the SWAT team. That was Steve LaRoche. He was an old Metro Lt and a prior SWAT sniper. One of his SWAT buddies complained about us having a SWAT team. D Platoon wants to be the only SWAT team in the city. LaRoche squashed the team to make his friend happy.

I'm not a big fan of D.C. Tim Anderson however, you don't need detective school under your belt to be a D.C. that has IA under you. Look at LAPD, they hired Willie Williams as chief and he wasn't even a cop.

They quoted Sgt Quezada. I don't trust him as far as I can throw him. He was the union president turned company man. And he's as dumb as a box of rocks.

The union has lost its direction. They went from being cops protecting cops, to politicians.

There is a lot of empire building there.

Now about Ian King. I'm not a huge fan of that egotistic adam henry either. There's a lot more to the story than the public knows. There was a lot of stuff that the judge wouldn't let in court. He was set up for failure in that trial. He's trying to get either a new trial or a reduced sentence. Think about it, a cop recently got 5 yrs for forcing oral cop at gun point. King got 20 yrs for stink finger. There wasn't even any DNA transfer. The so called witness lied on the stand and the judge allowed it. She claimed she doesn't remember ever being arrested. She was on parole.

Basically, the LASPD has a lot of potential. They just need the right leadership.

Anyway, this is long enough.