The history of the LAPD shows that the department's major purpose has been to insulate the middle and upper classes from the "undesirable" population of poor, minorities, and homeless. Early Los Angeles was a dangerous, lawless place until the first police force was established in 1869. Throughout its history, the LAPD has been plagued by corruption and accusations of racism and police brutality, most notably against African Americans and Hispanic communities. Recent scandals have involved unjustified arrests, police gang affiliations, and officer misconduct. However, reforms have attempted to establish accountability and community policing.
Presentation by Daniel Sanches, Portuguese Court of Accounts, on The concept of performance audit and the experience of the Portuguese Court of Accounts, at the workshop organised by SIGMA for the Lebanese Court of Accounts on Introducing performance auditing in Supreme Audit Institutions, held in Beirut 28-29 June 2016.
History on the roots of Los Angeles' War on Youth, leading to the construction of a vicious school to jail track and the largest system of police departments, courts, juvenile halls, youth and adult prisons in the world. The policies and procedures created in LA have spread throughout the state of California, across the nation, and now to many jurisdictions throughout the world. And new trends in policing, law enforcement expansion and militarization, surveillance and incarceration pose new threats. You could say, "Free L.A., save the world."
History of incarceration in California, including the policies that led to this state's demonization of young people and use of extreme prison sentences. The presentation also covers how legislation is enacted in California - encouraging that all California's residents have the power to change existing laws and create new laws.
Presentation by Daniel Sanches, Portuguese Court of Accounts, on The concept of performance audit and the experience of the Portuguese Court of Accounts, at the workshop organised by SIGMA for the Lebanese Court of Accounts on Introducing performance auditing in Supreme Audit Institutions, held in Beirut 28-29 June 2016.
History on the roots of Los Angeles' War on Youth, leading to the construction of a vicious school to jail track and the largest system of police departments, courts, juvenile halls, youth and adult prisons in the world. The policies and procedures created in LA have spread throughout the state of California, across the nation, and now to many jurisdictions throughout the world. And new trends in policing, law enforcement expansion and militarization, surveillance and incarceration pose new threats. You could say, "Free L.A., save the world."
History of incarceration in California, including the policies that led to this state's demonization of young people and use of extreme prison sentences. The presentation also covers how legislation is enacted in California - encouraging that all California's residents have the power to change existing laws and create new laws.
2.
The history of the LAPD is one of both success and
scandal. It is a story that is as turbulent as the city of Los
Angeles itself. Let‟s start from the very beginning and
work our way through the history of the department. As
we proceed, I will argue that the major purpose of the
LAPD throughout history, was, and in many cases, still is,
to assist in insulating the middle and upper class from the
“undesirable” population (poor, minorities, homeless).
The LAPD do not necessarily want to eliminate the
“undesirables” (because as we will see, they do serve a
positive function) but to isolate and control them
(violently if necessary).
Introduction
4.
In the early 1850s, Los Angeles and the surrounding
area was a dangerous region known for its
gambling, vice, bandits, and numerous incidents of
violent crime.
“Hundreds of families of law-abiding farmers,
ranchers, and storekeepers settled here, but so did
gamblers, disillusioned miners from the Sierra
foothills, saloonkeepers, horse thieves, and
renegades. The Wild West indeed was never wilder”
(History of the LAPD).
The Wild West
5.
As described by Harvey Molotch, in his study
comparing the cities of Ventura and Santa Barbara,
the future of a city is greatly dictated by the types of
industry that exist early on.
In this case of Los Angeles, there was a very diverse
range of early industries (although saloons were
extremely popular). Going back to Peterson,
diversity of industry is a good indicator of economic
stability and success.
City Development
6.
The first attempt to establish law enforcement
personnel in Los Angeles came with the formation of
the Los Angeles Rangers in 1853. The Rangers were
a volunteer force that proved to be largely
ineffective.
The Los Angeles Rangers later became the first
uniformed Police force known as the “Los Angeles
City Guard.” Their efforts of upholding order were
also largely unsuccessful. A sporadic vigilante law
enforcement system prevailed during this period.
Early Efforts
8.
The fictional city of Mos Eisley in Star Wars compares to
early Los Angeles in a number of ways:
1. The lack of an effective police force: The storm troopers
2. Racism: The droids are not allowed into the Cantina
3. Culture of Violence: A man is killed and nobody thinks
anything of it.
4. Vigilante Justice: Obi-Wan takes the law into his own
hands when he murders the criminal.
5. Attracts criminals and con-men: The creepy guy in the
cantina is wanted and “has the death sentence in 12
different systems”
Allegorical Representation
Explained
9.
The first paid police force in Los Angeles (consisting
of 6 officers) along with a police headquarters was
established in 1869. The force was led by City
Marshal, William C. Warren. In 1875, the first
mounted patrol was created.
“Between 1876 and 1889, 15 Chiefs came and went,
unable or unwilling to cope with the growing pains
of a rowdy community” (History of the LAPD)
The First Force
10.
By 1900, the population of Los Angeles had
skyrocketed to over 100,000, an increase of 95,000 in
just 30 years.
“Heavy-handed machine politics had entered the
picture and would remain for years to come. The
Mayor‟s office assumed increasing control of the
Department and its policies. This accounts, at least in
part, for the appointment of 16 Chiefs between 1900
and 1923” (History of the LAPD)
Industrialization and Corruption
(1900-1940)
11.
“Now, fear, violence and the state are integral to the formation
and transformation of America‟s dark ghetto. Fear of
contamination and degradation via association with inferior
beings – African slaves – is at the root of the pervasive
prejudice and institutionalization of the rigid caste division
which, combined with urbanization, gave birth to the ghetto at
the turn of the century” (Wacqaunt, 112).
Segregation of housing in American cities began soon after the
first wave of African Americans migrated North in the early
1900s. These people who were considered “undesirable” by the
police and local government were isolated from the rest of the
population in areas that soon became ghettos.
The Rise of the Ghetto
12.
“Starting in 1920 and for the better part of the next 20
years, varying levels of corruption tainted local
government and the Department. This was the era of
prohibition and the Depression. Known as a wide-open
town, Los Angeles attracted the worst elements produced
by the times. Crooked politicians, racketeers, bootleggers,
and judges enjoyed immunity to arrest. The City was all
but totally in the hands of bosses who controlled elected
officials, dictating police appointments and promotions
while garnering huge sums from booze, gambling, and
vice” (History of the LAPD).
Industrialization and Corruption
(1900-1940) (Cont.)
13.
Mayor Frank L. Shaw
Mayor Frank L. Shaw
was largely responsible
for the massive amount
of corruption in the
1930s in conjunction
with Police Chief James
E. Davis.
14.
“City contracts were awarded without competitive bidding,
people in city government were paid to use designated
contractors, large industries were solicited for $5,000 down
payments and $500-a-month bribes to keep their enterprises
open. And the Police Department was reorganized to suit Shaw
with the return of his ally, former Police Chief James E. Davis”
(Rasmussen).
“Meanwhile, Shaw's brother and aide, Joe, was selling LAPD
jobs, the answer keys to the department's promotional exams
and hard-to-get Depression-era promotions, right out of his
City Hall office. At the same time, the Central Vice Squad
roamed the city, serving as the ultimate enforcer and collector
for organized vice operations and their politician patrons”
(Rasmussen).
Shaw and Corruption (cont.)
15.
“James E. Davis returned as Chief in 1933 and “deployed a „Red
Squad‟ to „investigate and control radical activities, strikes, and
riots.‟Its members had the blessing of government officials and
the business community. In referring to individuals deemed
subversive, one Police Commissioner voiced his views by
declaring: „The more the police beat them up and wreck their
headquarters, the better. Communists have no Constitutional
rights and I won't listen to anyone who defends them‟”
(History of the LAPD).
In the 1930s it was common to see striking laborers victimized
and beaten by the LAPD. This group (which often consisted of
poor workers) was another category of the “undesirable” class
who the police attempted to contain to the satisfaction of the
wealthier business owners and government employees.
Industrialization and Corruption
(1900-1940) (Cont.)
16.
Chief Parker
William H. Parker
became Chief of Police
in 1950 and served for
16 years.
He is credited with
cleaning up the
corruption that long-
existed within the
department.
17.
Parker was highly influential in changing the police
force from “a walking peace-force to a more
militarized mobile response force.” He did this by
emphasizing use of the police car rather than foot
patrol units.
Despite his many successes, Parker‟s Department
was also known for racial insensitivity towards
African Americans and Hispanics as well as
increased incidents of police brutality. This is
evident in the following video:
Chief Parker (Cont.)
19.
During Chief Parker‟s time as Chief of Police the African
American population in Los Angeles expanded
tremendously from there only being 75,000 Blacks in 1940
to 650,000 in 1965.
It is possible that the LAPD‟s shift from walking beats to
using patrol cars was a response to the African American
migration as an attempt to protect themselves from the
“undesirable invaders.”
Evidence shows, however, that use of patrol cars is more
successful at lowering crime rates than walking beats
(Wilson and Kelling, 1).
Minorities eventually became fed-up with mistreatment
by the police and the Watts riots erupted.
African American Migration
21.
Chief Davis
Edward M. Davis
became Chief of Police
in 1969. He served
until 1978.
Davis worked to foster
a sense of community
between city residents
and police officers
through “community
policing” policies such
as neighborhood watch.
22.
He also introduced a tactic known as the “Basic Car
Plan” “under which uniformed officers were
assigned to specific territories on a semi-permanent
basis. Each officer had precise instruction to regard
any criminal activity as a personal affront and to
defend a "piece of turf" as though it was his own”
(History of the LAPD).
Chief Davis (Cont.)
23.
Under Prop 13, the LAPD budget was sharply
reduced.
“By 1985, authorized sworn personnel had been
reduced to 6,900. During the same time period, New
York had 28,700 officers and Chicago had 12,399.
Doing more with less became mandatory at a time
when the City‟s population surpassed Chicago‟s to
become the nation‟s second largest, and when
Hispanics and Asians by the hundreds of thousands
were relocating to Los Angeles” (History of the
LAPD).
Proposition 13 (1978)
24.
“The dedifferentiation of the social structure is directly tied to the decline
of the formal economy and the collapse of the job market in the ghetto. In
the post-war decades, the segregated neighborhoods of the big cities
served as a convenient pool of cheap manual labor for a booming
industrial economy. The restructuring of American capitalism during the
period from 1965 to 1982 put an end to this role of reservoir of workforce,
bringing about a rapid withering away of the productive fabric”
(Wacquant103).
“To this collapse of the official economy corresponds the vertiginous
growth of the informal economy, and especially the drug trade. The
commerce in narcotics is, in many sectors of the ghetto, the only expanding
economic sector and the main employer of jobless youths – nay, the only
type of business that the latter know firsthand and for which they can
begin working as early as age six or eight” (Wacquant, 103).
Out of options and unemployed, many poor minority communities turned
to narcotics trafficking. This was influential in the development of gang
culture ushering in a new era of violence. Chief Daryl Gates enacted
“Operation Hammer” in an attempt to control gang violence and protect
the more affluent members of Los Angeles.
The Development of Drug and
Gang Culture
25.
Chief Gates
Daryl F. Gates became
Chief of Police in 1978
and served until 1992.
He is known for his
tough stance against
narcotics trafficking
and gang violence.
26.
Chief Gates implemented “Operation Hammer” in
1987 to combat drug and gang violence.
The operation resulted in an enormous number of
unwarranted arrests of African American and
Hispanic Youths in South and East Los Angeles.
Officers implemented massive gang and narcotics
sweeps and raids in areas deemed “gang ridden.”
In the period of 1984-1989 complaints of police
brutality by the LAPD increased by 33%.
War on Drugs and Gang
Violence
28.
The reflex of resorting to law enforcement agencies
quickly fades when, on the one hand, one is equally afraid
of police violence, itself endemic (as was recently revealed
during the trial following the brutal beating of black
motorist Rodney King by the Los Angeles police, caught
on videotape by an amateur cameraman), but also and
above all when state services, overextended and direly
short of means, are unable to respond to demand and
incapable of guaranteeing the victims minimal protection
against possible reprisals by the criminals” (Wacquant,
100).
Growing Distrust of Los
Angeles Law Enforcement
30.
The most recent events of police misconduct and
corruption occurred in what is known as the “Rampart
Scandal.”The Scandal focused on the Rampart Division of
the Anti-gang unit, C.R.A.S.H. (Community Resources
Against Street Hoodlums).
Rampart Officer Rafael Perez was first arrested in 1998 for
stealing six pounds of confiscated cocaine and selling it
on the street. After sentencing he engaged in a plea-deal
in which he revealed numerous other incidents of police
corruption in the Rampart Division.
Some of these incidents included officers affiliated with
gangs, bad shootings, officers drinking on the job, and
much more.
Rampart Scandal (1998)
31.
Chief Bratton
William J. Bratton was
appointed Police Chief
in 2002 and served until
2009.
He is credited with
reducing the rate of
serious crime in Los
Angeles and creating a
counter-terrorism
bureau in the LAPD.
33.
The LAPD continues to work to assist in the isolation of
the “undesirable” class. One can argue that this is done
for the economic benefit of the city of Los Angeles.
According to Peterson, the success of a city stems from its
ability to generate capital (Peterson, 17). Cities strive to
create an environment where the flow capital encouraged;
for example, a place where corporations want to invest,
and where highly educated people wish to live and work.
The LAPD assists in creating in creating this ideal
environment by enforcing policies that remove the poor
from certain parts of the city thereby limiting them to
others. An example of this can be seen on the next slide.
The Unwanted Poor in Los
Angeles
34.
“Los Angeles, as a matter of fact, has fewer available
public lavatories than any major North American
city. On the advice of the LAPD (who actually sit on
the design board of at least one major Downtown
redevelopment project), the community
redevelopment agency bulldozed the remaining
public toilet in skid row” (Davis, Chapter 4).
This is an example of a tactic to get the homeless
population to leave a certain part of town. If they do
not leave, the LAPD can arrest them for public
urination instead.
The Unwanted Poor in Los
Angeles (Cont).
35.
If poor are disabled or just experiencing bad luck, it gives the rest of the
population emotional satisfaction in various ways (Ganz, 280).
“The poor can be identified and punished as alleged or real deviants in
order to uphold the legitimacy of dominant norms. The defenders of the
desirability of hard work, thrift, honesty, and monogamy need people who
can be accused of being lazy, spendthrift, dishonest, and promiscuous to
justify these norms” (Ganz, 280).
“Agencies like the Bureau of Prisons and County Jail, together with
innumerable private security companies have become major community
employers in the wake of plant closures and deindustrialization in East Los
Angeles during the 1970s and early 1980s” (Davis, Chapter 4).
One cannot help but wonder (from the evidence above) if our current
political system system subconsciously promotes the prolonged existence
of an “undesirable class.”
“Positive” Functions of the
Undesirables
36.
In conclusion, it was the migration of African Americans
from the south in the 1940s – 1960s that changed the
objectives and the purpose of the LAPD. The initial objective
of the department was to punish poor laborers fighting
against big business. After the migration of African
Americans, the LAPD set their sights on neutralizing a new
threat: minority communities. The Los Angeles Police
Department continues to fight the growing gang and drug
violence stemming from what Wacquant believes is a lack of
employment opportunities and the withdrawal of the state.
Conclusion
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BuyoutFootage. “HD Stock Footage Watts Riots Los Angeles 1965.” Online Video
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Daniel M. Kobayashi. “Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) - Obi Wan - Mos
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Davis, Mike. City of quartz: excavating the future in Los Angeles. London: Verso, 1990.
Gans, Herbert J.. "The Positive Functions Of Poverty." American Journal of Sociology
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"History of the LAPD.” official website of THE LOS ANGELES POLICE
DEPARTMENT. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 July 2013.
<http://www.lapdonline.org/history_of_the_lapd>.
Jasmyne Cannick. “Is This Really Who the LAPD Wants to Name Its New Building
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Johnny Faragher. “Rodney King Tape on National News.” Online Video Clip.
Youtube. Youtube, 15 Nov, 2010. Web. 30 Jul, 2013.
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