LAPD Wife

LAPD, Financial Disclosure and Snowball Fights

Interesting article in the LA Times about the effect that the financial disclosure is having on special teams such as gang units, etc.

Los Angeles Times: LAPD Gang Units feel the pinch of financial disclosure rules

Also, here is LAPD author Jack Dunphy's take on the now infamous "gun at at a snowball fight" incident in his Christmas Day post:

Pajamas Media: Cops Shouldn't Bring Guns to a Snowball Fight

Jack Dunphy - "A Fitting End"

From LAPD officer and writer Jack Dunphy - his latest column on the manhunt and death of cop-killer Maurice Clemmons:

And now Maurice Clemmons is dead.

Good.

It’s good because the alternative almost certainly would have been at least one more dead police officer. Despite the most intensive manhunt ever seen in the Puget Sound area, Clemmons was not tracked down by detectives or cornered by a SWAT team. It is somehow fitting that he met his end in an encounter with a lone officer on routine patrol in the middle of the night, an officer who was engaged in activity almost as mundane as that which occupied the four officers who were killed Sunday morning in Lakewood, Washington.

Read the rest here: A Fitting End for a Cop Killer 

LAPD Wife Podcast

I had a fantastic time this weekend chatting with Ken from PoliceBackground.net and Gloria, an LAPD applicant, about my experiences and outlook as the wife of a seasoned LAPD officer. What's really fun is that our conversation is now available as a podcast you can listen to at your convenience.

Check it out at the link below. I hope you like it and just remember, this wasn't rehearsed or scripted, so if I sound goofy, be kind. I have to say that I really had fun talking about a subject I am passionate about and hope that I provided words of hope, motivation, inspiration or maybe just laughter for those who find themselves in similar situations.

PoliceBackground.net / LAPD Wife Podcast

 

Jack Dunphy on Chief Beck

Jack Dunphy has been writing over at the Pajamas Media blog - lately about newly installed LAPD Chief Beck. Here are his latest two articles - a perspective from a longtime officer I always find worth the read.

LAPD Chief selection

LA's new Top Cop

It's Official: New LAPD Chief Charlie Beck

The Los Angeles City Council officially - and unanimously - approved the appointment of Charlie Beck to the position of Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department today. Not a surprise, but one more step that ends the process of being chosen and marks the beginning of his leadership of this city's police department.

Chief Beck was accompanied by wife Cindy and other members of his extended family as he was sworn in by Mayor Villaraigosa. In an article for the LA Times, Beck was quoted as saying that his top goal was to extend the reforms begun by Bratton and move them down into the rank and file of the department. He said he would concentrate on continuing reforms Bratton introduced into the mind-set of the thousands of officers who are the heart of the organization.

"Now is the time to push down into the patrol cars," Beck said of the reforms, adding that this effort would be the "hallmark of my leadership." In interviews, Beck said he planned to give greater authority to the captains who run the department's dozens of field stations.

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck

Officer Jake called me this morning as I was dropping off the kids at school to let me know that Charlie Beck has been chosen as the next Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. The mood is good at work, as he was a favored choice of the rank-and-file. Law enforcment is a family affair for Beck, his father, his daughter and his son all have or had careers in law enforcement and he himself has served 32 years on the force.

Chief Beck is respected by many of the rank-and-file, has a tough stance on crime and believes strongly in building strong community relations between the department and the people it serves. He's got a big job ahead of him, but has alot of experience heading up big projects and leading within the department. The blog WitnessLA has a really good breakdown of the three candidates and more info about Beck: Choosing the Chief: THIS IS IT!  (interesting tidbits, too, like he's a champion motorcross racer - go figure!)

Like I said, I'm also curious about Mrs. Beck. Jake just hit 20 years and it's been a long road. How would you feel if your husband was 32 years on the job and THEN was appointed Chief of Police for the LAPD? I'm betting her story is a good one to hear. If anyone knows any info about contacting her, etc, please let me know, I'd really love to hear her perspective.

And the new LAPD Chief is...

Word is that the new chief will be announced tomorrow morn at 11 a.m. I'm kicking myself for not starting a virtual pool or something. I asked Officer Jake if there were any at work and he just gave me a mysterious smile and wagged his eyebrows at me. Very coy...

All three candidates have been top of mind in the media today. Every time I turned on the news I saw one of them either entering or leaving the mayor's residence as he interviewed them all again. I'm guessing this means that the running is very close and the decision a very hard one. I'm sure it is - this is a job that will immediately demand much of the person who fills it.

The new LAPD chief must be tough on crime and media-savvy. They have to perform miracles daily and cultivate the respect of the rank-and-file, all while keeping an eye on the big picture of continuing to improve on the record of the LAPD and finding ways to expand our force and keep it the top notch department that it is during these tough economic times.

Piece of cake, right?

Unlike when a new SCOTUS is chosen, the candidates' wives haven't received much - if any - media attention. Understandable, but as for me, I will be curious to know more about the woman behind the man who will be leading our 10,000 men and women in blue. Her job won't be easy either.

Countdown to the new LAPD Chief

The three candidates recommended by the Police Commission are Deputy Chief Charles Beck, First Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell and Deputy Chief Michel Moore. Mayor Villaraigosa announced them in a televised news conference late yesterday afternoon. Also, Deputy Chief Michael Downing was named interim chief to run things after Chief Bratton leaves. Downing currently runs the LAPD's counter-terrorism bureau.

I was gathered around one of my neighbor's kitchen islands, chatting about the neighborhood Halloween block party when I saw the mayor come on the muted TV with "breaking news." No way could I interrupt one of my friends who was venting about her sleepless nights with a 2-yr old and a 2-month old baby with colic, but I happily called Officer Jake to let him know they were making the candidate announcement. We had disagreed that the announcement would be made at that time - it's so nice when I'm right ; )

LAObserved: Police Chief Finalists Named

LA Times: Three insiders being considered... this article gives a little more in-depth about each candidate's background and the thinking behind each candidate. Wonder if we should start a pool here about who will be chosen?

For those who want to share their thoughts about the choices for chief, discussion is encouraged on the LAPPL's blog HERE.

Chief Bratton's departure

Good editorial cartoon by Steve Greenburg over on LAObserved. Check it out HERE.

New LAPD Headquarters

Working as a freelancer, there are up times and there are down times. And then there are the times when you don't know which way is up or down and you life is consumed with meeting deadlines and telling your husband and kids that if they want to eat, they should order in or eat a bowl of cereal. This is one of those times for me.

Part of the work I've been doing has taken me downtown, near the new LAPD police headquarters. An amazing building that I've been able to watch go up over the last year as one one of my clients is located close by. The grand opening of the new headquarters has been billed as the end of an era and coincides with Chief Bratton's last week as Chief of the LAPD.

As the clock ticks toward Chief Bratton's final day, there is still debate about who will be our next Chief. It's generally acknowledged that departments insiders , Assistant Chiefs Jim McDonnell, Earl Paysinger and Sharon Papa and Deputy Chief Charlie Beck, are the final four, with Beck widely thought to have the edge. I say wait and see. You never know what last-minute political maneuvering may bring to the table. We'll watch and we'll see.

Meanwhile, I was also witness a couple weeks ago to the installation of some new and very....let's say "interesting" .... sculptures being installed around the new headquarters building. The consensus of my coworkers and myself was that they looked like bulbous animals without heads. I do like better Chief Bratton's description of them as looking like "cow splat." I see stuff like this, shake my head and wonder how much better $500,000 could have been spent. Yes, I said $500,000.

Los Angeles Times: With new police headquarters, LAPD ends an era

Photos of the grand opening here

LAT: Sculptures at the LAPD and a comments blog about the art called "art or atrocious?" with more pictures. I recommend that you read a few of the comments, there are some pretty hilarious ones in there.

BTW, the party for Jake's 20th was amazing. I've taken pictures and will give a full report on it later.