True Crime Blog
The late eighties and early nineties saw the height of the crack cocaine epidemic. South Los Angeles, the epicenter of it all, experienced a colossal rise in violent crime. Gang members controlled the street level sales, and they were willing to kill for their piece of the pie.
The night before I wrote this blog, my editor sent a text telling me she was watching the movie Colors. When I told her it was filmed (in large part) where I had worked patrol, during the time I was there, she said she couldn’t imagine what it was like to work there. Then she…
In the last few months of my patrol career, the intrusion of Mobile Digital Terminals (MDTs) began eroding the sanctity of the radio car and, in my opinion, the relationships of the partners therein. Many cops were immediately enthralled by the electronic “toy” they were provided, and they enjoyed the many tools it offered: running…
In the fall of 1991, I promoted to station detectives at Firestone Station. At first, I had difficulty embracing the new job. However, like any new job, there was a lot to learn about the basics of being a detective. Not just interviewing witnesses and solving crimes, but all of the processes such as writing…
No self-respecting gangster was going to have plates that read “Regal Beagle.”
From Part I: Duval announced, “He’s down. He’s down.” Mac responded. “I’m hit!” At that time, the thought occurred to him to remain still since he had been hit near his spine. He didn’t want to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. If you missed part i: Part I of The Elm…
From Part I: Duval announced, “He’s down. He’s down.” Mac responded. “I’m hit!” At that time, the thought occurred to him to remain still since he had been hit near his spine; he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. If you missed part I: Part I of The Elm Street…
Los Angeles, 1988 Gang violence propelled murder rates off the charts as crack cocaine fueled turf wars and funded caches of military-style weaponry. Shootings were rampant. Law enforcement battled to contain the fires while rap music, pop culture, and movies like Colors further fanned them. On a cool night in April, a gang cop came…
The eighties were the height of the crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles and throughout the country. With it came skyrocketing violent crime rates and unmatched death tolls.
Two LAPD cars drove into our jurisdiction, slowly following a van. Their lights were flashing but the driver of the van seemed oblivious to them. It was the during the late hours of our shift on a slow night in the Florence, Firestone, and Walnut Park Districts of Los Angeles County, districts patrolled by deputies…