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HOURS OF OPERATION:
Monday through Friday
10:00am to 4:00 pm
Third Saturday of the Month
9:00 am to 3:00 pm |
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Museum Admission Fees:
General (ages 13 to 61) $8.00
Seniors (62+) $7.00
Children (12 and younger) Free
Members Free |
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| *All children
must be accompanied by an adult. |
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| Free parking is available on the east and west side of the building. |
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| For Group Tour Information, Please Call (877) 714-LAPD |
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Bi-monthly Newsletter No. 28 March/April 2003 |
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We Band of Brothers,
A Paratrooper Turned Policeman
By: Glynn Martin
Executive Director |
Soon every state in this
great nation will have a color.
Some will be red, some blue,
this is what Presidential politics
brings to the country in an
election year. Long before the
states were sorted by color,
the Department suffered
through its own kind of partisan
politics. The LAPD was
divided into two parts, and not
of equal measure. Officers lost
their jobs, simply because of
their political affiliations.
Chief John Glass is credited
with being the first pioneering
Chief of the LAPD. He took
office in 1889 and served until
1900. During his tenure, the
Department experienced a
number of important changes,
and grew significantly. It was
during that same year, that
some unusual politics shaped
the force Glass would lead.
Early in the year, the force
grew to 100 officers, a sorely
needed expansion. The force was comprised of
members of both the Democratic and Republican
party, affiliations of which were noted in City
records. During the year, a Republican administration
was elected to govern the City of Angels,
and this action apparently gave birth to a concept
adopted by the police commission.
A passage from the 1889 commission minutes
reveals a motion to require the composition
of the LAPD to remain at least 75% Republican.
Uniforms were dark blue, but the commission
ensured the department was overwhelmingly
red. To achieve the appropriate
ratio, the commission
offered a list of 38 officers to
be dismissed. By motion
these 38 officers were
released from the employ of
the LAPD. A list of 34 officers
was proferred, each a
Republican replacement for a
terminated Democratic Officer.
These 34 were approved
and the Department went
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| forth as a largely Republican
enterprise. While looking at
the list of replacements, one
name stood out, H. W. Marden.
His photo, from that
same time period, rests in
our archives. We are proud to
share the portrait of this
stern faced officer. It’s from a
period when the Department
had political colors, but the
pictures did not. |
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What’s
Happening at Old Number 11
By: Glynn Martin
Executive Director |
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It is with a great sense of pride that we communicate
the many things that have been going on
here at LAPM. Of particular note is the production
of our very first challenge coin. We sought to tie
the rich history of the LAPD to the current LAPD,
and we think we managed to do just that. Nothing
is more representative of the current, or former,
LAPD than the distinctive badge. Accordingly, the
historical side of the coin reflects the first style
worn by LAPD officers from 1869 to 1890. The flip
side features the current badge. The coins are now
available for sale, and a convenient order form can
be found on the last page of the newsletter.
We offered the coins for sale at our April 2nd
private screening of LA Confidential. This sold-out
event, hosted by bestselling author James Ellroy
and retired Chief Daryl Gates, was a most enjoyable
evening. Besides a host of active and retired
officers, Chief William Bratton and District
Attorney Steve Cooley attended. We also had visits
from some other great supporters, and current
Chiefs, Bob Taylor, Dan Watson and Peggy York.
After the screening in the private Sherry Lansing
Theater on the Paramount Studios lot, both Ellroy
and Gates shared their respective versions of the
fifties with all in attendance. Once the remarks
concluded, both stayed to autograph copies of LA
Confidential. We also managed to capture the
evening in pictures on the following page. We owe
our thanks to both James and Chief Gates.
We have had some other brushes with VIPs early
this year. Our February 20th Chief’s Circle luncheon
brought out a number of loyal supporters. Russ
Colvin, a dedicated member or the LAPM Board
of Directors, hosted the luncheon at the California
Club. Chief Bratton and Councilman Tom Labonge
spoke about the great history of the City and its
police department. A couple of notable retirees,
Daryl Gates and Councilman Dennis Zine were in
the crowd, and enjoyed the day’s events. We were
also joined by Commissioner Alan Skobin and former
Commissioner Bert Boeckmann, both of whom
are deeply involved in supporting our efforts to
advance the museum. Quintin Villanueva, who
recently retired from the Board of Directors was
officially recognized by Chairman Greg Meyer for
his many years of LAPM service. The day was a
fitting means of honoring those who have pledged
a high level of financial support. We were honored
to see everyone at a truly marvelous setting.
With these two substantial get-togethers now
behind us, we have turned our attention to our
next big project, the Museums of the Arroyo day.
Sunday May 18th will be a |
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wonderful opportunity
to visit the Historical Society Museum. In collaboration
with the Southwest Museum, Heritage
Square, the Lummis Home, the Pasadena
Museum of History and the Gamble House, we
will be offering free admission, and some features
unique to this event. LAPM will have roving models
dressed in period uniforms to add some historical
flavor to the day. We will also set-up a booking
photo area where visitors can capture their own
"booking photo" inside the jail. Not every museum
can offer such a unique feature, we hope you can
come visit. Last year more than 1,000 people
stopped in, and this year’s event promises to be
even better. LAPM will serve as the transportation
hub again this year. This allows LAPM visitors to
park here and visit the other museums via free
shuttle buses. More information is available on the
web at www.museumsofthearroyo.com.
Besides all of these special events, we have
some projects in the works. In the following pages
is a description of a project related to the
Department’s photo archives. They have asked us
to pass along the word about their photo project,
so we invite you to read on about their efforts.
LAPM is also progressing with its own photo
collection. Thousands of images are currently out
for scanning. We may well be asking for help on
our own collection in the coming months, as we
continue with our own photo collection.
We also have a request from an LAPM member
relative to a project to honor California State Police
Officer David Jack. Sgt. Jake Bushey is seeking
support to have a new Federal Courthouse at First and Broadway named in honor of Officer Jack. He
is asking for letters of support to be sent to
Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard. Officer
Jack was murdered on this site in 1974, the dedication
of the new building in his honor seems to be
a fitting tribute.
Unfortunately all of us have suffered some of our
own losses recently. It is important to take some time
and acknowledge the tragic loss of long-time SWAT
Officer Randy Simmons. His murder impacted all of
us here in the broader law enforcement community.
The Historical Society extends our condolences to
the Simmons family.We also send our best wishes to
the Veenstra family.
From outside the LAPD family, another significant
loss was noted recently. The Honorary
Mayor of Hollywood, Johnny Grant, passed away.
His memorial service filled the Pantages Theater,
a fitting place to say goodbye to a true Hollywood
legend, and a great LAPD and LAPM supporter. |
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Preserving an Invaluable Photographic Legacy
By Kevin Maiberger
LAPD Public Information Office |
The Los Angeles Police
Department has embarked on
an ambitious plan to catalog
and preserve nearly one million
photographic negatives
accumulated during decades
of police service in the city of
Los Angeles. The images constitute
a visual record dating
primarily from the early 1920s
to the late 1960s.
"Our agency has a rich heritage
that parallels and reflects
the history of the city," remarked
Mary Grady, Public Information
Director for the LAPD, whose
Entertainment Trademark Unit
will coordinate the undertaking.
"The Department has played a
vital role in every era of the city’s past. So it is fitting
that these negatives should now offer a
unique visual resource, one derived entirely from a
law enforcement perspective. The photos are
expected to be a great help to anyone wanting to
learn more about Los Angeles and the LAPD. We
envision the portfolio becoming an important tool
for interested parties from many different backgrounds,
including historians, journalists, entertainment
professionals, students, private citizens,
and other law enforcement agencies.
"While LAPD archival photographs are and
have been available in recent years (see
www.FOTOTEKA.com), they represent just a fraction
of the full collection of film negatives.
In total, more than 960,000 photo negatives are
housed at several film vaults around the city. Until
now the images have remained largely forgotten
and unexplored.
Because of the project’s magnitude, the City has
opted to outsource the task of establishing a database
for digital scans of each negative. The work
will involve sorting, identifying, and electronically
scanning every image. The newly digitized files will
then populate a database capable of accommodating
queries based on any number of search criteria.
This spring the City will announce a formal
Request for Proposal (RFP) for companies wishing to be considered for the project.
Including the bid phase, the full
venture is expected to last several
years.
Most of the negatives have
minimal or no supporting documentation.
Therefore, the
Department will enlist the help of
scores of retired LAPD officers
in the hope that their collective
memory will aid in attributing
correct date, time, location and
content to |
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each photograph.
"Our retired officers are a
tremendous asset. We want to
tap into their memories and
employ their expertise as much
as possible," said Grady.
While all of the images will
be subject to existing copyright restrictions, with
ownership retained by the City, the photographs
will be licensed for use. "We want the pictures to
be utilized in ways that maximize their benefit to
the most number of people," Grady stated.
"Once things get started, no one knows what
treasures we may find. Many of the negatives
haven’t been seen for years. We’re actually not
sure what’s in there," Grady said. "Much interest
is expected based on the police-oriented content
of the images, but we also recognize a fascination
with historical photographs in general.
People outside the field of law enforcement are
also expected to take notice. Old photographs
capture subtle details and nuances of their time,
often in ways not intended by either subject or
photographer. Years or decades later, significance
is in the eye of the beholder."
The database will serve not only as testimony
to the LAPD’s past, but provide a means of capturing
the Department’s visual history for the years
ahead. "Every day, the business of policing adds
new negatives to the library," said Grady. "Our
obligation is to organize and safeguard these
images in ways that will make them accessible,
meaningful, and useful for generations to come.
The LAPD’s past is, in many ways, it’s future. We
must preserve it." |
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