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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. 34 March/April 2009 |
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“Renegade” visits the City of Angels
By Glynn Martin
Executive Director |
Long before Presidents had code
names, August Vollmer let people know, “I
would rather be a policeman than the
President.” Words oft considered, and
words found to be true for many,
particularly those who have served the
LAPD and elsewhere in law enforcement.
Regardless of position, whether elected to
run the country, or appointed to serve the
citizenry as a police officer, the two worlds
occasionally overlap. Anyone who was
driving on or near the freeways during
President Obama’s (code name Renegade)
recent visit knows this.
Besides the less public roles the
Department played during last month’s visit,
freeway overpasses were posted with motor
officers. Their presence, both dignified and
obvious, represented part of a significant
operations plan which included a heavy
deployment of officers. The many members of the
Department serving that day can pride themselves
on being part of a Presidential protection detail, and
they can be proud that they, too, are part of a rich
history of visits from the country’s CEOs.
About three years ago, the Historical Society
completed a project with the students of the Wilson
High School police academy magnet program.
Their work, a photo array of police officers and
Presidents, remains on display at the museum.
With the recent visit of the nation’s current
Commander-in-Chief, interest in the subject has
risen greatly. Accordingly, the Historical Society
dug deeper into the archives and discovered some
material worth sharing.
Without a doubt, the Department committed a
considerable amount of resources to the visit. Some of the Historical
Society records indicate
that other visits required
more personnel and more
elaborate planning. We
know from newspaper
accounts that the entire
Department was detailed
to the first Presidential
visit. William McKinley’s
visit here in 1901 marked
the first time a President
set foot in Los Angeles.
The Department numbered
scarcely more than 100 at
the time, and all of them worked. The police officers
of the time are depicted in their stovepipe hats. The
bosses are wearing the flat ones.
When President Woodrow Wilson made his
1919 visit, an officer walking with the President was
captured in his summer woolens. The deployment for that visit was outlined in the September 18, 1919
Daily Bulletin. A sizable portion of the Department
was on duty, and their postings were called out in
the Bulletin. Chief Home and his mounted officers
led the parade. President Wilson fell ill shortly after
his visit and was rarely seen publicly anymore.
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The huge police contingent assigned to the
visit of Wilson was surpassed nearly a half-century
later when another President came to town. The
1967 visit of Lyndon Baines Johnson was
significant for a number of reasons. This was an
early deployment of the volunteer SWAT detail.
These pioneers were deployed at LAX and in the
Century City complex. Their presence is one of
importance, not just in terms of securing the
President, but in the evolution of SWAT. SWAT was
joined by more than 1200 other police officers
during the LBJ visit. The SWAT presence is noted in
the org chart element entitled “Hunter Leader.” We
have highlighted the component for easy reference. As a result of the mass deployment the 14,000
protestors were held at bay and the Department’s
Presidential protection obligations were clearly
fulfilled.
The operations plan for this visit was dubbed
“Operation Century 67.” The Historical Society’s
collection includes this plan. The two-hundred
pages of this document cover the many moving
parts necessary to ensure the safety of “Volunteer.”
The preparation of the document was a great
undertaking, and far more detailed than its 1919
counterpart, which numbered a total of three pages.
Regardless of size, these documents are key
pieces of the Historical Society’s holdings. Each
allows us to assist in a small way when the
President comes to town, and the Department
commences to calling. Now that we have shared
this material with the Department, we thought the
stories of protecting Presidents of the past should
be shared with our members. |
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What’s
Happening
at Old Number 11
By: Glynn Martin
Executive Director |
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It’s nearly that time of year when
we pause to reflect on those who
have served and fallen. This
year’s memorial ceremony is
scheduled for May 4 at the
Elysian Park academy. For some
time now, the Historical Society
has been preparing for the annual
ceremony. This year, our
involvement has a greater and
expanded role. Indeed, the
thoughts of our honored dead
have found a permanent home,
not just in our hearts and minds,
but at the Historical Society
museum
Recently, installation of
memorial bricks, honoring each of
the 202 line of duty deaths was completed at the
museum. Offset from the remainder of our evergrowing
brick wall, is the grouping of the new
bricks. The top row contains the wording from the
original police memorial monument, “In honor of
the Officers of the LAPD Who Have Given Their
Lives in the Line of Duty.” Just beneath these three
title bricks, the earliest line of duty death is listed.
Clyde May, killed in 1907 was the first of these
recorded deaths. The bricks continue in
chronological order, concluding with the two
officers most recently killed, Randy Simmons and
Spree Desha.
Visitors to the museum now have a
designated area to pause and reflect on the lives of
their fallen friends or family members.
Visitors are just what we expect in the very
near future, in fact we are looking forward to
hundreds of them on May 17th. The annual
Museums of the Arroyo day is scheduled for that
particular Sunday. This marks the third year of our
involvement in this great collaboration. Each year,
this has been our busiest day, and we are gearing
up for scores of visitors this time around. The
Historical Society partners with five other area
museums and offers free admission for this event.
There are also complimentary shuttles connecting
LAPM with the Heritage Square museum, the Lummis Home, the Autry National Center’s
Museum of the Southwest, the Gamble House and
the Pasadena Museum of History. It’s a great day to
visit, and it’s also worth visiting the website,
www.museumsofthearroyo.com
Before the Historical Society plunges headlong
into this endeavor, we have another great project on
tap. This year’s Chief’s Circle event, a dinner party
to honor our most generous donors, will be held the
evening of May 9th. Retired Chief Daryl Gates will
address the crowd and share some great |
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memories
from his 60 years of association with the LAPD. Dr.
and Mrs. Paul Toffel will host the event at their
beautiful home in the foothills. There is still time to
make a qualifying contribution. We are always
looking for new partners to join us in the Chief’s
Circle.
As preparations for both of these great days
have been progressing, we have also received
some great donations. Angie Souza, widow of D-III
Glenn Souza, recently donated Glenn’s significant
book collection. The Historical Society now has a
great new resource from the literary arena. This
contribution includes books written about the
LAPD, or written by LAPD officers. Bob Souza,
himself an active Department retiree, transported the collection to the museum. To both Angie and
Bob, we gratefully acknowledge and thank them for
their thoughtfulness.
Another, freshly retired
detective, Lou Koven stopped
by as his career wound down.
Lou donated a vintage, framed
baton, which is a great addition
to the museum collection. The
baton was accompanied by
some old training bulletins
related to his specialty, auto
theft. We thank Lou for his
donation and wish him well in
retirement. Both of these
donations are representative of
what has helped us grow and
develop. Over time, many
retirees have shared with us
unique documents and artifacts.
These materials help us
with many of our undertakings.
In the event any of our readers are interested in contributing material to the
Historical Society, please phone us at (323) 344-
9445. |
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