Much of the Historical Society’s collection is used to highlight one of the world’s most recognized and respected law enforcement agencies, the LAPD. The photo archive dates to the late 1800s and houses a unique variety of images of cops on horseback, cops in cars, cops in choppers, cops with cops, and cops in the community. Much progress has been made in organizing and preserving a good portion of our holdings. Some of the material, however, needs professional help. To assist with this, we have prepared and applied for a federal grant that will assist us with preserving nearly onehundred tightly wrapped photos. If we are successful in winning this grant, look for history to start unrolling in the summer of ’09.

While awaiting the results of this grant process, we have been busy with some other projects. On October 4, we accepted the invitation of Council member Tom LaBonge for his annual 10-4 day parade. We joined a number of other owners of restored, or replica police cars and made a code-3 pilgrimage to Broderick Crawford’s star on the Hollywood walk of fame. A brief ceremony was conducted at the star, then everyone retired to the LAFD museum for a slice of cake that featured likenesses of Crawford and his vintage CHP cruiser. Councilman Labonge expressed his thanks to all of the public safety folks in and around the City. The Councilman has long been one of LAPM’ most respected partners, and we thank him for looking out for the public safety family.

Another member of the extended LAPD family, the Los Angeles Police Federal Credit Union, recently paid us a visit. We might not have a star on the walk of fame, but we have our very own star of stage and screen, Old Number 11. The credit union stopped in for a training session on October 13th. Besides conducting some of their own business, the entire staff of the credit union toured the museum and experienced first-hand the recent progress we have logged. This was another great collaboration between LAPM and one of its long-time supporters.

Later in the month, we will be planning a visit to see some of our partners in the archives community. Archives Live! the Los Angeles Archives Bazaar, will occur on October 25th at the University of Southern California. This event outgrew its former digs at the Huntington Library. For those interested in historical research, this is a great place to come and learn about the resources available in the area. World class museums like the Autry and the Getty are represented, along with some of the lesser known operations that also have photo and research archives. Check the LA as Subject website for more details.

In the not too distant future, we will be unveiling the Boeckmann Gallery of Los Angeles Police Commissions. Presently, the formal opening is scheduled for December 2. This invitation-only event will allow us to publicly unveil the history of the Police Commission. The gallery is a multi-media exhibit of the many and varied roles played by the Commission since its 1870 inception. So many of the major events of the past have involved the Commission, and a number of the most important occurrences are displayed in a timeline. Also on display are the details of the Commission’s involvement in the Medal of Valor, the Department Manual, and the selection of firearms for police officers. Some of our most unique artifacts are displayed in this gallery and we look forward to opening the exhibit to the general public.