Danny R. Smith's Blog, page 11
October 31, 2018
A Shooting on Elm Street
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 face to face with an Eastside Bishop Blood, the two of them leveling the business ends of their guns at one another. Gunfire erupted, and the two men went down in...
October 17, 2018
Crack, Gangs, Violence
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.
Clovis and Colden are two streets that intersect in the city of Los Angeles, just a couple of blocks outside the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Firestone Station (Century Station since 1994).
A Cherry Patch[image error]One evening in 1988, my partner and I were cruising Central Avenue, our western bor...
October 3, 2018
The Unsolved Murder of Suzanna Mages
[image error]A hot ball of glowing gasses steadily climbed in the eastern sky, threatening to drive temperatures into the triple digits in defiance of the onset of fall. It was the 25th day of September and the start of a typical Sunday in the small town of Denton: Texans moseyed into diners for breakfast and into churches for redemption, while Roger Staubach and Rookie of the Year Tony Dorsett prepared to host the New York Giants.
Later that afternoon, Tom Landry walked his team out onto the s...
September 20, 2018
Leota Street Shooting
[image error]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 assigned to Firestone Station.
Handling a Burglary Alarm Call[image error]My trainee and I, working Unit 15A (“Fifteen-Adam”), had just handled a burglary alarm call on Central Avenue north of...
August 30, 2018
Compton Pursuit
It was a rare occasion when Floyd would drive. Somehow, it always seemed to be my turn, or so he would argue. Fine. But one afternoon we were traveling through Compton, en route back to Century Station, and Floyd was actually behind the wheel for a change.
Crime Impact Team – Century Station [image error]Dickie – Century Station Crime Impact TeamWe were detectives assigned to the crime impact team. Our vehicles consisted of unmarked sedans or undercover cars, and...
August 15, 2018
Paying Your Dues: An LASD Tradition
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Many law enforcement agencies are structured in a paramilitary fashion in the ways of rank, discipline, and even training. It begins in the academy where stress is introduced as a manner of testing one’s fortitude and ability to withstand the pressures of the job. If you can’t tolerate a drill instructor yelling at you, how will you deal with the savages on the street who hate cops, and in today’s society are outwardly aggressive toward them?
Paying my DuesI rece...
July 25, 2018
Heroism in the Homeland: Off-duty Cops take Action
[image error]Crimes are at times deterred due only to the watchful eyes of off-duty cops. A cop’s demeanor, command presence, can at times make a crook think twice.
But most departments don’t require off-duty officers to take action if a crime occurs in their presence. Generally, they are only encouraged to be good witnesses, rather than physically interceding in a situation. However, most cops are willing to risk their personal safety to stop crimes, especially violent crimes where innocent people would...
July 18, 2018
I Don’t “Heart” New York
New York, New York Maybe it’s the hustle and bustle, the stress and madness of the Big Apple that has made them all crazy.
A couple of months ago I took valuable time away from my writing, editing, and publishing to search for a literary agent. Why? Because my debut novel, A Good Bunch of Men, has gained popularity by word-of-mouth and through social media, especially throughout the law enforcement community. The accolades and feedback have motivated me to aim high in my...
July 11, 2018
Jupiter Street and The War on Drugs
[image error]“Jupiter Street,” as it was called by the denizens, Juniper for the rest of the world, is a street of infamy in South Los Angeles. The 9700 block sits north of the Jordan Downs housing projects, and both are home to the Grape Street Crips.
When I worked Firestone, it was considered a cherry patch for drug and gun arrests, and it probably still is. It is also in the City of Los Angeles, not the county. But only by a few inches, at least on the map.
“Hollywood”I was fortunate to be partners wi...
June 27, 2018
Guilty as Charged!
[image error]The (semi-) Honorable J. Spencer Letts, who closely resembled the judge in the hit comedy My Cousin Vinny, sat high upon his throne in all of his black robeness, and glared at the four cop defendants who stood before him. Yours truly was one of the four.
Violation of Civil RightsThe charges against us stemmed from the arrests of the two plaintiffs. It was a hot summer night in Firestone when my co-defendants and I were dispatched to handle a gang fight in the south end of our jurisdiction. W...
