04/29/1992

[LA DEP]

Where were you on that date?

In the morning, I was taking a cross training class at the LACFD academy in East LA......when the verdicts came in, we continued training for about an hour.....then we were told to get to our stations ASAP, and to avoid certain areas......

Walked through the back door of the station, and was told to get my a** upstairs and changed into class 'B's forthwith:D

I ended not being deployed on the response team the first night.....and was glad to still be in WHD when BHPD chased a carload of 211 suspects through our area, and into Hollywood....the driver flipped the car, and ran into a wall....4 dead in the car.....

Edit to add: That was my first day of 12 hours on/12 hours off for around three weeks or so.....

[jcioccke]

I was glued to CNN, That was a sad day in LA.

[LA Copper]

I was in Disneyland (of all places) when I got word of the verdicts. I headed back toward the city and saw that the fires had just started. I went into work the next morning at 0500 and didn't get off that night until midnight. My squad worked in South Los Angeles for the next three days.

While it was a sad day for the city, it was probably the most exhilarating experience of my career. Shots being fired, buildings and cars burning, people acting crazy... it was an "interesting" four days to say the least.

[MBurrows]

i was 17 days old lol

[millimeter]

14 years old in the eigth grade that was a devastating time for me. I believe that was the same year or 91/92 school year when Magic announced he was H.I.V positive.

[Retired96]

I was on duty at IRC, I was the supervisor for the field booking team for the riots for over a week.

[Stugotz]

I was in the 10th grade. After school we go to a friend's house to watch the news coverage. The dude's mom bursts through the door about a half-hour later, arms full of shopping bags, and tells us she just looted the K-Mart on Whittier Boulevard in ELA. :eek:

[avalon42]

I was 12 and in Washington. I had no idea what was going on in LA until I saw it on the news coverage.

I can't get over the media's coverage of the Korean shop owners fortifying using rice bags and shooting blatantly at possible looters.

[IMachU]

I was at the Hall of Admin with my family and Tommy Lasorda doing a Savings Bonds promotion for County employees. I was on the Savings Bond poster the year prior. I drove my wife and son home in the police car (I was in uniform). When I got home, Anaheim PD was executing a search warrant on my next door neighbor's apartment. Then on the way back to the station I heard the verdicts on KFWB. I kicked in the afterburners and made it back for a 22 hour shift. That was one LOOOOONNNGGGG week!!

[pkagel]

I was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean doing counter drug ops on the USS Texas.

[leif]

I was 6...

[ComicGuy]

I was delivering pizzas in Denver, with no intentions of ever being in law enforcement.
If Sgt. Stacy Koon had had the kind of tazers we have now, Rodney King wouldn't have gotten his @$$ whupped.
Back then the tazer only had two jolts per cartridge, now days, you can zap 'till their eyes light up. I don't care how much PCP you have in your system, that kind of juice'll drop a bull.

[DagoStar]

I was serving in the US Army in Germany...and it was awful duty...:D

http://www.agoraquest.com/personal_icon/file_1296463903hot_beer_girls.jpg

[IMachU]

God love the Spaten girls....:D :D

[nobodyjr]

I was delivering pizzas in Denver, with no intentions of ever being in law enforcement.
If Sgt. Stacy Koon had had the kind of tazers we have now, Rodney King wouldn't have gotten his @$$ whupped.
Back then the tazer only had two jolts per cartridge, now days, you can zap 'till their eyes light up. I don't care how much PCP you have in your system, that kind of juice'll drop a bull.

My last taser deployment was a against a PCP user trying to carjack an officer. The taser failed, as the suspect was able to bat away the prongs. Several subsequent drive stuns didn't work too well either. The x26 is only 90% effective.

[jato]

I was in the academy at Southwestern College. I was also a Level 1 Reserve for CVPD. I was told to be "on call", to keep my duty weapon and uniform in my private vehicle. The brass wanted the reserve force ready to respond in case riots kicked up in San Diego County.

I was never “called out”. San Diego stayed pretty quiet. However, our Academy Training Officers were pressed into service and sent to LA. We had some “substitute teachers” at the academy for a few days. With the TOs’ gone, the academy environment became quite relaxing.

[jato]

Don't forget the obligatory Sublime song! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OtmKwIEn9s)

[nebraska_deputy]

At the time I was a police explorer in Omaha and they were assigning extra patrols to certain parts of town expecting several problems. If I remember right now much turned out of it here. We sat at one of the police Assembly's watching CNN. The next couple days to follow the headlines showed pictures of cruisers being burned, officers being pelted with rocks and other things, and other images of officers basically running for their lives. The one picture the sticks out my head was a picture of a LAPD Sgt. chasing someone and falling while chasing the suspect.

[MrBug708]

There was a riot on the streets, tell me where were you...?

[L.A Sheriff]

Don't forget the obligatory Sublime song! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OtmKwIEn9s)


I was 8 and I was probably in that video walking out with a dreamcast video system... lol :D

I wish I was a cop during that time.... bitter fun times, but o so sweet.

I think that day, made me want to be a cop....wow, now look at me 16 years later....waiting for the next one.:cool:

[Kieth M.]

A week before the riots broke out, we were on the roof practicing squad formations. The sergeant in charge that day said, "Okay, we have to do this, but I don't see a need for it as nothing's going to happen."

A week later, I was home watching it all on TV, screaming..."Somebody do something!" I got my gear together and called the station asking if they wanted me to come in. "No, not now, nobody knows what to do," they said. Four hours later they called, telling me to be there at 0600, for 12 hours shifts. I think I did about a week of 12 hours shifts. We followed the rioting via the AM radio, because the department wasn't telling us anything.

I remember taking a guy, in to Hollywood, with a station wagon loaded with (shattered glass-covered) new furniture, TV's, and no receipts - the detectives said to let him go, as we had nothing. In the days that followed, I watched many businesses in my basic car area (Normandie to Vine, Beverely to Santa Monica Bl) get looted and torched by Central American illegals who had no idea who Rodney King was. Many of them said they were doing it for "Rooney King", or "Martin Luther King!" Supervisors were frozen. As an FTO, I took charge in one incident because two senior sergeants couldn't/wouldn't make a decision. We took many rocks and bottles on that skirmish line, but we pushed 'em back. On the rooftops, overlooking our skirmish line, were those well-armed Korean business owners.

A few days into it, some teacher had her second grade students write us letters and draw us pictures, praising our "bravery" during the riots. I went to a dark corner of the station, alone, and wept. I had done, really, nothing but watch as businesses were burned. I arrested people who were released for lack of evidence of a crime. I didn't deserve any praise.

I had been in a relationship with a really nice girl for about 18 months. We kept in contact every day during the deployment. On my first day off she said we should get together. It was my one and only day with my (then, eight year-old) son. I told her, "No, I don't want to go out, I want to stay inside with Stephen"...(and I swear to you all, the next words out of my mouth were going to be: "you can join us, over here, I just don't want to drive anywhere."). She cut me off and began reading me the riot act about how I didn't consider her important. On, and on, she went. She then added, "And just so you know, I'm in therapy, now!" I don't think she was ready for my response, which was, "Hey, that's great, you might get some benefit from that." Next thing I knew, she hung up on me while screaming. I hoped this would all blow over. Wrong. The next day after another 12 hour shift I drove to where I was staying and there was all the stuff I kept at her house, on the front porch. I learned she later married a mutual, non-police, friend of ours. I think they made a great couple and I wished them both well.

But back to Hollywood...I never looked at the Central American and/or illegal people who lived in my basic car area, the same way, again. I made sergeant and left there a year+ later. Of course, both the sergeants who froze were eventually praised and promoted. Ain't life grand!?!

A few months later, the big check arrived and I went out and bought my truck. I secretly hoped the federal case might result in another acquittal. I kind of liked getting those "Rodney Dollars."

[pulicords]

Great post Keith. The night of the verdict, I was at home and watched the "results" on TV. I was dumbfounded by the lack of police response and hoped our department would get involved on a mutual aid call out. It didn't and the response I kept hoping to see by LAPD didn't materialize.

The next morning was back to "business as usual" in my assignment at detectives with my agency. I had to call an LAPD detective for some information. He sounded like he was in shock. When I asked if he was alright, he told me he'd been, "Out there" and sounded like he was about to break down. It was one of the saddest telephone conversations I'd ever had with a fellow officer and I hardly knew him.

Although we went on tactical standby (with 12 hour shifts and no days off for a couple of days), nothing happened in our city. We had officers stationed at the main street limit locations. Potential problems were avoided by a strong showing of force as those intent on looting decided to go elsewhere. The only "action" I saw was on TV.

[LAschoolCop]

I was in 6th grade....

[IMachU]

Aren't you still in school? :D :D Just getting paid for it now....

[Phreaxer]

I was sitting in a hospital with my mom. She was super sick and no one could tell us why. She spent the entire time the riots lasted (and then some) in the hospital. That was nearly the onlything on TV since the hospital she was at was in SoCal.
Crazy day.

[Garbage Man]

It hit the LBC one day late..I was Marine Patrol (specialty copper) then. Sgt says they were giving 9 of us to LBPD to be sworn in and work the riots. He asked me how many hours I could work in a day. I said "24"..he said No seriously, how many hours? I said "24." he said "I mean it"...I paused for a long time thinking deeply, doing the mental math... then said "24."
32 hours of OT in just 4 days! We called it Rodney Dollars...best time I ever had.

I remember getting to a center and getting all the looters proned out then calling for transport for hours. Finally some SGT comes by and says "there is no transport, beat and release." Lady flags me down and says there a guy in a store with a flak vest and gun, sure enough he comes out as advertised we give him a warning and he complies, turned out to be the property owner, he was very greatfull I didnt shoot him like some other cops had done an hour before. He comes out and bang! He showed me the bullet hole, didnt penetrate. the cops just asked if he was allright then split. never got their names.

Rolling the streets in a two man unit, all the windows boarded up, the Koreans posted on their rooftops, holding AK's, later the Army rumbling down the street.

Anybody remember the "Big 3 myths?" Sherman Block wrote a memo to everybody dispelling three rumors that were going around amongst the cops. I only remember one, it was that they were going to announce "no new trial any day now and that the riots would be extended." I found it funny because I heard all 3 rumors from a guy in an FBI intelligence jumpsuit at one of the command posts the day prior. He had told us all three as if it was gospel fact that the President himself had told him.

I loved the command posts I have never before or since seen so many cops in one place in my life. I remember thinking "man if we could just get all these guys in the field we could squash this right now."

I am sorry to say this, I know it was a sad tragic day for all humanity and all that...but I had a blast! What I liked best was no one was pretending to be misunderstod or underprivaled or the victim of society, they felt they were in charge so they let it out "yeah I am a crook and I like it, so there." No BS. Kevin Beard the local channel 4 newscaster got furious on the air and called all looters scum bags and told them "we are filiming you and our films are all going to the police!" He was my hero then, he got fired for that and is on Fox now. Then the burden of over truthfullness overcame us and the BS had to come back. The scumbag looters turned into civil unrest protesters.

[JRODF4]

Darn it - I have to be honest I was 17.5 years old and me and some of my buddies jumped on a RTD (now known as the MTA) bus and headed right to the madness. I seen people running down the street with bags of groceries, stereos, tv's and misc furniture. Fires on alot of streets and store owners on the roofs of their stores with weapons. Of course I did not to steal anything I just wanted to see the madness first hand (bad history in the making). It was an experience of a life time. I felt like I was in a crazy third world country. Mannn.. the things you do when you are young and dumb and do not realize the dangers.

[gonzo1510]

I was on my way to my weekly explorer meeting at Southwest Division on MLK blvd. We were quickly turned around.. Saw the whole thing on t.v. I recognized plenty of classmates from Foshay Middle School (shocker I know). When I returned to school many of the students there had bought new things

[IMachU]

Bought? Really? :D :D :D

[DOAcop38]

was watching the news at station during the first start of "hostilities"-alot of officers thought it was "isolated" as we only saw the florence and normandie ave. ignorance going on! I was working with a partner and we drove to a nearby sizzler for code 7- the sizzler had workers boarding up the doors and the 7/11 adjacent to it was pulling out their gates to lock up also-this was at 6pm !! we walked out of the sizzler and saw smoke coming from adjacent Inglewood to the east and heard gunshots- you could literally "taste" the tension in the air and people were driving faster than usual on Manchester blvd. We received a radio call from dispatch for all units to respond "code 2 high" to station for emergency re-assignment(WTF??) ; when we drove south on airport bl, we saw a large # of cars driving erractically from the budget rental car lot,one T/C'ing in the I/S,and 2 punk kids run from the car ! The mgr from the rental car lot ran out and yelled to us-"they're stealing the cars",and we rolled in and drew down on another group of idiots who were trying to take a minivan-( they ran also)-we radioed for back up ,but a sorry( and luckily,"retired") Capt ORDERED us,NOT to attempt any arrests,and immediately back to the station.

that night I worked 21 hrs straight,was in a pursuit of a man brandishing a gun,rolled with 10 officers to La cienega and Century blvd to STOP people from looting the Arco AM/PM gas station and adjacent Mobil gas station( remember that knuckleheads were getting gas to start fires). The next day was just as BAD-23 hrs and we ran off people who were trying to break in and loot the -then -Westchester Broadway(now mervyns),as well as work temp roadblocks at Aviation and century ,then Aviation and Imperial hwy to "stop and search" people coming into the airport area- the first 2 days people were hitting the planes hard to get out of L.A.,but for the rest of the week - it was as quiet as a grave yard,save for two seperate incidents ( thugs jacking a mercedes and trying to rape a woman at the shell station on Manchester and La cienega ,and a gunshot victim and his friends driving up to a roadblock on century blvd)-worked 6 days straight,avg 20 hrs a day.....

[DOAcop38]

Darn it - I have to be honest I was 17.5 years old and me and some of my buddies jumped on a RTD (now known as the MTA) bus and headed right to the madness. I seen people running down the street with bags of groceries, stereos, tv's and misc furniture. Fires on alot of streets and store owners on the roofs of their stores with weapons. Of course I did not to steal anything I just wanted to see the madness first hand (bad history in the making). It was an experience of a life time. I felt like I was in a crazy third world country. Mannn.. the things you do when you are young and dumb and do not realize the dangers.

JROD- that one blk and wht photo was,interesting enough ,an incident where ARMED"peace officers" of the State Museum of science and industry-near the L.A. coliseum were thrown into the fray and ended up backing CHP and LAPD southwest with riot suppression around USC (USC DPS were very active too) Back then they wore powder blue pants ,dark blue wool pants with a light stripe down the trousers,and a blu smokey the bear stetson-now they wear tan and grn like LASD.the riots caught alot of people in L.E. and L.E. subsidiaries OFF GUARD-real ****poor planning to a potential problem that almost everyone saw coming (remember a crusty old LAPD talking about the '70s and swearing up and down that their would be a riot if the Koon,Powell and Co got off the "hook"- this was EXACTLY one week before the verdict came down and the riots began)

[gonzo1510]

Bought? Really? :D :D :D

Hey, what can I say ? That was their story and they were sticking to it... Who was I to say otherwise ?

[Long Gun]

I remember May 1, when Rodney King was "crying," and asking that familiar (and much mocked) question, "Can't we all get along?" I was home sick that day, and my sister called and asked me what was happening at our old high school. A POS named Eric Houston was shooting the place up. He killed four and injured 11 more. This was the first well-known school shooting. The nation did not give it much more attention due to the riots.

[ElDiabloJoe]

I thought it was Patrick Purdy (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,151105,00.html) and his AK-47 in Stockton in 1987 was the first real well known school shooting. Or was it Charles Whitman (http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/mass/whitman/index_1.html) in 1966, the guy in the bell tower in Texas? Or was it Edward Allaway (http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1150116.php) in 1976, the guy in the tower at Cal State Fullerton?

4/92. When the verdicts were read on TV, I was working LASD's old-side IRC, Booking Front on PM shift. Good times! Worked 12 n 12's for a few weeks. Lot's of overtime. LOTS AND LOTS. There were so many arraignments that CCB was overcrowded and they had to convert the massive civil court house (CCH) into arraignment courts.

I went out one night on a booking team to FPK, the old Firestone "Stoney" station. That was before it merged with Lynwood to become Century Station.

Good times!

EDJ

[Garbage Man]

I was serving in the US Army in Germany...and it was awful duty...:D

http://www.agoraquest.com/personal_icon/file_1296463903hot_beer_girls.jpg

I actually have nothing to say I just think we need to keep refreshing this pic..look at those great mugs! They're huge, I could drink from those all day long

[ElDiabloJoe]

I actually have nothing to say I just think we need to keep refreshing this pic..look at those great mugs! They're huge, I could drink from those all day long
Yes, those are great mugs. Shame I can only see two in the photo...:D