DILIGENCE
By Robert Vernon
© 2008
I was working an “L” car (one officer unit) in our Northeast
Area. I had just entered my patrol district driving southbound on
Figueroa Street.. As I approached Avenue 44, I noticed a gas station
attendant waving his arms. Then he excitedly pointed toward the next
intersection at Avenue 43. I acknowledged his signal and picked up
my speed.
Another man stood at the South/East corner of Avenue 43 and
Figueroa. He was also waving his arms. He was pointing toward the
East. I turned left on Avenue 43 and began scanning the street
ahead. So far, nothing unusual. Then after two long blocks I saw
another man waving his arms. Now I am curious. What is going on?
This man was pointing southbound on Carlota Blvd. I tuned right,
following his directions, and finally saw what was going on. A
uniformed gas station attendant was chasing another man. The fleeing
suspect had both hands full of money.
They had been running about four blocks and were slowing down. I
jumped from my patrol car and joined in the pursuit. As I approached
the suspect, he quickly spun around toward me, threw the money to
the ground and began pulling a metal object out of his waistband. I
assumed it was a gun or knife. I was closing fast on him and was
about to collide. Rather than pull my gun, I struck him down. Later
I determined his weapon was a large screw driver that he had used to
force open the cash box.
After hooking him up, I took him to my patrol car. The gas station
attendant was doing his best to gather all of the bills being
scattered by the wind. As I opened the back door, I heard the police
dispatcher broadcasting: “All units in the vicinity and 11L75
(that’s me!), a 484 till tap just occurred at the gas station at
Figueroa and Avenue 44. The suspect is being pursued by the victim.
They were last seen running East bound on Avenue 43 toward the
Pasadena Freeway. The suspect is wearing black trousers and a red
sweater.” The man I was putting into the back seat was wearing black
trousers and a red sweater.
The dispatcher continued broadcasting. “The suspect took over two
hundred dollars in miscellaneous bills.” I reached over the back of
the front seat and grabbed the radio microphone. Interrupting the
dispatchers broadcast I stated: “11L75 roger that. . . suspect in
custody.” The dispatcher was incredulous. I had to repeat my
broadcast several times before she finally accepted what had
occurred.
Back at the gas station I met the owner. He was the first man I saw
waving his arms. He was very excited and pacing around. He stated
“It is amazing. It is unbelievable.” “What do you mean, sir”, I
asked. “I’m taking about this modern police department, with all of
your scientific advances. I had just hung up the phone and there you
were.” I didn’t have the heart to tell him exactly how it happened.
Clearly, that arrest was not a result of direful planning or
superior police work. I fell into that one. I was in the right place
at the right time. Occasionally that does happen. And we are pleased
when it does. But most of our good arrests are a result of
diligence, commitment and just plain hard work – not luck.
Early in my career a wise sergeant told me: “Hard working cops get
lucky.” He then went on to develop his philosophy of street police
work. He said: “The more rocks you turn over, the more likely you
are to find a snake.” There is a lot of validity in the Yogi Bera
quip: “It is amazing what you can observe by just looking around.”
My sergeant believed in the concepts of initiative and diligence. He
instructed me in the techniques of looking, listening, probing and
developing “probable cause” for further inquiry.
The Captain of Wilshire area asked me to attend a roll call where
several officers would be recognized. I was there to add my
congratulations to the officers singled out for their superior work.
One team of officers was being recognized for making eighteen “hot
roller” arrests in one month. Considering the days actually worked
that month, it amounted to about one “hot roller” arrest per day.
During the coffee and cake refreshments celebrating this occasion, I
talked to the “hot roller” specialists. They said their success was
easily explained. They both constantly scanned the vehicles and
drivers they passed while on patrol. The passenger officer queried
the on board computer, inputting license numbers of vehicles fitting
the profiles developed by the crime analysis unit. They explained:
It was tedious and eye straining work. They scanned literally
hundreds of cars. But they felt it was worth the effort.
Practical Application:
1. Make the commitment. Decide you will excel in your work.
2. Be a learner. Declare your desire to learn from experienced colleagues.
3. Do your homework. Study all of the data relating to your job.
4. Work diligently. “Luck” comes to those who go the extra mile.
I have seen these principles validated time after time during my
thirty seven years of police work. Hard working cops do get “lucky”
– on point.
Bob Vernon retired from the Los Angeles Police Department after 37 years on the force. He earned an MBA at Pepperdine University and is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s Managerial Policy Institute and the FBI’s National Executive Institute. After retirement, Vernon founded The Pointman Leadership Institute (visit http://pointmanleadership.org), which provides principle-based ethics seminars around the world for police agencies, parliament members, military leaders and a variety of other groups.br />