Looking Back at the North Hollywood Shooting/My Perspectives https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-north-hollywood-shootout-revisited-20170223

Many of you will recall the situation back then. If you were fortunate enough to not be in the area, your T.V. news day was taken hostage by the drama that unfolded outside a North Hollywood Bank of America building. I won’t recap the entire story, but it has been broadcast, re-broadcast, written about, analyzed, litigated and ultimately made into a T.V. movie. The true events did not require any form of dramatization, it was dramatic as it played out. In the end, only two individuals died, the two robbers, though many people were injured and lots of property was damaged.

The impact of this event on the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Police Department was also dramatic. Those of us in LAPD had asked for, continually, the opportunity to upgrade our Department approved weaponry. At that time, many if not most officer carried Revolver style 38 caliber handguns. Most marked police units would have one Shotgun in the vehicle, this is, if the officers in that vehicle opted to check out a shotgun. Those guns were 12 gauge and carried four rounds. Revolvers carried six rounds in the cylinder and officers were smart to at least carry what were called “speedy loaders” of eight rounds on their duty belt. Most officer carried at least two extra loaders. Officers and much of the Department cried out for better weapons and munitions. Auto handguns were desired. Rifles were as well but that was an even more difficult argument. Those opposed to such upgrades included special interest groups like the ACLU and people who were generally against weapons in society, even for police. The loudest argument against stated that “if the police got bigger and more lethal gun, it would force the criminals to do the same.” For those of us in law enforcement (LE) knew this argument to both be illogical and backward thinking. Criminals needed no form of police procedures to decide what weapons to use, they did what they wanted.

These bank robbers educated the public and those contrary special interest groups that the Department not just needed but should have been required to have the biggest and best weapons available for the circumstances that confronted LE at that time and for time to come. Time to come refers to the growth of home grown terrorism and international terrorism coming to the U.S. shores. This is not to mention the soon to emerge Active Shooter events at schools, malls and office places around the country. LE was behind the curve by a great measure. It was not long after that tragic event that the LAPD Chief of Police and the Police Commission opened the door to better more current weapons for officers, beginning with Semi-Auto handguns of 9MM, later up to 45 caliber. Also, rifles in the form of the AR15 were allowed, giving officers a better chance at being able to carry out the mission of Protecting and Serving, the LAPD moto, and matching up with the kinds of threats they might face on the streets from highly motivated and well equipped criminals.

As the North Hollywood shooting played out I was the Supervisor of a Narcotics Tactical team doing an operation near LAX. Our team was at that time equipped with better weapons than those of the street cops. But we only deployed those weapons on approved tactical entry events related to our narcotics enforcement duties. We were also undercover. Meaning, we were generally in plain clothing, driving unmarked, non-police looking vehicles (the bad guys could spot us coming from a mile away!) When we finally heard about the drama going on in North Hollywood we wanted very much to respond and support our brothers and sisters at risk, as well as the public that were under attack. What we experienced in attempting to do so was good ole Los Angeles traffic. Our un-marked cars afforded us zero ability to move quickly in traffic. The primary route from LAX to North Hollywood was the 405 Freeway. If you know LA and you know the 405, there is no rush hour…it is always rush hour. Yes, we got on the freeway and sat in traffic. Attempting to get around traffic in plain vehicle looked bad to citizens also stuck in traffic. None of whom understood or much less cared about the danger that they may not have even know about happening at that time. After a protracted period of time sitting in grid lock, we gave up…yes, we gave up. We presented a greater danger to the public fighting traffic and getting into arguments with other drivers, many of whom didn’t particularly like LE, I suspect, we called off our response. No public and no officers died, so in hind sight, our not responding worked out ok. But it bothered me to not be there. I was proud of the great work of the many Detectives, Officers, SWAT personnel, Sheriff’s and FBI, and other LE that did get there. The day was saved. I guess, also in hind sight, LE owes a debt of gratitude to the two heavily armed and criminally committed gunmen, as they demonstrated the argument that we had to that point not been able to win.

Ultimately, tactics were updated and changed. Many officers re-thought their laissez-faire concern for their own tactical readiness. Many took to the shooting ranges more often and with an eye to refreshing those perishable skills that could save lives and helping to ensure that they themselves went home at the end of each work day.

Sadly, it is a dangerous world we live in today. There simply is no way of knowing how many legal and illegally owned weapons are out on the streets today. It is impossible to know how many people may be carrying weapons illegally on their person on a given day. Officers responding to domestic incidents have always faced great danger going into the unknown environment of a person’s home, and facing hostilities that have nothing to do with the officers to begin with. With recent events of police shootings and complaints about perceived miss-conduct by police, there have been unfortunate incidents of officers being ambushed and attacked. In the current political/social environment conflict is a daily event with demonstrations and people so on edge that they seem ready to demonstrate at a moment’s notice. Officers face being challenged, rather than finding cooperation when doing their jobs. Some, perhaps many, citizens fear the police and expect the worse. Thus, the citizen/police interactions become ever more confrontational and adversarial. Such is the job, you might say. From the LE standpoint, the question in their minds might be just I be proactive and seek out threats and criminal conduct…or should I wait from the sight of blood and a smoking gun before responding.

We don’t want another North Hollywood tragedy to educate the citizens to the officer’s perspective. At the same time, we don’t want accidental discharges or questionable police tactics to decide the mood of the day and the direction of our society. We all want law and order…at least I think so! And all officers want to go home at the end of a work day. Officers, like people…are in fact people. People, like officers, have a life to live and want to do so without conflict.

Again, thank you to all of Law Enforcement for your service today. And thank you to those hero's that responded and put themselves at risk for the sake of the citizens of Los Angeles.

Thanks LAPD, LASD, FBI...and the many other agencies that were there then.