DEAR SGT. AL: COMPLAINING ABOUT POLICE HELICOPTERS

Last week I see my post about cops running red lights struck a nerve with some of you. That email post about the police red light rangers sailing through a red light has compelled me not to let this end here. Complaining about police conduct can be a controversial and tricky exercise that must be taken seriously and with careful thought. Remember, when filing a complaint about police misconduct, you are also filing another police report, and if you file false information or under false or not genuine pretenses, you are filing a false police report, which in some jurisdictions can be either a misdemeanor or felony. Police brass and complaint boards want to hear complaints of a serious nature, like excess force, abuse of authority, racial/ethnic/sexual slur, etc., not silly, trivial matters like a ticket not being fair, or bad attitude without specifying what kind of discourtesy. People often mistake kindness for weakness and police work is not pretty: we don’t work at Macy’s and we arrest and give people tickets when they don’t want to cooperate. We need to get over this. So we should never file a report when seeking retaliation against an officer. Filing under legitimate and warranted circumstances adds credence to your complaint to make you a more credible witness or complainant. Police Brass do not like embarrassment, and they will take your concerns more seriously if they seem to be legitimate and true.

You can say what you want about the Rodney King fiasco, but one thing you can’t accuse the police brass of here, though they had little wiggle room, is any tinge of a cover-up:

I recently moved into the Los Angeles area of Hollywood Hills, not far from the Hollywood sign, and not being warned nor prepared for what seems at times an incredible amount of police aviation activity. I’ve come to learn that LA is a humongous city, much larger than New York land-wise, and to get anywhere fast you really need an aircraft. The time frame after my move came during events like Whitney Houston’s tragic death not far at the Beverly Hilton, Don Cornelius’s tragic suicide at his home not far on Mulholland Drive, the Bronson Park be-heading from which the killer has not yet been found and a massive manhunt that’s still in effect, and the Oscars nearby on Hollywood Boulevard, all requiring a persistent amount of police aviation activity, to put it kindly.

Well, I was growing tired of it. I was being awakened in the wee hours countless nights by buzzing helicopters, and I already suffer from chronic sleep apnea and other sleep issues that have in more ways in the past recent years affected my general health in ways I embarrassingly care not to discuss. But I knew better to be careful how I was going to complain to the police about it. The final straw came one night when I got out of bed just wearing my under-briefs, opened the curtains to my bedroom half naked and groggy as I was, and suddenly found a helicopter staring down on me, spotlight and all. I swear it was a stare down at the OK Corral. The copter circled around, keeping the light right on me. Later that morning after the stare-down, I checked the LA Times for any police activity in my area. None. It was then that I took my laptop in hand and went into action.

I share with you my letter to the LAPD Commanding Officer of the Air Support Division, and the C.O.’s adroit and professional response, which for the complainant and police responder, should be the textbook way complaints about alleged police misconduct should be handled:

AL CASTRO

Greetings:

I am a retired NYC Police Sergeant (twenty years) who has been living in Hollywood for the past three months, so if there is anyone who complains here about the cops, it is I who understands the most how difficult it is for Los Angeles law enforcement to do their job, and understands how well they do it.  That stated, I've noticed since I moved here that there is a lot of police aviation activity overhead, particularly at night. Although it seems to coincide with events that warrant the coverage (i.e. the search for the killer in the Bronson Park be-heading, the Grammys/Oscars, and the Don Cornelius and Whitney Houston deaths that all happened recently and nearby), some of the aviation activity apparently seems to have no apparent explanation. 

At approximately 0230-0300 hours last night, I was awakened by what appeared to be a low flying police-looking helicopter with a spotlight flying directly over my apartment building. When I awakened to see what the noise was, it seemed that as the pilot was doing a fly-around past my building, the officer eventually shined his/her spot light directly on me at my bedroom window. I could swear the pilots and I were doing a stare-down of each other. Although I couldn’t see them, it seemed neither side blinked (at least I didn’t) . . . Later today I went online to the LA Times to see if there was any notable police activity going on in my neighborhood last night, to read elsewhere that police helicopter use is becoming a controversial issue in this area of Los Angeles, particularly late at night. I also understand that complaints have been filed with the FAA, and that there is pending legislation being considered to curtail police helicopter use.

THERE IS NO ONE WHO IS MORE PRO-POLICE THAN I, NO ONE (I am also an FOP lodge member), and no one else who would be more apprehensive to impede the police from doing their job in any way. However, I notice that the late night flyovers, whether done by the LAPD or the LA Sheriff's Office  (they too will get a copy of this email as well in case the late night pilot belongs to them), seems to be a more common occurrence for my neighborhood. I do not want to appear to be put-offish about the matter, but if anything can be done to perhaps to notify the commanding officer of your Aviation Unit to inform the pilots to please be more judicious in the frequency and in the technique of their flyovers, particularly late at night, perhaps this issue that is becoming a hotbed will quietly go away. I will help stave off this issue by letting Councilman LaBonge know of my objection to any legislation hampering police duty.

I believe this issue is a valid concern, so I would appreciate the cooperation and reply of those responsible. Thank you for your attention, and to all those in the LAPD concerned, thank you for your service, and please have a safe tour.

Sincerely,

/s/

Al Castro

Sergeant (Retired)

Enclosure

Here was the C.O.’s response:

Mr. Castro:

Your concerns regarding the deployment of police helicopters in your neighborhood has been forwarded to me by the Department Webmaster.  I had staff research our flight logs and determined that we did have an air unit on the date in question providing extra patrol in Hollywood Area along Hollywood Boulevard from 0055 to 0110 hrs.  Additionally, that same air unit responded to a radio call concerning Burglary from Motor Vehicle suspects at 0110 hrs and assisted ground units take two suspects into custody as they walked eastbound Franklin from Western Avenue.

While I realize these times don't coincide precisely with the time window you provided in your e-mail (0230 to 0300 hrs), it does show how busy your neighborhood is concerning crime and citizen calls for service.  I want to assure you that our aircrews are extremely cognizant of the impact that their aircraft and assorted equipment can have on residential areas, especially during off hours and while conducting low altitude orbits.  They know that these tactics are to be used only in operational necessity, and they are routinely reminded of this fact during roll call briefings and other training sessions.

I apologize if our air operations disturbed you the other day.  We appreciate your continued support as a retired member of the law enforcement community, and please know that our top priority remains the safety of our officers on the ground and the public they are sworn to serve. 

WS 

Captain William D. Sutton

Commanding Officer

Air Support Division

Los Angeles Police Department

Thank you Captain Sutton and your staff for your prompt and professional response. They’ve had their hits and misses over the years like we all do, but the LAPD is truly a professional organization. In my nearly one year living out here I have had nothing but professional interactions the times I needed police service from the LAPD. I wasn’t going to let one incident color my judgment. And as you can see by not rushing to judgment and waiting for the facts, the explanation was worth waiting for the response. They got the bad guys, so in my eyes the cops are heroes! I am glad to state that the flyovers abated significantly since that incident in my underwear. The point I want to make here is that if this incident went anything like the previous poster with his red light rangers in the police car, he too might feel badly complaining if those cops were in the process of doing there job while running the red light. I feel bad I complained that night considering what the cops had on their plate. If things go down the same way with the red light rangers in the previous post, this shows if anything that we really do have to be careful when we complain about the police. I’m sure many of you out there have horror stories about the police, but how do you feel about either of these incidents?