Old Timers

[Fire in the Hole]

I'm borrowing a neighbor's computer to type this. Mine is still in the shop with a virus. My lodge brothers and I went to two convalesent homes today, to just listen to the old guys for a few minutes each. This thread is kind of for Retired, Ron Solo and the other LASD Deputies. I had the pleasure to sit and talk with a 94 year old man. He was pretty spry. Anyway one of the nurses knew I was retired LEO, so she assigned him to me. I think I lucked out. This man had been a LASO Deputy from 1937 to 1960. He retired to take a job at a dairy to make more money. Anyway his stories were fascinating. He and one other deputy lived in a cottage that LA Co. bought from the Navy in Palos Verdes. In the late 30's, they were each assigned an WWI Jeep with a maximum speed of 45 mph. Radio cars didn't come out until later. For guns, they carried whatever they could buy on their own. He carried a 1911. His beat to cover with one other deputy was Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Lomita, Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, South Torrance, Carson, and Wilmington. That was one beat! 3 Hour ETA's were the norm. He said that out of all the crime reports had taken from burglary, to robbery, to assault, never exceeded one page. He took a couple of homicide reports, because the investigators at HOJ couldn't get out there, as there was a John Dillinger Sighting. Those reports did take three pages, due to all the physical evidence, and witness statements. The Academy was one month long, with one month assigned to an FTO. He saw a SGT. about every other month. Somrtimes not that frequently. Arresting people was a pain, to drive to HOJ from Torrance on Hawthorne Blvd., over to Western, then down town, and go back to the beat in that jeep. There were no freeways back then. The radios were GI Issued hand cranks. Reception was poor. Gas Stations and post offices in his beat were issued three flags. The HOJ would telephone one of these businesses, to hang out a red flag for Major Emergency in Progress, an orange flag, for an Urgent call, a yellow flag for a routine call, and a blue flag to just plain call in. He said that he relied on common sense, and the 10 commandments to guide him through his decisions.


Anyway, I thought you might all like to hear this little bit of nostalgia.

[Jonathan Doe]

Those old timers sure had it hard. I remembered when we didn't have a handheld radio. So, when we leave the radio car, we had to turn PA volume up so we can hear it. Time sure is getting better equipmentwise.

[SoCalDep]

Thanks for doing that. That guy deserved to have someone listen to him, and you made that possible. Thanks for passing it on.

[BigDogatPlay]

That's a great story, thanks for sharing.

My first chief retired with 34 years, he started in the 1940's. That man forgot more about police work than I'll ever learn, and the basis of every lesson he imparted on us youngsters was pure, simple common sense.

Those old birds have a lot of stories and they can teach us plenty if we listen to them once in a while.

[Fire in the Hole]

It was indeed a neat day, even if I'm still layed up with this big heavy cast. Comes off today. WooHoo. Anyway this old Deputy, his name was Herbert, told me that despite how hard he had it in the jeep, he always felt sorry for the CHP. Because back then, all CHP Officers were on motorcycles, from Lt. on down. 365 days a year, rain or shine. I asked him how the CHP transported their in-custody arrests. I already knew the answer, but I wanted to see if his memory was the same as I've read about. He said that the CHP would just put the arrestee on the back of the motorcycle, and head off to jail. I asked about handcuffing. He said that they would cuff one hand, have the arestee get onto the back of the motorcycle, then the Officer would sit down, and take the arrestee's free arm, pull it around the front of the Officer's waist, then cuff up that hand. When finished, the cuffs and the arrestee's hands rested aroung the middle of the Officer's stomach. Off to jail they'd go. A asked about uncooperative arrestees that refused to go along with that program. He said they'd just get sapped a little until they were persuaded to be nice. Also, that the CHP's were issued Thompson .45 sub machine guns during WWII, which they rode around with slung over their shoulders up and down PCH. Pretty cool huh? He also talked about having to assist with getting the crew of the S.S. Dominator off the shipwreck, and standing guard duty over it off Palos Verdes for a week while they decided what to do with it.

[sgtbuck]

Wow I love reading about LE history. Thanks

[masameet]

Fire, these are great stories! Still how about the next times you visit the old deputy, you bring a recording device and just encourage him to recount his days as a LEO?

His oral history would be great for all to listen to via the internet. If you could find other, just-as-old retired LEOs and record their stories, and put them on the worldwide web, you'd have a unique site.

[Fire in the Hole]

I'd like to but old Herbert's days are numbered. His voice is pretty low of volumne. It was just a once in a life trime chance I was fortunate enough to capture, and I wanted to break away from some of the things I've been reading on this forum, and share this with all of you. My technology abilities are not up to snuff for the recordings, and collecting that you suggested. It's a good idea for someone to do though.

[CaliTheKid]

Thanks for sharing those-!! Good stuff.

[yzErnie]

Man, that is just a cool thing to read. As a young deputy in that late 70's I always listened intently to what I called then "old timers" had to say. I saw first hand one of the ole guys take a report on a matchbook cover.

I find as I grow older I listen more intently to the older folks and what they have to say...and not just the old cops. I hope that I can even live to be his age.

[retired]

Fire in the Hole, thanks for posting that. It would be interesting in any case to read about the experiences of an old time leo, but I have to admit it is extra special since it was from my former dept.

I had heard how it was back in the 1950s before, but not that far back. It is amazing to realize how big of an area they covered and what type of equipment they carried.

Good reading.

ETA: Re what topgun7 said about our handhelds: We didn't go dept. wide with handhelds until late 1989, early 1990. Considering the dept. is the largest of its kind in the U.S., that was ludicrous. Other, smaller depts. had them way before us. Lkd. station did, for a short time, tested a handheld that was also the car radio for a short period, but it was no good.

I bought a scanner from Radio Shack and carried that to know what was going on, so I didn't have to put my PA on at 0200hr. and anger the neighbors in the area.

[Fire in the Hole]

Thanks. You know there are all kinds of great cop stories of LA Co out there. I remember talking with an old CHP Officer back in the 70's. He was of course a motor cop as they all were. I remember vividly him describing patrolling north of Mullholland Blvd. when the dam burst. We forget now, but that was a real disaster of great magnitude. He said he and a Deputy were trying to do as many evacuations as possible, and they hung around too long. He said the sound of the cavalcade of water was deafening. He ran to his motor kicked it over, and headed north toward Newhall, and high land. He got to where S.R.-126 is now to find Piru flodded. Fillmore and Santa Paula were in the way. The water was rising, and crashing like a wave toward him, and he was out of gas.. He took his hands off the controls long enough to cross himself and ask God to take care of his widow and orphans, because there was no doubt that this would be his last day on Earth. Pretty headdy stuff.

[yzErnie]

I wonder if that Chippy was Jack Allen. I used to race motocross with him in the Police Olympics. He told me a very similar story. He retired several years ago and the last I knew he was driving a school bus in Arkansas or Kentucky or some other hick state where guns are everywhere!!

[Fire in the Hole]

I wonder if that Chippy was Jack Allen. I used to race motocross with him in the Police Olympics. He told me a very similar story. He retired several years ago and the last I knew he was driving a school bus in Arkansas or Kentucky or some other hick state where guns are everywhere!!

I doubt it. This guy was speaking at a retirees luncheon of the Asphalt Arabs. He was in his late 70's at the time. Probably no longer with us.

[J_B]

Wow, that's an OG for sure. I nut up when our computers go down and we're on card dispatching.....I have and always will respect those that came before me but that really makes me appreciate having "crap" equipment. Sometimes I feel like I'm in the Corps again....lowest bidder and second hand stuff but it sure beats nothing.

Not that we have crap equipment but compared to some other agencies, we're a step behind...so goes for large departments.