LA Guardian Angels on Japanese TV
We get to have a little fun every now and then. [VIDEO]
Read MoreStill Haven’t Found What You’re Lookin For?
If you’re feeling like it’s difficult to find something, then unfortunately, you probably won’t find it.
Harvard Says You’ll Miss
In 2005, a team of psychologists named Wolfe, Horowitz, and Kenner released a study titled, “Rare Items Often Missed in Visual Searches”
Read MoreCrime is Smart? Rational Choice Theory
If all would be criminals were to stop and think about what they’re about to do … it’s a rational choice – they’d probably do it anyways, and here’s why .
Broken Windows / Swift and Certain
flickr.com/photos/nandanj
If you’ve been paying attention for any length of time, you’ve most certainly heard Curtis Sliwa talk about the Broken Windows theory, and how the Guardian Angels can make use of the concept.
Read MoreWhat Fullerton Can Teach Guardian Angels
Fullerton police officer Manuel Ramos (AP Photo/Paul Rodriguez)
In a previous blog post, called Good Guys Cause Trouble, I’ve already recounted some of the local problems we find in Hollywood from the clubs and some of the less trained doorstaff/bouncers.
Non-Compliance with Verbal Commands is NOT a Good Enough Reason, and having a long record of success (10 years+ each) is not keeping these officers from facing prison terms. From the Daily Breeze article:
Ramos’ attorney, John D. Barnett, called Rackauckas’ charges “unprecedented.”
“I’ve seen the video and Officer Ramos is not guilty of murder, manslaughter or any other crime,” Barnett told City News Service. “He was a peace officer in the lawful performance of his duty.”
Barnett said Ramos was trying to “de-escalate” the situation when he allegedly shook his fists at Thomas.
“All Kelly Thomas had to do was comply and it would have been a normal arrest, but he didn’t comply,” Barnett said.
Fullerton May Change the Rules
This time, we’re seeing the same kind of story, gone much much worse over the edge. This isn’t our Hollywood, but at only about 30 miles away, this is not exactly a different planet, either. From the Daily Breeze article:
“Ultimately, Thomas died because of the force of the officers on his chest, which made it impossible to breathe, Rackauckas said. He lost consciousness, slipped into a coma and died when he was taken off life-support five days later.”
You can expect another huge set of evidence that Prone Restraint may be off the “ok” list for a while (again). I’ll be looking for news, and would appreciate ANY helpful information in that regard.
A Suggestion
While that one gets figured out, let’s recall that there were SIX police officers on scene. That’s far more than enough for a simple maneuver like the STAR control found in the “General” section of the Online Training site: GuardianAngelTraining.com
You’ll need to create a FREE account, but it may be the most important account you create online this year.
Please take a look at that video, shown on purpose with only four Angels, all of whom are individually smaller than the Subject. In the Fullerton, CA case, at the very least the two officers brought up on charges are each significantly larger than poor Mr Kelly Thomas. I’d also like any other suggestions you, your training, or your Chapter (if you’re an Angel reading this) has to offer – anything is better than what happened in Fullerton, but let’s try to work together to find the BEST chance at making this the last event of its kind.
Read More
Getting Official
I recently had the opportunity to attend a Q&A session with the LA Mayor, hosted by local Neighborhood Councils. This was a great time to meet several local leaders, including City Council members, other non-profit leaders and political activists in the Los Angeles area.
The mayor’s time was spent entirely on audience questions, and his answers were a perfect combination of his personal feelings and professional responsibilities. He spoke quite directly with Guardian Angels in attendance about the wonderful reduction in violent crime in LA over the last several years, and was also quite excited about improvements to public transportation coming soon to the city. This would mean a convenient connection with our Hollywod, Venice, and West Los Angeles activities.
Of course, nostalgia of Angels in the subways of New York could never be replaced, but it will be quite nice to have the opportunity to efficiently bring Guardian Angels around the major city centers and neighborhoods.
A special treat that I had not expected was a brief but encouraging one on one discussion with Deputy Mayor Eileen Decker. Her office is particularly responsible for Homeland Security & Public Safety. As soon as she was introduced and we made eye contact, she made her way over to me, and we discussed the many opportunities available in Los Angeles for citizens to be directly involved with the safety of their neighborhoods.
We discussed:
- Volunteer Police
- CERT Program
- Neighborhood Watch
- Soup Kitchens, etc
I hope to follow up with this post soon, once I’ve had the chance to follow up with her and open up further dialog about how the Guardian Angels can play a helpful role in our enormous city. We’re such a big organization that it can be difficult for a city’s office to know quite what to do with us. Without clear communication and organization, we could easily be just another fringe special interest group with special requests; but handled properly, we can help organize caring and proactive volunteers from several fields of influence.
Read More
