Tag: The New Centurions

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More Street Stories Tales from the Barking Muse

Police Academy – Redux, part 1

Traffic Officer Gerry Goldshine aka T-36 Petaluma Police Department mid-1980's

By Gerry Goldshine

“Cadets, I’d now like to discuss something that’ll be vital for you to know when your, like, out here, on the job, as a police officer. And, that’s the correct way on how to eat a doughnut”

Zed McGlunk
Zed McGlunk

Zed McGlunk, “Police Academy 2”

When I first wrote this piece back in November of 2012, I took a slightly lighthearted look on the training I received when I attended the local regional Police Academy back in 1979. However, since then, almost daily controversial incidents are shaking the Law Enforcement profession to its core. One question I keep hearing with increasing frequency, and that I find myself asking, is what training these officers are receiving. When I attended my academy, in many respects, the curriculum was developed in response to the tumult and unrest that characterized much of the late 1960 and early 1970’s. The pushback against Civil Rights led to riots that tore apart entire cities. The dissatisfaction with the War in Viet Nam led to violent protest that spilled onto university campuses. Radical terrorists with violent agendas led the way to a surge in violent crime. Without delving into a historical dissertation of those troubled times, law enforcement found itself mired in an unprecedented quagmire caught between those wanting social change and those demanding a return to “law and order.” Short staffed, ill-equipped and ill-trained, police officers across the country found themselves the target of dissatisfaction from all sides, often with tragic outcomes. It soon became obvious the old way of policing was not working and change began to take place.
Among its virtues and vices, the first “Police Academy” movie was a satirical look at some of the “revolutionary” adjustments Law Enforcement was undergoing in the early 1980’s. While mostly farcical, one of the few aspects of police work the movie did get right was that first critical training every police officer, deputy sheriff, highway patrol officer, constable and every Federal Agent has to successfully complete, known as “The Academy.” Most all such academies generally have a two-fold purpose. Obviously, the first is to prepare a cadet or recruit both academically and physically for the rigors of law enforcement field work. More feared, the second is to identify and screen out those individuals who prove unsuitable for a career in law enforcement either because of academic deficiencies, an inability to meet the physical training demands or from a variety of other reasons, including psychological.

 

Tampa, Fla cadets PT
Tampa, Fla cadets PT

How this is accomplished can vary widely; sometimes state training regulations mandate what is taught and how. In other instances, departmental training philosophies dictate training methodology. More often than not, it’s a combination of both. Some are near-military in their training approach with high stress and intense discipline as one might find in a “boot” camp. Others take a more relaxed, college campus type approach to training. Budgetary concerns are a significant factor; some agencies either by choice or necessity, put their recruits through the bare minimum of required training hours taking the approach that what is learned “on the job” is more meaningful. Other departments want better rounded recruits and can afford longer training academies.
In California, the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training mandates that a police recruit have a minimum “Basic Training” course of 664 hours. Most all police agencies in California have some type of field training program that follows graduation from an academy; they are usually around 12 weeks long or about 480 hours. Now 1200 hours or more of training may seem like a lot but consider this: in order to get a Cosmetologist license in California an individual must have 1600 hours of classroom instruction and another 3200 hours of formal apprenticeship. That’s a total of over 4800 hours! When’s the last time you read about a beautician taking someone’s life with a mascara wand?
Despite the plethora of books, movies or television shows of the police genre, few if any ever really devote much time to this essential beginners experience in anyway other than in a cursory manner. As every recruit is an individual, they bring to this formative training, differing levels of life experience, work experience, schooling, physical capabilities and emotional maturity. Consequently, while there are common training goals every recruit must meet, each always comes away with a differing perspective of their overall academy experience.
My own academy training took place in late 1979. While what I encountered was unique to me given my background, it does provide a framework for what someone going into the profession and attending a smaller, regional police academy in the early 1980’s would likely encounter.

 

SCSO Badge
SCSO Badge

I was hired by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office in September, 1979, who sent me to the Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) Police Academy in Santa Rosa, California. I had a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from California State University, Los Angeles and had just spent four years in the Army on active duty, most of that time as a commissioned officer. I had actually begun my law enforcement career almost two years earlier when I received a transfer from the Infantry to the Military Police. Still, I was savvy enough to know I had much to learn as there are vast differences between the missions of military law enforcement and civilian.

 

Joseph Wambaugh author of "The New Centurions"
Joseph Wambaugh author of “The New Centurions”

So, what were my overall expectations and goals as I embarked upon this new training experience? I had been through some of the most stressful, physically demanding and mentally challenging training that the military offered at that time. I had read Joseph Wambaugh’s early book “The New Centurions” which painted a very stark portrait of the Los Angeles Police Academy of the 1960’s very much like what I had encountered in Officer Candidate School, where the slightest mistake or rule infraction could mean failure and dismissal. The training sergeant from the Sheriff’s Office had told me the regional academy I was to attend was pretty laid back compared to what I’d encountered in the Army. However, having been erroneously lulled by such descriptions before, I was going to hope he was right but prepare for the worst case scenario.

Read part 2 on Thursday, April 2nd

Traffic Officer Gerry Goldshine aka T-36 Petaluma Police Department mid-1980's
Traffic Officer Gerry Goldshine
aka T-36
Petaluma Police Department mid-1980’s
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Ramblings by Hal

The Story of Ramblings

I’ve been writing my Ramblings for over a couple of years now and have e-mailed out over a hundred cop stories.  Who knew my remembrances of a cops career would go this far? Hell, English was my worst subject in school.  Spell check has saved me the trouble of wearing out a few Webster’s.

 

I started out writing about my family life and watching our grandkids grow up.  I got tired of writing about changing diapers and watching the Doodle Bops.  I thought I would share some of the cop stories I use to tell at steak fries.  I sent out my first stories to a few retired cops that I worked with.  They forwarded them to other cops and friends and before I knew it my stories spread like a bad rash.  Soon, my stories were going to 4 different states.  I heard from old partners and that encouraged me to continue writing.  I guess my ego kicked in.

 

The New Centurions by Joseph Wambaugh copywrite 1970
The New Centurions by Joseph Wambaugh
copywrite 1970

Some of my Ramblings inspired numerous replies and others nothing.  I have always written true stories about incidents that I either participated in, or heard about from a partner.  I sometimes added a little embellishment and I always tried

to add some humor.  Not everyone remembers or participated in the practical jokes that I described.  Some didn’t approve, but then I didn’t like everything that Wambaugh wrote about either. 

 

I have been discouraged at times but every so often someone will write how they liked a story and told of similar experiences.  I recently got an e-mail from a retired cop who I didn’t even know.  He told me that he has gotten my Ramblings and forwarded them to other retired cops across the United States.  Now, my Ramblings have been forwarded to at least 19 states and three countries that I know of.  I’m sometimes asked when I am going to write about this incident or that subject.  I usually look at list of my bullets and pick a subject.  Sometimes a Ramblings is written in a few hours and other times its takes weeks.  I write the most while the grandkids are watching Sponge Bob or the Disney Channel.  I usually have 3 to 5 stories written ahead before I send them out.  My lovely wife edits my stories for spelling, sentence structure and grammar.  She also tells me to tone down some of my political sarcasm.

 

I was even asked if some of my Ramblings could be used in a cop book by an author in the San Francisco area.  I’m still thinking about that. (That would be Just the Facts, Ma’am blog—and obviously Hal decided to send his stories to me) Anyway, I’m going to continue to write Ramblings as long as my memory comes up with stories and incidents that cops can relate to.  If anyone wishes to be removed from my mailing list, let me know.  I’ve been told that my stories are verbose and loquacious and I admit that I use a lot of words to describe an incident.  In my defense, some of my stories are passed onto quite a few non-police recipients who are not familiar with police terms.  I can handle rejection—just look at my promotion record.

 

Thanks for your support and encouragement as well as criticism.  I still have some cop stories to write about, but I know that someday I’ll have to go back to writing about our grandchildren and our dog.  

 

Did I mention I have the smartest dog in Eagle Rock?

 

Be afraid.

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Ramblings by Hal

Ramblings: Off Duty Jobs, part 1

 

Off duty jobs part 1

The following story is true. It is based on fact, but also the fading memory of a retired member of the finest police department in the world.  I’ll give you a little background on myself so you can better understand a cop’s desire to work off duty jobs.

 

In 1970, I was delivering produce to restaurants, caterers & convalescent homes for $2.25 an hour.  I was married and with my wife’s income we paid our rent on time and made enough to eat.  I had ambitions to be a police officer since high school and I even worked for a cop at a hamburger stand for a few years.  Two days after my 21st birthday, I applied to the LAPD and was given an October 5, 1970 appointment date.  Starting pay was a whopping $842 a month.  That came out to $5.26 an hour.  I remember saying to my wife what are we going to do with “all that money!” 

 

While in the academy I received my first pay check.  I suddenly realized that all those cards they had us sign the first day were payroll deductions.  There was 7% taken out for my pension, the Federal and State wanted a share.  Then there was health, dental and life Insurance, charity contributions and who knows what else.  Lack of “all that money” helped us decide to take better care of our older car and renew my wife’s bus pass.  It’s a well-known fact that cops are rich in benefits but poor in the wallet.  Cops are not paid cash for overtime, get no Christmas bonuses, and pay raises barely cover inflation.  We had to buy our own uniforms and if your child needs braces, or your wife wants to see Hawaii, you work off duty jobs. 

 

The New Centurions movie
The New Centurions movie

I was still on probation when our class D.I. informed me that they were going to make a film at the Police Academy and they needed extras for background shots.  The extras had to look like recruits and have their academy uniforms.  They were going to pay us for three days of standing around, running and doing PT on the baseball fields.  They even had us “Hit the Hill.”  Only old time cops will remember hitting the hill. They even had Bob Jarvis in the movie, he is a legendary instructor at the academy.  The movie was the “New Centurions” starring George C. Scott, Stacy Keach and Eric Estrada.

 

I showed up and learn that making a movie is slower than watching an opossum try to cross the street.  After 3 days I’ve come to the conclusion that movie stars aren’t that special but they do eat well and a lot.  Much later the movie is released and we all went to the theater to see if we were on the big silver screen, or on the editor’s cutting room floor.  To answer your question, yes, I’m in the movie.  You just have to know where to look and remember that I was 21 years old, had hair, and was a slim fighting machine.

 

After that I worked off duty jobs at the Hollywood Bowl.  The Bowl hired cops to stand on the streets surrounding the hills to discourage kids from sneaking into the Bowl for free.  This was not a problem with the Philharmonic crowd, but in the 60’s & 70’s the Bowl booked rock groups.  The neighbors complained that kids were trampling their flowers.  For this I received $26.00 in cash.  The cash almost covered the cost of cleaning your uniform for the month, depending on how many fights you got into.

 

The Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl

I remember one night at the Hollywood Bowl, I was stationed on the bathroom roof, just outside the ticket gate.  A rock group was performing and kids kept trying to climb the hill behind the bathroom.  I’d already chased away a half dozen kids who wanted to get in for free.  The crowd was large and the line for the women’s bathroom was already out the door.  Women everywhere can relate.  I heard a commotion on the back hill.  I walked to the back and saw a young lady on the hill.  I told her to get back down but she pleaded that she was only going to pee.  I told her to get down, but she protested and said I could watch if I wanted.  Not for $26.00.

 

The jobs were few and far between.  I wasn’t going to see Hawaii unless I watched an episode of Huell Howser on TV.  Over the next 10 years I picked up a job here and there but certainly nothing that allowed me to buy a new car.

 

One of the more unusual jobs I got was to get off work at 7:00 AM drive to Van Nuys, pick up a movie cop car and drive it to Griffith Park for a Burger King commercial.  Then drive it back at noon, all for $50 cash.  Well, we got to Griffith Park and the director didn’t like the sun position.  He wanted to wait until the sun was setting in the west.  We negotiated that for all day we would get $100 cash.  We slept, played football with the crew and ate every few hours.  I got into a poker game with a well-known actor/environmentalist  and won $50.  Some of the cops lost the days wages.

 

I knew cops who worked movie jobs.  Filming for movie jobs usually run 12 to 18 hours a day.  Too much standing or sitting around for me.  I worked with one officer who showed up for work with a week’s change of clothes.  He finished his patrol shift and went to a movie job.  He would return to work his next patrol shift.  He bought a very nice house and fancy cars for his wife.  After a few years she divorced him and took everything.  He remarried and started working the movie jobs again.  Big house, fancy cars and another divorce.  I don’t know if he ever figured out the problem was that he was never home.

 

Others worked security for celebrities, some at the celebrity’s residence and others traveled around the world with them.  Both were time consuming and frowned on by the Department.  The Department had a rule that you could work no more than 20 hours off duty a week.  It was seldom enforced.  For my non-police friends, a little known fact was that to work off duty you had to fill out a work permit form.  The form listed who you worked for and what your duties were. The form had to be approved by the Department and there were restrictions on certain employers.  Cops couldn’t work for a bar or strip club, or for employers of questionable reputation.  That alone wiped out most of our elected officials.  Just kidding.

 

My next Ramblings, I’ll discuss my moving up to the big leagues of off duty employment.  Movie Premieres, celebrity events and private parties.  It also included higher pay.