By Hal Collier, Retired LAPD
Ok, this Ramblings goes back to the mid 70’s. As always, I was working AM Watch (11:30 PM to 7 AM). I arrested what I thought was a commonly referred to as a Drag Queen. A drag queen was a man who dressed as a woman and usually acted as a prostitute. Now days in our politically correct world they are referred to as transgender and use whatever bathroom they choose.
Oops, I let that slip out.
They were pretty common in Hollywood at the time and were often arrested for prostitution, lewd conduct and various theft charges including robbery. The thefts and robbery usually involved a late-night encounter from some Hollywood street corner. The high crime statistics were causing the captain to yell at my lieutenant, who yelled at my sergeant, who yelled at guess who?
It always rolls downhill and I was at the bottom with the shovel.
So, this one night I arrested this drag queen. I don’t really remember for what and since this story is over 40 years old it doesn’t really matter. I transported him to the station and preceded to book him in the Hollywood jail. Hollywood jail was a men’s only facility and the policy at the time was a strip search of all felony arrests. I thought, this shouldn’t take long and I can get back out on the streets and fight crime. My arrestee said, “You know, I’m a woman!”
Huh? “You were a man months ago when you were arrested for warrants.”
He/she said, “But I’d had some surgery and now I’m a woman!”
I flashed back a few months ago to a partner who arrested a drag queen for the fourth time. He had always been a man and this time when he was arrested and strip searched him he discovered he was now a woman. The man had surgery that changed his sex to female. The story made a few gay newspapers and a complaint was made to our internal affairs.
My undetermined-sex arrestee said the magic words, “I want to speak to your
Watch Commander!”
Part 2: Search or don’t Search? What would you do?