| By Ed Meckle, Retired LAPD | |||
For: Maura, Mary, Anne, Megan and Bill Fitzgerald
If I had to guess I would imagine the average age of the officer out there in the black and white right now would be mid 20’s. This is totally unscientific and based only on observation.
However, it was not always so. My first year in patrol was 1957. The PD was populated with returning WWII vets and both of my partners (teachers) were ex-military and probably in their 40’s as seemingly most of the department. Officers looked like what you would imagine a copper should look like. Something from a 40’s black and white crime movie. Large, tough and no nonsense. This was the era of the hat squad and in my opinion, it was these older uniforms and detectives that made the LAPD what it is today and earned the reputation as the “Best of the Best.”
Chief William H. Parker spoke at my graduation and his words still ring true. Paraphrased, he said, “You now inherit the good name and are part of a very well-respected organization. You stand on the shoulders of giants.” Without actually saying so, we were told not to “f**k it up.”
My partners were Ward Fitzgerald and Hal Brasher. Both vets and looking back I consider myself a very lucky man to draw two of the best. They were very much alike and (if this makes sense) very different. Both were soft spoken, and I never heard either raise his voice or lose his temper. They never lectured or preached but let me learn by example. They naturally shared experiences and tips and I felt like a little leaguer hanging out with the N.Y. Yankees.
Hal had a great sense of humor and shared stories. Ward was always cheerful and in good spirits, quieter than Hal but when he spoke you listened because he had something to say. Both had a way with people. Hal, smiling and kind of easy going while Ward had a very calming manner about him which lowered most semi-hostile situations.
Our patrol area was the northwest corner of the old University Division (3A15). A residential/business mix, old, poor and more than our share of crime. Despite this I felt most of the residents were hardworking, law abiding, God-fearing citizens.
One fairly common call was, “see the man/woman, family dispute.” We were expected to act as marriage counselors. This is the story of one such call.
Working with Ward we responded and found the couple to be elderly, polite and respectful to the law.
Usual practice was to separate them, speak quietly and hope to defuse the situation before it could turn violent. They listened politely and then said that they just didn’t think they could continue living together.
Ward gave the usual pitch about seeking professional help or in the extreme, divorce, etc.
Their answer was a classic. They couldn’t divorce because they never married. They were “common law.”
{ASIDE} Common law briefly means living together and holding yourself out as a married couple resulted after a while in a “common law” relationship. It was a routine situation for the time and place, but too complicated to discuss here.
By this time in my training process I had learned to let nothing I saw or heard surprise me.
Wards statement did. He told them that police officers were permitted by law to perform “common law divorces.”
I was sent to the car to retrieve the Vehicle Code. It was the dimensions of the Readers Digest but about 2-3 inches thick.
In bold print on the cover were the words VEHICLE CODE of the STATE OF CALIFORNIA. Holding his thumb over the word “Vehicle” he let them see the rest of the title.
If they wished to go through with this, he told them they would place their left hands on the book holding the right hand up. At this point Ward rattled off some very impressive mumbo-jumbo. Did they wish to proceed? Oh, by the way, one of you has to leave the house and never return. They conferred and decided they would try to work it out.
Later in the car I commented on his expert flim-flammery. His answer: “We kept the peace and did no harm, right?”
That was pure Ward, my teacher and friend.
RIP Sir.
12 replies on “The Call Box: A Common Law Divorce”
That is why I joined the LAPD. Stories like that as seen on Dragnet, Adam 12, and Joe Wambaugh’s novels. These sources took real life experiences from the job and shared them with us. As I have said before, it’s a calling and not everyone can do it. When I was a rookie, ’73, I heard the old timers say,”I’m retiring soon, cop work is not the same, you can’t do your job anymore.” I didn’t know the difference not having anything to compare it to except what I was told, read about and watched on the big screen and TV. So, it was my turn to press on and live my experiences. Funny thing, my generation said the same thing as we were “pulling the pin.” But, it goes on. Thank you sir.
I think every generation of coppers has their issues. Certainly this new crop will have things we never dreamed of to cope with. I think, in the big picture, that it’s cyclical. The problems, faces and solutions may change but the job remains the same–uphold the law and keep the peace. Thanks for your thoughts, Mikey. You have a great perspective.
Thonie, these stories are great and bring back many memories. My training officer and I handled the call of a man claiming that little men were crawling through a crack in his ceiling and harassing him. My FTO grabbed a radar gun from his trunk and “magnetized” the crack, thus preventing the men from gaining access. I worry that in today’s environment he would have risked being brought up on charges of practicing psychiatry without a license….
My San Rafael PD guys (waay back in the 70’s) did something similar for lie detecting: they used portable radios (with squelch adjusted at strategic moments) to call out a lie, mostly on drunks. Thanks, Dave. Creativity and a sense of humor are crucial in this line of work.
Ed, thank you so much for this gift! We love reading about what our Dad, Ward, was like as a partner, officer and friend. Reading how you felt about him, perceived him and how he handled the many odd situations an officer finds himself in is a treasure. Last month was 44 years since he died, I was 6 years old at the time. I remember my Dad telling us his life stories when we were young. They were about growing up and the war. I think he would love that you are sharing this part of his life with us. You are doing for us, what he had not gotten to yet.
Love and appreciation,
Maura Fitzgerald Sekas
Maura,
I’m so glad Ed can share his memories with you and your family. Your dad sounds like he was one in a million. Lucky for us that Ed’s such a great storyteller!
MAURA ; Thonie hit it on the head, He was one in a million.
Hi Ed!
Thank you SO much for sharing this great story. Like my sister Maura said, I miss having Dad around to share these stories with us. I appreciate every little morsel you are able to share.
And Thonie, thank you for creating a space for these stories to be shared with us. I can’t tell you both how much we all appreciate it.
Thank you!
Mary Fitzgerald (Ward’s #4 child)
It truly is my pleasure!
Ed, I’m so glad you were there back then to have these experiences with Dad. I’m so glad you’re here now to tell us about them. Thank you so much!
Anne Fitzgerald
I was 22 years old when I hit the Jackpot and was trained by your dad and Hal. I was a former Marines Sgt world traveled and thought I knew it all. It was men like your father and Hal and thousands of other WWII vets that made the LAPD what it is today. I was in the right place at the right time and thought about them often as I passed along the knowledge, the moxie and the tradition of the worlds finest PD. Be Proud Guys/Gals he was the best of the best. Love ya.
Love this! Thank you so much for sharing. It sure means a lot to us! If you ever think of any other memories to share, we always appreciate them. ❤️