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Plan goal: Halt attacks on L.A. officers By David Zahniser, Copley News Service January 22, 2004 Alarmed by what she described as "open warfare" on the Los Angeles Police Department, Councilwoman Janice Hahn called Wednesday for the city to offer a $75,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of suspects who try to attack uniformed officers. Hahn and Councilman Martin Ludlow made the reward proposal hours after police were fired on in Watts, the northernmost end of the councilwoman's district. Attempted shootings of LAPD officers increased 28 percent last year, the largest increase ever re- corded by the department, ac- cording to police officials. The latest attempt occurred Wednesday about 2 a.m. outside Nickerson Gardens, a city housing project where federal agents and local police made 41 arrests. "It is like the wild, wild west," said Hahn, whose district includes the Harbor Area. "Literally, it is happening like I've only seen in movies." The City Council voted 11-0 for the proposal, which was submitted as an emergency measure. The council instructed City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo to prepare a law increasing the possible reward from $25,000 to $75,000 in cases involving an attack on officers or on witnesses who cooperate with the police. No officer was injured in Wednesday's attack, which occurred after police attempted to pull over a motorist who was driving erratically, authorities said. Even before that incident, Police Chief William Bratton had begun warning the LAPD's rank-and-file that they faced greater danger than in previous years, partly because of the department's aggressive push to decrease homicides and gang crimes. Bratton expressed special dismay at the situation at Nickerson Gardens, where there have been four unprovoked shootings at uni- formed police officers in the past 50 days. "The idea that in that relatively small community ... four assaults, deadly assaults, unprovoked, (would be made) against members of the Los Angeles Police Department, is outrageous," he said. The police chief has concentrated much of the department's resources on illegal gang activity taking place in South Los Angeles, asking for support from other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Homicides dropped 22 percent citywide in 2003, but Bratton is pushing for another 20 percent decrease this year. In Los Angeles, the council routinely offers rewards of $25,000 for information leading to the arrest of suspects in high-profile homicide cases. Because they are intimidated by gangs, potential witnesses rarely come forward to seek such rewards. Council members also have begun weighing a proposal to double rewards in other major crimes to $50,000. But they argued that extra steps should be taken to address the increasingly lethal environment faced by police. "If (suspects) feel it is acceptable to shoot at police officers ... and the witnesses who cooperate with law enforcement, imagine how easy it is for them to shoot at our families," said Ludlow, whose district includes parts of Crenshaw Boulevard. Gang members are firing not just at police but at paramedics, school security officers and sheriff's deputies, Hahn said. If the reward jumps to $75,000, witnesses might find the courage to come forward about Wednesday's attack, she said. "I guarantee you that someone in Nickerson Gardens saw this, knows who those suspects are and could give that information to police officers," Hahn said. Publish Date:January 22, 2004 News Topics | Home | Research | History | Blood Gangs | Crip Gangs | People| Life in a Gang | Gallery | Iraqi Cards | Memorial | Migration | Graffiti | Resume| Injunctions Homicides | Maps | California Prisons | Contact

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