JUST THE FACTS--We’ve all seen the horrific news reports and read articles on the savage attack carried out in San Bernardino by the married couple Sayed Farook and Tashfeen Malik. Radicalized by their distorted Jihadi belief, they murdered 14 innocent people and wounded 21 others, then fled the scene.
With thousands of bullets and weapons at their disposal, the two were stopped when members of the San Bernardino law enforcement community observed their vehicle and gave chase. A pursuit and gun battle ensued and the two murderers were ultimately killed by law enforcement personnel.
While this deadly situation was taking place on the streets of San Bernardino County, less than 100 miles away, the Los Angeles City Council was in session debating how many bullets LAPD Reserve and Retired Officers could carry. It is ridiculous how four councilmembers ultimately voted to restrict LAPD reserve and retired officers to carrying only 10 rounds of ammunition.
After 33 years of service with the LAPD as a full time officer and the last 14 years as a Level 1 Reserve Officer, I have demonstrated my ability to “Protect and Serve” the people of Los Angeles in a professional, responsible and effective manner. I read that Councilman Paul Koretz voiced his concerns about retired officers carrying more than 10 rounds of ammo because they were not necessarily different than anybody else and might suffer depression or other problems after retiring.
It is obvious that Koretz is totally out of touch with reality. There are conditions, standards and reviews by the LAPD on CCW for retired officers. The only depression any LAPD officer could suffer from are the ridiculous and outrageous comments made by Councilman Koretz. He is more concerned about how many cats you have in your home than about the safety of the people of Los Angeles. Next time people think about voting for Koretz, they should remember this lack of support for the dedicated LAPD officers who have served the people of Los Angeles and retired with honor and dignity.
While the ultimate Council vote was 11 to 4 against this idea, Koretz led the crusade against the dedicated reserve and retired officers and was joined in his opposition by fellow councilmembers Martinez, Bonin and Ryu.
My compliments to Councilman Mitch Englander, (photo) a fellow reserve officer, who led the charge to provide an exemption to the 10 round rule for Reserve and Retired LAPD Officers.
As chair of the council’s Public Safety Committee, Englander knows what officers need and deserve. On behalf of my fellow retired and reserve officers, “a big thank you” to the members of Council that voted for public safety personnel past and present.
There is a current run on gun sales after this tragic terrorist attack in the homeland. People want to purchase guns to protect themselves and their families. I support the responsible ownership of guns for personal protection as is guaranteed by the Second Amendment. Considering the recent terrorist murders in Paris and others parts of the world, it is clear that law enforcement needs the support of political representatives and the public.
Please do your part as a Los Angeles resident to work with your local senior lead officer and other members of law enforcement. If you see something, say something. Don’t be afraid to report what you think may be illegal activity. Working together, we can keep Los Angeles safe.
UPDATE: DWP Billing Problems Continue
Those of you that have been following my DWP bill situation will be interested to know the latest. My bill started out at $1,830.25 and I made a recent payment. My latest bill is now $2,226.81. Interesting how the bill continued to increase even after I made a payment. Talk about a department that has billing problems. City Controller Ron Galperin should be auditing the management operations of the DWP. I’m wondering what we can expect from an elected city official that is rated Average (C) in both Leadership and Effectiveness by the LA Times.
I did receive an email from Dr. Pickel, the Ratepayer Advocate, offering to assist me with the DWP Bill situation. I will be happy to see if Dr. Pickel can help resolve the matter and will keep you informed as this situation continues.
Merry Christmas to all and may all the blessings of love and happiness be with you and your families during this holiday season …
(Dennis P. Zine is a 33 year member of the Los Angeles Police Department and former Vice-Chairman of the Elected Los Angeles City Charter Reform Commission, 12 year member of the Los Angeles City Council and current LAPD Reserve Officer. He writes Just the Facts for CityWatch. You can contact him at [email protected]) Photo at top: LA Times. Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 13 Issue 1008
Pub: Dec 11, 2015
