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Los Angeles Webster Commission records, 1931-1992
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Roundtable 10, discussion, 1992-06-29
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Roundtable 10, discussion, 1992-06-29
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DATE
TO
FROM
RE
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
MEMORANDUM
June 29, 1992
Jan L. Handzlik
Privileged and Confidential
Attorney Work Product
Susan I. Spivak, Deputies General Counsel
Laurie L. Levenson
Tracy W. Young, Staff Members
Summary/USC Security Department Interview
SUMMARY
This interview with Lt. David Ritch, Lt. Michael Kennedy, Sgt.
John Lewis and Sgt. Michael Heckelman of the USC Security
Department ("USC Security"), focuses upon the preparation of that
department for the civil unrest and the effectiveness of their
response, as well as their coordination with other agencies.
On June 26, 1992 at approximately 10:15 a.m. at the USC
Security Department off ice on the campus of use, Laurie L. Levenson
and Tracy W. Young interviewed the following officers of the USC
Security Department: Lt. David Rich, Lt. Michael Kennedy, Sgt.
John Lewis and Sgt. Michael Heckelman. The following is a summary
of our recollection of this meeting, including our questions and
comments, together with our mental impressions, conclusions and
opinions, based upon the meeting.
The USC campus sustained minimal damage and experienced, all
things considered, minimal problems throughout the civil
disturbance. Although fires were burning all around them and
looting was occurring all around them, the use Security managed to
secure the campus and aid other agencies through the provision of
food and assistance. The USC Security Department's jurisdiction is
limited as is their manpower. They were, however, ready, willing
and able. In sum, the use Security Department is willing to work
with the LAPD; however, the LAPD's attitude toward the use Security
Department as well as the surrounding community it not very
supportive of that relationship.
DATE
.
.
TO
FROM
.
.
RE
.
.
MEMORANDUM
June 29, 1992
Jan L. Handzlik
Susan Spivak, Deputies
Laurie L. Levenson
Tracy W. Young, Staff
Privileged and Confidential
Attorney Work Product
General Counsel
Members
USC Security Department Interview
On June 26, 1992 at 10:00 a.m. at the USC Security
Department, we interviewed Lieutenant David Ritch, Lieutenant
Michael Kennedy, Sergeant John Lewis and Sergeant Michael
Heckelman of the USC Security Services Department. The following
is a summary of our recollections of this meeting, including our
questions and comments, together with our mental impressions,
conclusions and opinions, based upon the meeting.
I. INTRODUCTION
On June 26, 1992, Laurie L. Levenson and I met with the
following officers of the USC Security Services Department:
Lieutenant David Ritch, Lieutenant Michael Kennedy, Sergeant John
Lewis and Sergeant Michael Heckelman. We had originally been
scheduled to meet with Chief Ward, but at the last minute he was
detained elsewhere. The meeting lasted from approximately 10:15
a.m. to 11:45 a.m. The interview was primarily of Lieutenant
Ritch. Where statements are attributable to the three other
officers, they will be identified as such. The contributions of
the three other officers were pursuant to the request of
Lieutenant Ritch.
The USC Security Services Department provides security for
the USC campus and off campus housing, which comprises
approximately four square miles.
The Security Department has approximately 58 sworn peace
officers, with 119 to 120 community service officers who are
unarmed. They also employ clerical staff, dispatchers and other
support staff on a part time basis.
tb:9999.602
\baod0629.mom
Jan L. Handzlik
Susan Spivak,
Deputies General Counsel
June 29, 1992
Page 2
They normally operate with a three watch system. During the
recent civil unrest, however, they switched to a 12-hour
deployment system. Lieutenant Ritch functioned as the watch
commander during the A shift.
II. MATERIALS RECEIVED FROM THE USC SECURITY DEPARTMENT
We were able to receive several documents from the USC
Security Department that may help with our study. These
documents are attached to this memorandum as exhibits. They are:
Exhibit "A": A copy of the USC Security Department
Crime/Incident Summary for the civil unrest period beginning
Wednesday, April 29, 1992, 15:30 hours, to Monday, May 4, 1992,
0700 hours;
Exhibit "B": A copy of several announcements from the Safe
Streets Bureau and the Emergency Operations Bureau dated 5/3/92,
5/2/92 and 5/4/92;
Exhibit "C": A copy of the 1991 Annual Crime/Incident
Report Summary for various sectors, including the Embassy
Residential Campus, Fraternity Row, Health Sciences Campus and
USC Campus;
Exhibit "D": An emergency 5/1/92 message from the L.A.P.D.
indicating threats that gang members in the Oakland area would be
coming to the South Central area to "kill as many police officers
as they can" which was supposedly related to 200 L.A.P.D. and
Inglewood police uniforms that were stolen from a cleaners in
Hyde Park on 4/30/92;
Exhibit "E": Copies of watch assignments;
Exhibit "F": Copies of informational bulletins, the daily
activity log for 5/3/92, lists of telephone numbers, 5/2/92
office correspondence regarding unusual occurrence deployment
changes, handwritten 4/31/92 chronology of the USC Emergency
Operation Center for Occurrences and Disposition;
Exhibit "G": Copies of various newspaper articles,
including a pictorial chronology of the King verdict aftermath in
the USC area;
USC.memo
Jan L. Handzlik
Susan Spivak,
Deputies General Counsel
June 29, 1992
Page 3
Exhibit "H": Two memoranda dated respectively 5/8/92 and
5/12/92 regarding rumors of gangs' future intentions with respect
to harming police officers; and
Exhibit "I": A 5/6/92 letter of thanks and appreciation to
the security officers from the University of Payroll Services.
III. JURISDICTION OF USC SECURITY DEPARTMENT
The USC Security Department has jurisdiction over all
incidents that occur on the USC campus and in off campus housing.
They also provide a sixteen-man detail, including a lieutenant
and a sergeant, to the USC Medical School and Hospital which are
off campus.
During session, the USC population during the day is
approximately 50,000, with the population dropping to
approximately 10,000 students at night.
IV. RELATIONSHIP WITH L.A.P.D. AND SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT
The USC Security Department has a memorandum of
understanding with the Los Angeles Police Department. They work
in coordination with the Southwest Division of the L.A.P.D.,
Captain Garrett Zimmion. They take approximately 1,700 L.A.P.D.
reports yearly.
Lieutenant Ritch stated that the L.A.P.D. treats the USC
Security as "second class." Additionally, whereas the USC
Security Department works closely with the community, the
L.A.P.D. does not. For example, USC Security attends community
meetings and the L.A.P.D. does not. According to Lieutenant
Ritch, the community reacts differently to the L.A.P.D. who are
heavy handed, handcuffing everyone and requiring them to sit on
the street, which he considers to be demeaning. He also
criticizes their failure to tell people why they are under
arrest.
The USC Security Department makes sure they have probable
cause before effecting an arrest and do not handcuff unless they
are going to book the individual. Lieutenant Ritch has seen some
tactics of the L.A.P.D. change since the Rodney King beating.
USC.memo
Jan L. Handzlik
Susan Spivak,
Deputies General Counsel
June 29, 1992
Page 4
Lieutenant Ritch summarized the L.A.P.D. attitude as the
Marine Corps adage, "we are the best" or "us versus them"
attitude.
The USC Security Department does not have a mutual
assistance agreement with the Sheriffs Department.
V. PREPLANNING
The USC Security Department has a campus disruption manual,
as well as other manuals noted below.
The USC Security Department had a drill a week before the
King verdict. This was the EOC requirement in conjunction with
April being earthquake awareness month.
There is an Emergency Operations Center on top of the
Topping Student Center. They arranged for the drill. A
representative of every major service on campus was there.
The campus does not have a fire truck, but campus police
cars carry fire extinguishers.
The USC Security Department was trained to deal with
expected problems resulting during the 1984 Olympics, but
Lieutenant Ritch felt that the training for the Olympics was
insufficient to prepare them for the civil disturbance in April
and May 1992.
Lieutenant Ritch informed us that approximately two weeks
before the civil disturbance, a sergeant with the L.A.P.D. came
to them off the record and asked if they had contingency plans.
USC Security discussed this among themselves, but did not come up
with any formal contingency plans. They discussed the possibility
of strengthening deployment, etc.
VI. CHRONOLOGY of EVENTS
Lieutenant Ritch provided the following chronology of the
events that occurred in his jurisdiction during the civil
disturbance. A computer log of the actions of his department and
the incidents which occurred has been provided by Sergeant John
Lewis and is attached hereto as Exhibit "A".
USC.memo
Jan L. Handzlik
Susan Spivak,
Deputies General Counsel
June 29, 1992
Page 5
Wednesday. April 29. 1992
When the verdict was announced at approximately 3:00 p.m.,
Sergeant Drake was the watch commander. Chief Ward was at an
emergency planning meeting in Pasadena for the Earthquake Center.
At approximately 5:15 p.m., Lieutenant Ritch called the P.M.
watch commander after he had seen incidents beginning to occur on
television. The watch commander beeped Chief Ward. They were
not really getting information from the L.A.P.D.
At approximately 7:00 p.m. they went on tactical alert. Two
students were assaulted early on. A non-USC person was shot on
37th and Vermont and the USC Security responded to help that
person. There was also a fire in a dumpster at the
Administration Building. They called the Fire Department but
were told there would be no response. They eventually put that
fire out with fire extinguishers and a garden hose. They
generally coordinate with Fire Station 15 on Jefferson between
Mcclintock and Hoover, Batallion 3.
The USC Security Department did not have enough people to go
out into the streets. Their plan was to secure the campus and to
ensure the safety of off campus people. At approximately 10:00
p.m. they decided to evacuate the off campus people. The
evacuation was mandatory. They were provided with beds. The
dorms were emptier because of the start of finals. In fact,
Lieutenant Ritch referred to the campus as a "ghost town", which
was to their benefit.
They called in people, eventually garnering a staff of
approximately 70, including community service people. There is a
breakdown of personnel on the log provided as Exhibit "A".
Lieutenant Mike Kennedy was called in at approximately 7:00 p.m.
Sergeant Lewis was working as a field supervisor during the
unrest.
USC Security closed the campus gates at approximately 7:30
p.m. and posted armed officers at approximately 8:30 p.m. They
used Community Services officers on fixed posts and had armed
officers in cars. They also provided escorts for the tram
service.
They did not call in assistance from the L.A.P.D.
USC.memo
Jan L. Handzlik
Susan Spivak,
Deputies General Counsel
June 29, 1992
Page 6
Thursday. April 30. 1992
They saw people walking in the streets with gas cans looking
for gas. The service stations were closed. USC had its own gas
which it provided to its employees.
USC responded to some calls to which the L.A.P.D. could not
respond. L.A.P.D. dispatched the USC police to these emergency
calls. (These calls may not be on the log). Almost everything
was burned out by Thursday night. The only market that was not
burned was the 32nd Street Market on campus where a guard was
posted.
There were approximately 4,500 to 5,000 people on campus.
Many of these were evacuated from the campus by Thursday. They
reassessed their deployment on Thursday, attempting to keep a
fluid mobile force. They were monitoring the market fire
occurring across from the campus but did not have equipment to
extinguish it. They had jurisdiction to make looting arrests,
but they did not have the manpower to make the arrests.
Campus Administration coordinated with the EOC by 8:30 A.M.
Thursday. The University President arrived on Thursday and slept
in his office. He shut down the campus and called off final
exams.
They opened one of the campus dining halls on a 24 hour
basis to feed campus personnel and students, but also fed
L.A.P.D. and National Guardsmen. Box lunches were provided to
the L.A.P.D. Southwest Division. That division was originally
invited to the dining hall, but then others came. They provided
approximately 500 box lunches daily to Southwest Command Post, as
well as to the National Guard.
Chief Ward met with Lieutenant Zimmion of the Southwest
Division and Captain Frank Persall, the Commander assigned to the
Police Commission. He was also in contact with the Sheriffs.
General. No Specific Day
Most of the security officers had their issued equipment.
They had numerous radios, they commandeered vehicles, everything
that was available. They broke into the physical plant and
USC.memo
Jan L. Handzlik
Susan Spivak,
Deputies General Counsel
June 29, 1992
Page 7
obtained additional fire extinguishers and set then a specific
location to be distributed if necessary.
They obtained the services of Dr. Mark Figater with a nurse
and manned a trauma unit at the health center. This, luckily,
was not utilized.
Only two arrests were effected by the Campus Security.
These were two automobile burglars who were arrested and booked
at the Southwest Division. According to Lieutenant Rich, these
were not riot related and the arrests occurred on Saturday
afternoon. Apparently, the Southwest Division had "express
booking" for looters.
There were few arrests of individuals from the community.
This was "commuter crime." There was little damage on campus,
one broken window, one assault and the fire in the administration
building dumpster. There were no attacks on U.S.C. Security
Officers.
VII. TRAINING
Lieutenant Mike Kennedy, Sergeant Mike Heckelman's boss, is
the officer responsible for planning and training services,
research and equipment. Nothing specific was set up for dealing
with the King verdict. They responded to what was happening.
When the verdict came in there had been a conversation regarding
USC sending someone to the Southwest Division Command Post, but
too much was going on. There was communication throughout with
the L.A.P.D.
Sergeant Heckelman informed us that there had been rank and
file training in late March and early April. The Department has
no official ties with the County Emergency Plans but does have a
campus disruption manual. He believes it would be helpful to get
other departments' response plans, but each department needs to
plan on its own.
VIII. EVALUATION
Lieutenant Ritch believes that the USC Security Department
operated efficiently and secured the campus early. Although some
of his officers did not have their issued equipment, a matter
USC.memo
Jan L. Handzlik
Susan Spivak,
Deputies General Counsel
June 29, 1992
Page 8
which will be dealt with internally, they generally had enough
equipment.
There are informal agreements between the various
universities regarding mutual assistance. They are currently
discussing with other State Universities a possible
communications link.
Lieutenant Ritch was unsatisfied with the phone system.
They were flooded with telephone calls requesting information.
There is a problem with the general information line because when
it became clogged, it rolled over into the emergency line.
Lieutenant Ritch's time would have been better spent handling the
emergency as opposed to answering telephones. In one day the USC
system took in approximately 329,000 calls.
Lieutenant Kennedy also commented on the overtaxing of the
communications system. He said this resulted in calls and
notification delays. There was also an ambulance delayed to the
gunshot victim outside of the campus. USC Security had to
finally go to Station 15 and escort an EMT ambulance.
They had no unlisted numbers for their own personnel for
internal use only, which they may include in the future.
IX. MATERIALS TO BE RECEIVED AND PEOPLE TO CONTACT
JSC Security is currently undergoing a peer review by
other college campus departments. For the purpose of that review
they have put together packets which contain much of the
information the Webster commission is seeking. Lieutenant Ritch
will ask Chief Ward to provide us with one of these packets.
There was also a marathon debriefing session within the
Security Department after the civil disturbance. Chief Ward took
notes of this debriefing and if we want to see these notes we
will have to ask Chief Ward.
Sergeant Mike Heckelman, who was at the Emergency Operation
Center during the civil disturbance, informed us that they are
currently working on a revised disaster planning manual which may
address the riot and will address scheduling and notification .
USC also has an emergency response plan prepared by William
USC.memo
Jan L. Handzlik
Susan Spivak,
Deputies General Counsel
June 29, 1992
Page 9
Regensburger, Head of Emergency Planning for USC. Each key unit
has its own plan, although they are mainly designed for
earthquakes. Sergeant Heckelman also identified a USC campus
disruption manual. Sergeant Heckelman will obtain copies of
these documents and will coordinate with Laurie Levenson.
Laurie Levenson will telephone Chief Ward regarding obtaining
mutual assistance agreements.
USC.memo
Linked assets
Los Angeles Webster Commission records, 1931-1992
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George Rodriguez, interview, 1992-07-29
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Sharon Papa, interview, 1992-06-24
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Frank Piersol, interview, 1992-06-16
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Oliver Thompson, interview, 1992-06-18
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Richard Odenthal, interview, 1992-08-27
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Gabriel Ornelas, interview, 1992-06-19
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USC security department crime / incident summary, 1992-04-29/1992-05-04
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Description
Roundtable discussion with Lieutenant David Ritch, Lieutenant Michael Kennedy, Sergeant John Lewis, and Sergeant Michael Heckelman of the University of Southern California Security Department. The discussion covers the preparation of their Department for the civil disturbance, the effectiveness of its response, and its coordination with other law enforcement agencies, 1992 June 29.
Asset Metadata
Core Title
Roundtable 10, discussion, 1992-06-29
Tag
OAI-PMH Harvest
Format
10 p.
(format),
application/pdf
(imt),
discussions (meetings)
(aat)
Permanent Link (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25549/webster-c100-32486
Unique identifier
UC11449699
Identifier
box 20 (box),web-box20-079-02.pdf (filename),folder 79 (folder),webster-c100-32486 (legacy record id)
Legacy Identifier
web-box20-079/web-box20-079-02.pdf
Dmrecord
32486
Format
10 p. (format),application/pdf (imt),discussions (meetings) (aat)
Type
texts
Tags
Folder test
Inherited Values
Title
Los Angeles Webster Commission records, 1931-1992
Description
Chaired by former federal judge and FBI and CIA Director William H. Webster, the Los Angeles Webster Commission assessed law enforcement's performance in connection with the April, 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest. The collection consists of materials collected and studied by the Commission over the course of its investigation. Materials pertain to both the Los Angeles incident specifically, and civil disturbance, civil unrest control, and policing tactics in general.
Included in the collection are the following: interviews with LAPD officers, law enforcement personnel, government officials, community leaders, and activists; articles, broadcasts, and press releases covering the civil unrest; various tactical and contingency plans created for disasters and emergencies; reports, studies, and manuals about civil unrest control and prevention; literature about community-based policing strategies; emergency plans and procedures developed by other cities; and after-action reports issued once the civil unrest had subsided. Also featured are items related to the internal operations of the LAPD both before and during the civil unrest, including activity reports, meeting agendas and minutes, arrest data, annual reports, curricula and educational materials, and personnel rosters.
See also the finding aid (https://archives.usc.edu/repositories/3/resources/2266).
See also The Los Angeles Riots: The Independent and Webster Commissions Collections (https://scalar.usc.edu/works/the-los-angeles-riots-christopher-and-webster-commissions-collections/index).
Related collections in the USC Digital Library:
? Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, 1991 (see also the finding aid: https://archives.usc.edu/repositories/3/resources/2251)
? Richard M. Mosk Christopher Commission records, 1988-2011 (see also the finding aid: https://archives.usc.edu/repositories/3/resources/393)
? Kendall O. Price Los Angeles riots records, 1965-1967 (see also the finding aid: https://archives.usc.edu/repositories/3/resources/979)
? Watts riots records, 1965 (see also the finding aid: https://archives.usc.edu/repositories/3/resources/83)
Thanks to generous support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the USC Libraries are digitizing this collection for online public access.
Coverage Temporal
1931/1992