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Los Angeles Webster Commission records, 1931-1992
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John Barber, interview, 1992-06-18
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John Barber, interview, 1992-06-18
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PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL
ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
RE:
MEMORANDUM
SUSAN SPIVAK, ESQ.
KEN HEITZ, ESQ.
LAURIE L. LEVENSON
JANET LEVINE
JUNE 18, 1992
UCLA POLICE DEPARTMENT INTERVIEW
On June 18, 1992, at 9:30 a.m. at the UCLA Police
Department, we interviewed John Barber, Chief of Police for the
UCLA Police 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 18, 1992, Janet Levine and I met with John c.
Barber, Chief of the UCLA Police Department. The meeting lasted
from approximately 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. on that date.
The UCLA Police Department is part of the University of
California Police Services Agency. This State Police Services
Agency provides security for all of the University of California
campuses in the State.
Chief Barber has been Chief of the UCLA Police Department
for fourteen {14) years. Prior to that, he served as a
Lieutenant for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.
Chief Barber was in charge of the UCLA Police Department at
the time of the civil disturbances. The Department does not have
a formal report of the incidents that took place. Chief Barber
did provide us, however, with an oral summary of the events.
1
PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL
ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT
II. MATERIALS RECEIVED FROM THE UCLA POLICE DEPARTMENT
With Chief Barber's assistance, we were able to receive
several documents from the UCLA Police Department that may help
with our study. Three of these documents are attached to this
memorandum as Exhibits. They are:
Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
Exhibit C:
A copy of the UCLA Disaster Response Plan
(Received from Chief Barber);
A copy of the University Police Policies and
Procedures Manual, including map of
UCLA campus and police jurisdiction
(Received from Chief Barber);
A copy of Chief Barber's business card
(Received from Chief Barber).
In addition, Chief Barber directed Lieutenant Pietz who works for
the Department to provide us with a computer log of the incidents
from the civil disturbance. That log is attached as an exhibit
to the memorandum of interview of Lieutenant Pietz.
III. JURISDICTION OF UCLA POLICE DEPARTMENT
The UCLA Police Department has jurisdiction over all
incidents that occur on the UCLA campus and within one mile of
the campus. It also has jurisdiction over other University owned
property, including housing in the Sawtelle/Sepulveda area in
West Los Angeles.
The UCLA Police Department works regularly in coordination
with the West Los Angeles and Pacific Divisions of the Los
Angeles Police Department. The UCLA Police Department has 70
sworn officers and 14 security personnel (unarmed) who monitor
the UCLA Medical Center. The UCLA population during the day is
approximately 65,000; the evening campus population is
approximately 30,000 individuals.
The UCLA Police Department is ethnically diverse.
Approximately 52% of the officers are minorities; 56% of the
supervisors are minorities. Chief Barber coordinates the work of
his Department with Vice Chancellor Ray Schultz of UCLA, who is
in charge of campus administration.
2
PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL
ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT
IV. PREPLANNING
The UCLA Police Department does have a major incident plan
to assist in the event of a major incident on campus or in the
Westwood area. (Exhibit A). The plan is updated at least yearly
and Chief Barber has been responsible for the plan.
The campus holds yearly drills to educate its personnel on
how to deal with earthquakes and other disasters. Disaster
drills in the dormitories are held quarterly; the UCLA Medical
Center holds drills more frequently.
As part of its emergency services, the UCLA Police
Department has a fire truck. As it turned out, this fire truck
was one of only two fire trucks that remained on the west side of
Los Angeles during the civil disturbances.
The UCLA Police are well versed in how to deal with major
events because they coordinate such occasions yearly. These
events include graduation, major athletic competitions, dances,
and work with the Pasadena Police Department for Rose Bowl
events.
V. MUTUAL ASSISTANCE PACTS
The UCLA Police Department works regularly with the West
Bureau of the Los Angeles Police Department. The two agencies
are currently working on a formal mutual assistance agreement.
There was no formal agreement in place at the time of the civil
disturbances.
VI. CHRONOLOGY OF THE EVENTS
Chief Barber 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 will be provided
to us by Lieutenant Pietz.
Wednesday, April 29, 1992
At approximately 3:20 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29, 1992,
after the verdict in the King case, Chief Barber spoke to
Commander Bob Taylor of the West Bureau of the Los Angeles Police
Department. Chief Barber had been heading to a meeting off
campus, but as soon as he heard the verdict, he returned to
campus. He immediately put his officers on 12 hour shifts. LAPD
Commander Taylor had called Lieutenant Pietz of the UCLA Police
3
PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL
ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT
Department to discuss the possibility of violence following the
verdict and to request mutual assistance from the UCLA Police in
case there were disturbances in the UCLA area. Chief Barber
reported that at one point on Wednesday night, the LAPD had six
to eight officers policing the entire Westside. Chief Barber was
asked to have his officers police the parts of Westside of town
-- Brentwood, Westwood, and areas up to Mulhulland. UCLA
assisted LAPD by sending its officers to the streets, and leaving
only six to eight UCLA officers on campus.
Chief Barber contacted the University police assistance
network to arrange for assistance from other campuses. There are
340 officers in this assistance network and they frequently
assist each other in the case of a major incident.
At 10:00 p.m., LAPD and the UCLA Police received information
that there were students congregating in Westwood village for a
rally. There were 21 officers on duty at UCLA at the time. The
UCLA officers met with the watch commander from LAPD West L.A.
Division in Westwood Village. LAPD had asked UCLA to handle any
disturbance that may erupt.
The officers met in Westwood. There were 14 UCLA officers
and 8 LAPD officers. A crowd of approximately 200 youths, ages
17-22 and of all ethnicities, were holding a rally in the Village
at the corner of Westwood and Weyburn. At the end of the rally,
the youths split into four groups and began to break into
Westwood stores. The officers responded by dividing themselves
into four groups and pursuing the youth.
Over the course of the evening, the officers arrested 14
people for breaking into 9 stores. Many more individuals were
stopped and ordered to leave the area. At least some of the
violators had come to Westwood from a high school in the San
Fernando Valley area.
The arrestees were taken to either the West Los Angeles
LAPD, UCLA or West Hollywood Division of the Sheriff's Department
for booking and holding. Chief Barber explained that he
preferred to use the West Hollywood station of the Sheriff's
Department because it had computerized booking which is faster
and more efficient. The LAPD booking takes two to three hours.
There was violence in the Westwood area until 1:00 a.m. on
Thursday morning, April 30, 1992. One of the more eventful
arrests involved a five mile pursuit of some individuals who had
been looting the Footlocker store in Westwood. The UCLA police
4
PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL
ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT
pursued the looters southbound until the violators crashed their
vehicle in Culver City. The stolen goods were recovered. Chief
Barber is unaware of any personal injuries that occurred in
Westwood that evening. The LAPD officers had gone store to store
in the Village to warn the Westwood business owners to close
their businesses.
Thursday, April 30, 1992
By Thursday, April 30, 1992, the UCLA police were able to
stop any disturbances in their jurisdiction. There was a full
group of 25 officers on duty and even more LAPD personnel were
able to assist. The Chancellor of UCLA closed the campus at 4:00
p.m. on that date. Only emergencies were accepted at the
hospital. The UCLA Police were assisted on campus by Student
Community Services officers.
The only encounter by the UCLA Police on Thursday was their
assistance in an arrest on National and Sawtelle in the West Los
Angeles area near off-campus housing owned by UCLA. Westwood
Village itself was barricaded at dusk and the campus was closed.
Only emergencies were being accepted at the UCLA Medical Center.
Approximately 2,000 stayed on campus in the dormitories.
Chief Barber felt that his department was able to take quick
and effective preventative steps because they had responded
before to trouble in Westwood village. Accordingly, the UCLA
Police were able to use a plan that they had used before to
barricade off Westwood Village and the campus. The fire
department remained on standby. It responded to only alarm
incidents. There were no actual fires during the civil
disturbance.
Friday, May 1, 1992
On Friday afternoon, May 1, 1992, the Air National Guard
showed up in Westwood. They had not been requested by the UCLA
Police Department. When the Guard officers arrived, they were
posted on the barricades in Westwood to prevent further
disturbance.
VII. EVALUATION
Chief Barber believed there were several reasons his
department was able to respond well to the civil disturbance.
First, unlike the LAPD, the UCLA Police Department is not lacking
5
PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL
ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT
in resources. It is well equipped. Chief Barber observed that
LAPD frequently lacks radios and police vehicles.
Chief Barber praised the work of his officers. Wednesday
evening, April 29, 1992, Chief Barber was in command with
Lieutenant Pietz. Lieutenant Boyarsky took over the graveyard
post. The next day's shift was commanded by Carl Ross. Thursday
night UCLA Police Department was commanded by Alan Cueba.
Morale remained high with the UCLA police. On Wednesday
evening the officers were busy emptying campus and responding to
the Westwood rally and looting. Later, they had less to do. As
Chief Barber explained, once his individuals were put in place to
confront potential violators, the disturbance quieted down
quickly.
During the Los Angeles civil disturbance, State Campus
Police from other UC campuses assisted with the Mutual Aid
program coordinated out of the Los Alamitos Command Post. The
Campus Police did not go to UCLA but helped where they were
generally needed in Los Angeles. Campus Police from UC Davis and
UC Irvine reported to assist.
VIII. RELATIONSHIP WITH LAPD
The UCLA Police Department has a cooperative relationship
with the West Branch of the LAPD. Chief Barber described the
LAPD in general as a "800 lb. Gorilla." He explained that this
meant that the LAPD can be very bureaucratic and at times
arrogant.
UCLA Police Department and LAPD West Branch developed a good
working relationship during the 1984 Olympics. The officers
walked joint footbeats during that event. In general, however,
LAPD officers don't get along with other police departments. The
LAPD is viewed as being arrogant and not working well with the
community. Its command is "stifling."
Chief Barber believes that one reason LAPD works well with
the UCLA Police Department is that the LAPD needs the UCLA Police
Department. LAPD relies on the UCLA Police to handle calls from
Westwood and disruptions by the fraternities and sororities. In
fact, in past years, the UCLA Police Department has dispatched
calls for LAPD because LAPD did not have an adequate
communications system. Now, LAPD has improved its communication
system. Still, the UCLA Police will nearly always beat the LAPD
to calls in the area.
6
PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL
ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT
The UCLA Police Department and LAPD continue to work
together on a Regional Narcotics Task Force and Joint Sting
Projects to recover stolen property. In these joint task forces,
it is not unusual for the UCLA officers to supervise the LAPD.
Thus, the LAPD officers felt a little more comfortable with this
arrangement when it repeated itself during the disturbances.
Chief Barber opined that there is tremendous frustration
felt by the LAPD officers. He believes that many of the good
LAPD officers have left because things were not improving in
their Division. This is particularly true of the South Division.
Chief Barber encouraged us to speak to Bill Rathburn, current
Chief of Police in Dallas, Texas, regarding this issue. Chief
Barber also believes that work by the LAPD will improve if the
organization of the LAPD is flattened out so there is more
coordination and responsibility among the lower ranks.
UCLA Police Officers are trained at the Los Angeles
Sheriff's Academy. Although the UCLA officers have been invited
to train at the LAPD academy, the Chief does not want them to
because of the "LAPD style." LAPD officers can be impolite and
rude. They also like to make other officers do their work. LAPD
officers typically do not display a positive attitude toward the
community. The Sheriffs are much better in how they treat people
and better in tune with the community they are serving. The
Sheriff, perhaps because he is elected, insists that his officers
have a different attitude. Chief Barber believes that there is a
great opportunity for new LAPD Police Chief Willie Williams to
appoint new Asst. Div. Chiefs and revamp the LAPD.
Overall, Chief Barber believes that the UCLA Police are able
to work with the West Bureau of the LAPD because the West Bureau
is not afraid to request assistance and work with the UCLA
officers. This cooperative attitude helped both departments
respond during the civil disturbances. The West Bureau of the
LAPD was at least two hours ahead of the South Bureau in getting
its officers into the streets at the beginning of the civil
disturbances.
IX. FOLLOW-UP WORK
Chief Barber informed us that there will be a very
interesting seminar in Washington D.C. on July 22 -24 of this
summer. The seminar will be a meeting for the International
Chiefs of Police. He expects the following individuals to speak:
7
PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL
ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT
* Miami Fla. Special Commander regarding
Florida's plans to deal with disturbances;
* Asst. Sheriff Jerry Harper who will discuss
the relationship between Block and Gates;
* Lt. Mike Hillman (LAPD SWAT and Special Units}
who would be able to give an interesting
perspective on the actions of the LAPD
during the disturbances.
Chief Barber also told us to contact Lieutenant Pietz of his
Department for additional information and computer logs of the
Civil Disturbance.
Additionally, Dave Campanero heads the Community Services
Department of UCLA. He has information regarding the
University's other emergency services, including its ambulances.
8
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Description
Interview of John Barber, Chief of Police for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Police Department, about his Department's role in the civil disturbance. Also included as addenda are materials related to UCLA's Disaster Response Plan, 1992 June 18. PART OF SERIES: After the violence had subsided, the Webster Commission met with a variety of public officials, law enforcement personnel, activists, and community leaders to discuss the rioting, its root causes, and the adequacy of the LAPD's response. The series includes summaries of these meetings, including questions and comments along with the interviewers' own mental impressions, conclusions, and opinions. Materials are arranged in alphabetical order, according to the last name of the interviewee.
Asset Metadata
Core Title
John Barber, interview, 1992-06-18
Tag
OAI-PMH Harvest
Format
8 p.
(format),
application/pdf
(imt),
Interviews
(aat)
Permanent Link (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25549/webster-c100-30802
Unique identifier
UC11447812
Identifier
box 19 (box),web-box19-017-01.pdf (filename),folder 17 (folder),webster-c100-30802 (legacy record id)
Legacy Identifier
web-box19-017/web-box19-017-01.pdf
Dmrecord
30802
Format
8 p. (format),application/pdf (imt),Interviews (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