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Los Angeles Webster Commission records, 1931-1992
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After-action report, Central Area, 1992-10-28
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After-action report, Central Area, 1992-10-28
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October 28, 1991 4.1 INTRADEPARTMENTAL CORRESPONDENCE TO: Commanding Officer, Tacti.cal Planning Section FROM: Commanding Officer, Central Area SUBJECT: AFTER ACTION REPORT Attached is Central Area's after action report for the "Act Up LA" demonstration which occurred at the California State Building, 301 South Main Street on September 30, 1991, 1200 hours. - -·-) ( .... <~ , ~h ~ , - ~ ·- ·?->-, '/,, -;tr..,;;,.,.,.</. (.,/ .:._..,_,, .// JIM TATREAU, Captain Acting Commanding Officer Central Area APPROVED: BERNARD C. PARKS, Deputy Chief Commanding Officer Operations-Central Bureau Attachment UNUSUAL- OCCURRENCE AFTER ACTION REPORT CALIFORNIA STATE BUILDING, 301 SOUTH MAIN STREET CENTRAL AREA SEPTEMBER 30, 1991, 1200 HOURS I. TYPE OF OCCURRENCE A. The Type of Occurrence: "Act Up LA" Demonstration B. Brief Background: The Los Angeles Police Department responded to ·the scene of a demonstration that turned disruptive. The demonstrators, members of a group called, "Act Up LA," were protesting Governor Wilson's veto of the "Gay Rights Bill." Protestors attempted to storm the State Building by smashing the glass in the front at the entrance. State Police officers overwhelmed by the protesters, requested the assistance of the Los Angeles Police Department. C. Location: The demonstration occurred at the California State Building located at 301 Main Street. The building has two main entrances located on. Main Street and Spring Street. Both of these entrances were targeted by the demonstrators. The larger affected area involved Main Street and Spring Street between Third Street and Fourth Street, and Third Street between Main Street and Spring Street. In addition, to the above demonstration area, Third Street between Los Angeles Street and Main Street was closed and used for police vehicle parking. D. Date/Time and Duration: September 30, 1991, 1200 to 1340 hours. Total duration of the incident was one hour and forty minutes. II. FIELD COMMAND POST INFORMATION A. Location of Field Command Post: The Field Command Post was established at the southwest corner of Third Street and Los Angeles Street by utilizing Central Area's Mobil Substation. B. Staff Level: Field Commander - Captain Jim Tatreau Operations Officer - Lieutenant W. Taylor Assistant Operations Officer - Sergeant A. Sorkness Personnel Officer - Sergeant R. Lillig Central Bureau Liaison - Sergeant Mcomber State Police Liaison - Sergeant S. Staples Department of Transportation Liaison - Officer Gardner Radio Operator - Officer J. Haro Journal Clerk - Officer C. Hammond Personnel Aide - Officer Gomez Unusual Occurrence Page 2 4.1 C. Mobil Command Post Vehicle: The · Central .Area's Mobil Substation was deployed as the command post. D. Hours of Watch: Normal watch hours. III. CHRONOLOGICAL NARRATIVE On September 30, 1991, at 0745 hours, Central Patrol Day Watch Commander was notified by Detective Langford, Anti-Terrorist Division, stating that two protest groups were planning a demonstration today in Central Area. The demonstration was to occur at 12:00 p.m. at the State Building, located at 107 south Broadway. A second possible location was the State Building located at 301 South Main Street. At 0830 hours, Lieutenant Williams of the California State Police was contacted by Central Area Watch Commander. At 0840 hours, Desk Officer Alarcon of Metropolitan Division was notified by Central Area Watch Commander. At 0845 hours, Maggie of the Metropolitan Division, Mounted Unit was notified by Central Area Watch Commander. At 0841 hours, Lieutenant McCrillis, Officer-in-Charge, Mounted Unit, advised that they were not available due to the lateness of his notification. At 0850 hours, Sergeant Ridders, Central Traffic Division, notified by the Central Area Watch Commander. Sergeant Ridders advised that they had nine motor officers available. Between 0900 hours and 0930 hours, Central Area Watch Commander notified all Central Bureau Patrol Divisions, Communications Division, Jail Division and Air Support Division. At 1115 hours, Police Commission Investigation Division advised Central Watch Commander that there was no parade permit on file for today. At 1130 hours, Central Patrol Unit, 1FB42, was directed by Central Watch Commander to scout the two State Building locations. At 1210 hours, 1FB42 advised Central Watch Commander that Unusual Occurrence Page 3 4.1 approximately 15 demonstrators were moving from First Street and Broadway to Third Street and Main Street. At 1210 hours, Air Unit advised that there were 30 to 50 demonstrators at Second Street and Broadway. At -1220 hours, 1FB42 and 1FB40, responded to the Main Street entrance of the State Building at 301 South Main Street. Officers observed a group of approximately 40 demonstrators in the doorway area. The demonstrators were pounding on the plate glass. At 1220 hours, State Police called the Central Watch Commander and requested police assistance. At 1225 hours, State Police Officer Jacobs #49, called LAPD Communications and stated that they needed assistance with the demonstration and that there was. approximately 300 involved. At 1230 hours, Captain Jim Tatreau, Commanding Officer, Central Patrol Division and Central Day Watch Commander, Lieutenant W. Taylor, responded to the scene. Central Patrol supervisors, Sergeant Sorkness, Sergeant Lillig, Sergeant Olvera, and Sergeant Clark, responded to Third Street and Los Angeles Street where a command post was established. Lieutenant Taylor, Operations Officer, requested Central Patrol units and the Mobil Substation to respond to the third Street and Los Angeles Street location.! The Mobil Substation had originally been set up at First Street and Broadway. Department of Transportation was requested to respond for traffic control. At 1235 hours, Central Mid-Day Watch units arrived at the command post. They were organized into three squads by Sergeant Sorkness, Assistant Operations Officer. Captain J. Tatreau, Field Commander and Lieutenant Taylor, Operations Officer, directed that two squads of officers respond from the command post to the Spring Street entrance of the State Building. At 1240 hours, Sergeant Sorkness, Sergeant Clark and Sergeant Olvera, responded to the Spring Street entrance with the two squads of officers. All officers were wearing helmets and face shields. Unusual Occurrence Page 4 4.1 The group of demonstrators were observed attempting to gain entrance to the State Building through the Main Street entrance. They were blocked by the second set of glass doors which were locked. The demonstrators had previously gained entrance through the first set of doors by smashing the plate glass. There were approximately 40 demonstrators at this time. While the above two squads of officers were walking enroute to the Spring Street entrance, the group of demonstrators left the Main Street entrance and ran westbound on Third Street towards the Spring Street entrance. This group appeared to be following the two squads of_ officers. This group of demonstrators appeared to be acting t6gether with a common intent. Their size was estimated by Sergeant Sorkness to be 40 people. The demonstrators turned southbound on Spring Street towards the two squads of officers. The officers were still walking enroute to the Spring Street State Building entrance. Captain J. Tatreau directed Sergeant Sorkness to stop the advance of this group of demonstrators. Sergeant Sorkness deployed one squad of officers across the sidewalk in a skirmish line. The skirmish line was facing northbound (towards the .demonstrators). The group of demonstrators stopped their advance. The second squad of officers were deployed in a skirmish line (facing westbound) in front of the Spring Street doorway of the State Bu~lding. At 1245 hours, Department of Transportation ~esponded and · blocked -traffic on Third Street between Los Angeles Street and Main Street. At 1255 hours, Lieutenant Taylor requested additional units to respond to the command post. At 1300 hours, Sergeant Linfield and additional units from Central Patrol and Central Traffic Division arrived. Sergeant Lillig and Sergeant Linfield organized them into a fourth squad. Lieutenant Taylor directed that two squads of officers be deployed to the Main Street entrance. They responded. On arrival they were utilized as reserve. The demonstrators continued to stand on the sidewalk area in front of the officers. They made no attempt to advance on the skirmish line. Unusual Occurrence Page 5 4.1 Captain Tatreau directed that the skirmish line of officers in front of the Spring Street entrance be replaced by State Police Officers. After this was completed, the skirmish line of officers facing the demonstrators was recalled. At 1310 hours, the demonstrators started to disband. Some of them moved in front of the line of State Police and sat down on the sidewalk. Some linked arms. At 1320 hours, Sergeant Trujillo, Assistant Central Watch Commander, declared a tactical alert. This alert was declared due to the large amount of radio calls in the queue. At 1325 hours, the remaining demonstrators left the location. The four squads of officers were redeployed back to the command post. At 1335 hours, one squad of officers were released to handle radio calls. The tactical alert was cancelled by Lieutenant Taylor Two Central Traffic Division Motor Units (1M3 and 13M27) were directed to scout the area. They found no additional demonstrations. ' At 1340 hours, all units were released to resume normal patrol. The command post was deactivated . . ·. IV. CRIME AND ARRESTS There were two arrests made by State Police officers. These arrests were made prior to the arrival of Los Angeles Police officers. The arrests were made on State property. Suspect Fallon, Walter Simmons, Hyman Charge 415.2 P.C. 407 P.C. 415.2 P.C. 407 P.C. 243 (b) P. C. State Case No. 91-54416 LA 91-54416 LA Unusual Occurrence Page 6 4.1 The processing of the suspects was completed by State Police. They also completed all related reports . V. DEATHS AND INJURIES There were no deaths or injuries during the demonstration . VI. PROPERTY DAMAGE A plate glass door was smashed by unknown demonstrator at the State Building Main Street entrance. Alsoj red paint or stain was splashed on the floor and walls of this entrance. VII. PERSONNEL A. Number of personnel assigned to unusual occurrence: NUMBER Captain I 1 Lieutenant I 1 Sergeant I 8 Police Officer 52 Traffic Control Officers 1 B. Hours of Watches Regular watch hours for day watch. I DIVISION Central Central Central/CTD Central/CTD D.O.T. C. Total Man-Hours Expended by Unusual Occurrence: ~ STRAIGHT TIME Captain I Lieutenant I Sergeant I Police Officer Traffic Control Officer VIII. LOGISTICS A. Department Equipment Used: 1. 7 1. 7 13.3 86.6 2.0 OVERTIME 0 0 0 0 0 Only regularly available equipment was used to control the incident. the Mobil Substation belongs to Central Area and is used on a regular basis. Unusual Occurrence Page 7 4.1 B. Supplies Expended: The only supply item used was gasoline. The amount of gas used cannot be reasonably calculated . IX. CRITIQUE A. Evaluation of Procedures This incident occurred with no pre-planning and little pre-warning. Governor Wilson announced bis decision to veto AB 301, Gay Rights Initiative, on Sunday, September 29, 1991. The Central Patrol Watch Commander was contacted the next morning by Anti Terrorist Division advising them of the possibility of a demonstration. In preparing for a worse case scenario, the watch commander checked available resources. Metropolitan Division advised that they had no one available at this time, including the mounted detail. Mid-Day Watch was advised of the situation at roll call . They were provided training in riot control and squad formations by their supervisors. They were assigned to designated squads and released. The Mobil Substation was organized and staffed. They were posted at a possible command post ,location. This location, as it turned out, was not targeted by the demonstrators. l A scout unit was assigned to locate the demon~trators and gather intelligence. Fortunately, the scout unit located the demonstrators at the most plausible location. The scout unit continued their observations and followed them to a second location. The State Police were forewarned of this demonstration, but were under deployed. They planned to deal with a possible takeover of their State Building by locking the doors. This plan was not effective. The demonstrators also planned to overcome this lock out by forcing entry. Unusual Occurrence Page 8 4.1 When the demonstrators turned violent an. d stormed the State Building at 301 South Main Street, they were unable to gain complete entry. They had smashed the outer door to the entrance, but were stopped by the second set of doors leading to the lobby. A second location was found for a command post and units were enroute. On arrival they were organized into squads and deployed on the riot. This quick action blocked the demonstrators access to the Spring Street doorway. This group is known for their disruptive . behavior. They call themselves, "Act Up LA." While officers were enroute to the command post area, a conflicting location was broadcasted by Communications Division. This information was received supposedly by the State Police. It is not known if this location was made in error by the State Police or if a false "set up" call was made by the demonstrators. The field commander, realizing that this location was incorrect, advised Communications Division. The demonstrators, after being foiled in their take over attempt, soon disbanded and dispersed. The quick and organized response of the officers no doubt influenced the demonstrators. The squads were well organized and looked efficient. The demonstrators disbanded without the officers using any force. B. Recommendations for Changes in Procedu~es: Although this operation had little or no problems, no arrests were made by Los Angeles Police. No information regarding description of suspects in the group of demonstrators was obtained. A plan was not made on how to contain the demonstrators which would enable officers to make arrest. There was no time. The group broke up and dispersed very quickly after they were stopped from completing whatever goal they had. In future demonstrations it would be the advantage to have plain clothes Los Angeles Police Officers trained in making observations and gathering intelligence for the command post. In this incident, the State Police were not concerned with intelligence gathering and could not provide us with suspect(s) description. Unusual Occurrence Page 9 4.1 A problem was also found with our radios. Officers were unable to broadcast out of or receive radio messages while inside the State Building. The building was constructed with granite walls. These granite walls blocked the radio signals.
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Description
After-action report of the Central Area's "Act Up LA" demonstration on September 30, 1991; California State Building; South Main Street, 1991 October 28.
Asset Metadata
Core Title
After-action report, Central Area, 1992-10-28
Tag
OAI-PMH Harvest
Format
10 p.
(format),
application/pdf
(imt),
reports
(aat)
Permanent Link (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25549/webster-c100-71835
Unique identifier
UC11429386
Identifier
box 33 (box),web-box33-20_21-03.pdf (filename),folder 20 - folder 21 (folder),webster-c100-71835 (legacy record id)
Legacy Identifier
web-box33-20_21/web-box33-20_21-03.pdf
Dmrecord
71835
Format
10 p. (format),application/pdf (imt),reports (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