LAPD RESERVISTS AWAIT WAR-ZONE ORDER MANY OFFICERS FACE LIKELIHOOD OF MILITARY DUTY.Byline: Jason Kandel Staff Writer As the potential of war with Iraq grows, the already understaffed Los Angeles Police Department "LAPD" and "L.A.P.D." redirect here. For other uses, see LAPD (disambiguation).  This article or section is written like an . is preparing to shuffle its ranks in the
event that its nearly 600 reservists are called for active duty.
More than 150 sworn and civilian department employees have been called for service, and the LAPD 1. LAPD - Link Access Procedure on the D channel. 2. LAPD - Los Angeles Police Department. has begun minor reassignments to keep their duties fulfilled, said Sgt. John Pasquariello. Meantime, some officer-reservists are packing their bags in preparation for serving their country. But their potential departure is bittersweet bittersweet, name for two unrelated plants, belonging to different families, both fall-fruiting woody vines sometimes cultivated for their decorative scarlet berries. as family worries loom. ``We've been making sure our families' needs are taken care of,'' said LAPD Officer James McDonald James McDonald could refer to:
A transit bus is normally used on public transit routes. Division downtown and is a lieutenant in the Air National Guard. ``These are tense times.'' McDonald joined the Air Force in 1987 and now works on a team that supports a KC-135 refueling plane - the ``big gas tank in the sky,'' he said. He has not been activated, but he knows the call will likely come. ``We have to have (family) contingency plans in place because we could be called any time,'' said McDonald, explaining he needs to keep his family's income and benefits going. Officer Scott DeWitt, who has been with the LAPD for five years and works as a collision investigator in the Valley Traffic Division, is also a major in the Army Reserve. ``I'll do what they need me to do,'' said DeWitt, who joined the Army when he was a senior at La Quinta High School La Quinta High School can refer to:
tr.v. ob·li·gat·ed, ob·li·gat·ing, ob·li·gates 1. To bind, compel, or constrain by a social, legal, or moral tie. See Synonyms at force. 2. To cause to be grateful or indebted; oblige. to join the military and serve my country.'' The LAPD currently has 9,100 officers, and with the reservists leaving, the agency will have to make some personnel adjustments, Pasquariello said. In the LAPD's Foothill Division, seven patrol officers were already deployed, said Capt. Kris Pitcher, the division's patrol commander. Patrolmen from several shifts have been moved around so that each shift had an equal number of officers. ``It makes it harder on deployment, but obviously we're happy to send them,'' Pitcher said. Even though the department is understaffed, the city will remain safe. ``Obviously we would like to have all of our officers here at all times, but (during the Gulf War) it did not impact our ability to do police work.'' During Operation Desert Storm Noun 1. Operation Desert Storm - the United States and its allies defeated Iraq in a ground war that lasted 100 hours (1991) Gulf War, Persian Gulf War - a war fought between Iraq and a coalition led by the United States that freed Kuwait from Iraqi invaders; , the LAPD lost about 200 officers to military assignments, Pasquariello said. But it is an especially difficult time for the department as Chief William Bratton is executing a major department overhaul, which includes mass numbers of officer reassignments. ``Obviously, we need the manpower to create units,'' Pasquariello said. ``If we do lose people, we'll have to take bodies from somewhere else. It's like this master chess games - who goes where?'' In the event of a major emergency, the department would put detectives and administrative officers in uniform and on the streets. ``Losing a few hundred officers to the military should not cause any concern for the public,'' Pasquariello said. ``If something were to happen in this country, or whether we went to war, we're prepared.'' Other law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is a term used to describe any agency which enforces the law. This may be a local or state police, federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). across the region report high numbers of reservists who could be activated. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department This article is about the Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department, not to be confused with the smaller Los Angeles County Police The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) is a local law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. currently has 368 sworn and civilian personnel who are reservists, and 86 have been activated. The Los Angeles Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), also known as the Los Angeles City Fire Department to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. It is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles. has fewer than 50 reservists, 10 of whom have been activated. The U.S. Department of Defense reported Friday that it has activated 176,553 National Guard and Reserve units across the nation. The reservists come from all walks of life. They are teachers, lawyers, mechanics, computer technicians, police, firefighters and medical professionals. The Department of Defense is reviewing the impact that reserve mobilizations might have on city police and emergency agencies. ``While in great measure these are mutually beneficial relationships, we want to ensure that we continue to do what is best for both our reservists and their civilian employers,'' said Lt. Col. Dan Stoneking, a DOD (1) (Dial On Demand) A feature that allows a device to automatically dial a telephone number. For example, an ISDN router with dial on demand will automatically dial up the ISP when it senses IP traffic destined for the Internet. spokesman. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: LAPD Officer Scott DeWitt is a major in the Army Reserve and is waiting to report to duty. Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer |
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