Firestone Station Street Gang Unit

The extremely productive history and the impact on crime in South Los Angeles, by the Firestone Station Street Gang Unit is a testimony to the quality of the personnel who were assigned to the patrol station, at various time periods. During the 70’s, the unit evolved from a simple 2-man information gathering source, to a 6-man Detective team aggressively attacking the street gang violence problem, and later to an all-encompassing “street crime unit,” able to participate in all types of inquiries and investigations (mainly due to the sophisticated level of investigative and interrogative techniques they had developed by trial and error over time.)

Initially, Deputies Curtis Jackson, Richard Thomas, and Jerry Kaono, and other Fpk personnel, had begun an informal attempt to identify street gang members by matching up the gang graffiti and “placas” to subjects’ real names and monikers, to aid in investigating and solving gang-related incidents. From about 1972 to early 1975, the information gathering operation remained in place. Deputies Richard Leaming and George Arthur were assigned to the unit in early 1975, when the station command staff, primarily Lt. John Macias, decided that the unit staff needed to be enlarged to combat the rising tide of gang violence throughout South Los Angeles County.

A/Sgt. John Stacy was assigned as the supervisor of the street gang unit and 3 more deputies were assigned, making a total of six detectives. At various times over the next four year period, a number of Firestone deputies were assigned to the unit for various lengths of time. They included the following:

•Richard Leaming, George Arthur,  Michael Waters,  Bruce Wright, John Edner, John Yarborough, Ronald Tardiff, Ralph Martin, Salvador Sainz, Thomas Hindman, Willie Wilson, Buster Johnson and Dirk Edmondson.

These detectives performed their duties at such an outstanding level, that even their peers frequently commended their accomplishments. The unit came to have such an outstanding reputation that the unit was requested to help start up street gang units at Lennox Station, Carson Station, Long Beach PD, South Gate PD, Huntington Park PD, Santa Ana PD; briefed ELA Station on Fpk methods; briefed LAPD-77th Div CRASH re: gang problems in their own area for their new Capt.

When reviewing the statistics concerning the amount of work production of the Street Gang Unit, during just a 4-year period, it presents a staggering level of accomplishment:

•The gang unit wrote the criteria for determining if an incident is gang-related, that is used department-wide.

•Over 256 felony suspects arrested by the Gang Unit detectives; over 100 misdemeanor suspects arrested by the Gang Unit; over $70,000 in stolen property recovered; unknown amount of narcotics recovered; recovered 39 illegal weapons and 19 illegal sawed-off shotguns; purchased German World War II Schmiesser MP44 machine gun (in mint condition) from Aryan Brotherhood prison gang member in Cudahy-resulted in federal charge of ex-con in possession of a machine gun, which later resulted in ATF arresting burglary ring in San Francisco that had stolen crates of military AR-15’s and hand grenades from the Presidio.

•Over 534 felony and misdemeanor suspects identified and /or arrested by Firestone patrol units, as a result of direct assistance by the unit.

•Over 101 felony/misdemeanor suspects identified to outside police agencies, including homicide suspects; participated in long-term investigation of murder of off-duty LAPD-77th Crash officer, at Robbery/Homicide’s request

•Unit arrested suspects in 9 intimidation of a witness cases; obtained over 300 FIR cards of subjects for station gang files, and designed new FIR card adopted department-wide by LASD; designed new vehicle id system for station personnel; designed new file of juveniles placed on probation at the Juvenile Justice Center for patrol staff; over 100 contacts for exchange of information with LASD-HQDB specialized investigative units; conducted over 40 surveillances of various groups and organizations, gang funerals (photos taken for vehicle books, etc.)

•Over 477 contacts with Fpk Detective Bureau involving the identification and/or arrest of juvenile and adult suspects, including two successful search warrants, 3 written commendations from DB commander.

•Over 808 contacts with LASD Homicide Bureau; six written commendations; represented Homicide Bureau at two preliminary hearings as Investigative Officer; Sgt. Stacy and Dep. Leaming were advised by DA’s Office that they were the first California peace officers to convince a suspect to reenact a residential 211 / 187 on videotape, which was used to obtain a first degree conviction.

•On one day in 1977, 3 two-man teams of Gang Unit Detectives solved 3 unrelated 187’s and recovered the weapons  and obtained cop-outs from the suspects, which would be a good day even by Homicide Bureau standards!

•Handled gang problems for Lynwood Station for 6-month period when it opened; assisted Lyn DB with 63 separate contacts; assisted Lyn patrol units in 74 separate contacts and prepared 7 special briefings concerning expected gang activity; conducted 12 surveillances which resulted in 28 arrests.

•The unit staff conducted the six-month pilot program for a federal grant, titled “Operation Safe Streets.” The program involved the monitoring of gang members from the time of arrest, and as they were processed through the justice system by LASD, Probation Dept. and the DA”s Office. The pilot program was phenomenally successful, in that it dropped the criminal activity of the target gang (Hickory St. Watts) by 53% in 6 months. The program was upgraded to a separate LASD bureau and is active in every station with a gang problem.

This is only a brief overview of the many daily and weekly accomplishments of the deputies assigned to the Street Gang Unit, which were taken from copies of the annual reports submitted to the station commander. Impressive as the statistics are, they only provide a small insight into the total activities of the unit. But, as stated in the beginning, the above results are a testimonial to, and are representative of, the quality of the people who wanted to work at Firestone Station!

John Stacy