Q&A; : LAPD Deploys a Community Policing Force

Deputy Chief Mark A. Kroeker’s first experience in South Los Angeles was as a 21-year-old police officer fresh out of the academy. It was 1965, and Watts was in flames. Since then, he has held various positions in his ascent on the Los Angeles Police Department’s promotional ladder.

After the March, 1991, beating of Rodney G. King, Kroeker became commanding officer of the department’s Valley Bureau, which includes the suddenly infamous Foothill Division, where the beating occurred. In little more than two years, he was credited with helping restore confidence in the department through a community-policing program.

Three weeks ago, Kroeker, 49, returned to South-Central to head the turbulent South Bureau, where he hopes to repeat his success in the Valley. But the challenges are daunting. He must deal with many residents who view police officers with distrust and hostility, while at the same time work to restore confidence in a demoralized rank-and-file police force.

The son of Mennonite missionaries, Kroeker was raised in the former Belgian Congo and Europe. A graduate of Cal State L.A. and USC, he is married with three adult children. Kroeker met with City Times editors and reporters last week to discuss his new assignment.

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Question: The South Bureau is much different than the San Fernando Valley in terms of higher crime rates, demographics and high levels of fear, distrust--and in some cases, outright hostility toward the police. What is your strategy for dealing with these differences and starting successful community-policing programs?

Answer: My mission is twofold. I have to work with the department in re-establishing a level of self-worth on the part of the officers, many of whom feel that they have not received the recognition for the work they have done. So my responsibility with them is to lift that sprit, to encourage them in good solid, good-hearted police work.

Then in the community, I see a real similar thing. There has been a lot of negativity, a lot of acrimony, a lot of turbulence. The hostility has been there. Bridging that gap between the officers and community and bringing them together is the ultimate goal. In order to do that, you have to have trust.

Q: What specific strategies will you use?

A: I’ve only been here two weeks, and I’m real reluctant to point to any programs which I intend to implement immediately here. I need to observe and assimilate the conditions of the people and get a good feeling for the officers’ capabilities and their workload.

Q: There is a perception among some South Bureau residents that the LAPD is an occupying force, that many of the officers live in outlying areas such as Ventura and Orange counties and have no connection with the communities they police or any understanding of the cultural differences that exist. Is there a need for multicultural training for officers?

A: There is no question that every one of us should become more aware of how people think and the differences that people have. But you can’t really teach compassion and understanding. All you can do is exude it as a leader and encourage others and try to break down misunderstandings.

As we move toward community policing, I am absolutely convinced that we are going to find that the distrust is going to mitigate, if not dissipate. And the complaints against officers will go down and the hostility will recede.

Q: Do you think your officers will be receptive to your ideas?

A: If someone will show a genuine interest in their needs and potential and work with them, and if the officers trust that person’s leadership, they will make some shifts in the right direction.

Q: Should there be residency requirements for officers?

A: You can make an argument that if you had a requirement for police officers to live in the city, that they would still be living in areas outside of their station’s jurisdictions because the city is so large.

What’s more important is a person’s commitment to the community he or she serves. I don’t care where they live--it’s what they do when they are out there serving the people and how they respond.

Q: Are South Bureau officers committed to the community?

A: It’s not where I want it to be. There’s a lot of work to do.

Q: What are the sources of the officers’ morale problems?

A: They feel like they are the proverbial neglected child in the family. They feel like they are unsupported, that the good, compassionate police work they do is unrecognized. They also feel that there is a lack of support from the brass: captains and above. Another big concern is their equipment. The cars are deteriorated. There is also concern over their unresolved contract.

Q: Do you think those morale problems contribute to public perception that officers just want to work their shifts and go home?

A: Yes. It is a mutually operating downward spiral.

Q: It seems that the rank-and-file sometimes view themselves as “us” and everybody else--the community and the brass--as “them.”

A: Yes. And I forgive officers for it because I think they have been scandalized far beyond what they deserve.

Q: During the past year, there have been tensions between African-American and Latino residents in the housing projects in Watts, stemming from what some officers say is an epidemic of gang violence against immigrants who are often easy prey. What should the LAPD do about this?

A: We just had a discussion about this at a staff meeting. I asked (station commanders), ‘Why is crime coming down in the South Bureau?’ The command officers stunned me. They suggested that crime isn’t coming down, but that people are reporting it less. They said that in this area some of our immigrant population is being harassed and victimized by gang members and are saying, ‘What’s the use of reporting it?’ They live in despair.

We have to talk to more immigrant people. We have to be there in the housing projects with Spanish-speaking officers and develop rapport and trust. We have to conduct aggressive outreach.

Q: While you were in the Valley, about 40 officers there completed Spanish lessons that were funded by private organizations. Do you plan to do the same thing here?

A: Yes. I have been talking with the University of Guadalajara in providing instructors. When officers speak the language, it just seems to follow that there’s a better level of trust.

Q: There was a big ballyhoo over the gang truce here. To some extent, it has held. Is there any way the police could seize upon this and make it into something bigger and better?

A: I’m not above trying anything. If anybody can do something that will bring relief to this violence, then I would be supportive.

Q: Do you plan to reach out to gang leaders and call them in?

A: I wouldn’t put it like that. I plan to talk to people. . . . If I thought it would do some good and reduce some violence in this city, I would talk to anybody. Officers sometimes resent it. They have been shot at. They have seen the muzzle flashes. They imagine that some gang leader wants them dead. And they are not too excited when their deputy chief goes out and talks to gang leaders.