Women in the LAPD, Part 3, "The Other Side"

"Patrol is the backbone of the Department," Sergeant Shari Egan states proudly as we walk down the central corridor of the Foothill area Police Station. "There´d be no other jobs without Patrol."

Of the 244 officers at Foothill, 134 are in Patrol, 72 in Investigation, and the rest in Administration. I´d spent most of that day with Sgt. Egan, either inside her office, touring the jail, or in her patrol car. Now it was time to visit "The Other Side."

We pass the holding tanks and the jail on our left, glass-windowed offices and the Kit Room (where radios and weapons are stored) on our right. The ambience is serious, even somber; the surroundings are austere; voices are muted. Everyone wears dark navy. It´s the portion of the station that criminals see – Patrol – no nonsense, just the grim business of crime & punishment.

Sgt. Egan unlocks the connecting door at the end of the hallway, and we walk into what looks briefly like a combination lunchroom and mini-market. Open bookcase-shelves hold food and paper supplies. I glimpse a refrigerator, a stretch of counter, a kitchen-style table and chairs. And then we are pushing through another door.

I am amazed. The difference is like night and day.

I feel like I´m walking into a homeroom class in a very laid-back high school, not the Investigative portion of a LA police station. There´s a buzz of conversation and friendly laughter that speak of camaraderie. A stocky black woman tosses a banana to a fellow detective across the aisle.

I see carpeting, high ceilings, and warm lighting in a large open room where the wooden desks are arranged close to each other like groups of best friends. Sgt. Egan gestures towards the desks (called "Tables") and lists the crimes investigated at each: domestic violence, juvenile, burglary, narcotics, battery, homicide, and others.

She introduces me to Det. Monica McPartland in "Crimes Against Persons." The detective explains that CAP examines lesser crimes such as neighbor disputes, transients, elder abuse, etc, while "Major Assaults" investigates felonies like domestic violence and assault & battery.

I ask if female detectives are more frequently sent out on domestic cases like hers. She nods, and then hedges, "It depends. Women are usually better with kids…and with some women. But," she gestures to a man across the aisle. "There are some really decent, empathetic guys here too."

The detective in question glances up (yes, he´d been listening) and grins.

"Cops just show up and take reports; then they´re done," McPartland continues. "Detectives call back and really get to know the people involved."

Sgt. Egan rolls her eyes at this, "I just told her Patrol was the backbone of the Department and you´re saying the Detectives do all the work!"

I raise my eyebrows. Do I sense a bit of rivalry here? No, I was assured, there´s a strong bond between patrol officers and detectives. "Sometimes when a serious call goes out, you´ll see detectives grabbing their coats and going out too, as back up."

Others join us and I ask why they think more women become detectives than patrol officers. I get a variety of answers, beginning with the classic "the regular hours" "working Monday through Friday helps if you have kids."

But others include, "Maybe we have more education?" "I have a more investigative personality." "It used to be the ONLY place to put women."

And from Detective Kendrick (the banana thrower), "My age, I´m physically unable to chase 18-year-olds over fences!"

To the moms in the group, I ask what their kids think about their jobs.

"I don´t take the job home with me. I´m a cop here; a mom there." "It´s just a regular job to them." "Mine are cool…unless they see an officer getting shot on TV. Then they get clingy and beg me not to go to work."

How do you handle that? I ask.

"I tell them it´s my job, that I´m doing some good, I´m putting bad guys in jail so they can´t hurt people."

"We do our job prayerful and careful," adds Detective Kendrick.

Later, I interview a woman who rose through the ranks of detectives without doing duty as a field sergeant. Lieutenant Ingrid Braun is in charge of Gangs and Narcotics, a specialized assignment situated in a separate out-building. She has eleven personnel under her command but dresses in casual street clothes (although she got into uniform for the photo). She came to Foothill in mid-2007 as watch commander and was later promoted to lieutenant.

Lt. Braun is easy going and approachable; her style of supervision is interpersonal. "I´m a ´first name´ person," she says. "As a detective I was known as Ingrid and when I was promoted, I didn´t want to loose that." Ma´am is the convention form of address for her rank, but she insists on "Ingrid" or, if her officers balk, the informal "L-T."

Lt. Braun is married to the Senior Lead Officer at the LAPD Mission Hills station. She outranks him, but says he doesn´t mind. Twenty years ago Braun chose the career track instead of motherhood and she doesn´t regret her choice.

I want her perspective about gender bias. "None anymore," she says firmly. "Fifteen, twenty years ago, yes, but the Department has evolved, caught up with the laws. Used to be we didn´t use sick time. It was not done; it showed weakness; reflected badly in our annual reports. Now they can´t hold it against you…can´t even ask why we want time off. They can only ask when we´ll be back and if we´ll miss a court date."

She reflects a moment and then adds, "If I hear of any bias, I'll deal with it. I have my spies...."

I ask her about the increasing number of women doing police work. "The Department needs female detectives to perform body searches on female suspects. Guys can do it as a last resort," she admits, "but it leaves the Department vulnerable to complaints."

Females are also needed in undercover vice operations, for balance and perspective in child abuse situations, and with female victims. When a woman is booked and jailed, a female officer is needed to do a strip search. "And we're required to supply a female officer if a rape victim requests one."

Why did Braun choose Investigation? "I like the steady hours, but mostly, I enjoy putting puzzle pieces together."

Then I ask her about an unforgettable incident in March of 1991, when she (a 22-year old probationary) and her partner took part in a protracted, high-speed pursuit. The pursuit terminated in Lake View Terrace, where a large number of Black & Whites had already converged before their car arrived.

The suspect, an out-of-control black male, was on the ground surrounded by police officers. The suspect´s name was Rodney King.

And although Ingrid Braun had been in the field for less than a week, did not drive the vehicle to the scene, and was only a bystander … she "witnessed the Rodney King incident" and "failed to report the misconduct of her fellow officers." Braun was suspended for five days, "kicked out" of Foothill, and had to finish her probationary two years at the Van Nuys station.

"Why didn´t you report them? I ask.

"I never thought of it," she admits. "It was mostly over when we got there, and there was a Supervisor present."

Braun had to testify before the Grand Jury, and a year later was put on the stand during the first (televised) trial. She was called home from her honeymoon to be available for the second trial but never had to take the stand. She was among the group of officers dismissed as "not liable" during the third trial, a civil suit.

"I was a naïve 22-year-old Berkley grad. I thought if I did nothing wrong, nothing would happen to me. It was a good lesson. Bad things DO happen to good people. Later when she worked in Internal Affairs, she had empathy for the cops she interviewed. "I knew what it felt like to sit on the other side of the table."

One thing Lt. Braun gets a kick out of these days, is cruising Sunland-Tujunga in her dark grey, unmarked Crown Vic, turning on the PA system, and booming out, "SLOW DOWN!" to the wild drivers who speed up and down Foothill Blvd. Miscreants beware! There´s a feisty, blond, police lieutenant checking out gangs and narcotics on "The Rock," and she´s got your number.

I thank Capt. Ivan Minsal, Sgt Shari Egan, Lt. Ingrid Braun and the officers and detectives of LAPD, Foothill, for their friendly and willing cooperation. JH

Read Part 1 - http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/136884

Read Part 2 - http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/140065