| William H. Parker |
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Los Angeles Police Department
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| June 21, 1902(1902-06-21)–July 16, 1966 (aged 64) |
| Place of birth |
South Dakota, USA |
| Service/branch |
United States |
| Years of service |
1927 - 1966 |
| Rank |
Sworn in as an Officer - 1927
- Chief of Police - 1950 |
William H. Parker (June 21, 1902–July 16, 1966) was a police chief of the Los Angeles, California Police Department. The headquarters for the LAPD, the Parker Center, was named after him. He served 15 years as an LAPD officer before taking a leave to fight in World War II. He received a Silver Star in France and a Purple Heart after being wounded during the Normandy invasion.[1] As soon as he returned home he was re-assigned to basic patrol status with the LAPD. He was the longest reigning police chief and served on the force 39 years (starting on August 8, 1927). Parker was born in South Dakota. He became police chief on August 9, 1950 and is credited with transforming the LAPD into a world renowned law enforcement agency.
Parker knew how to work the media to his advantage. Through television shows such as Dragnet and a steady stream of good publicity from local newspapers, he was highly admired nationwide until shortly before his death. However, under Parker, the LAPD earned a reputation for brutality. The LAPD conducted raids in the homes of African Americans who lived in the Venice and South Central areas of the city. The Latino population also experienced the same treatment by Parker and the LAPD in the Central core and Eastern part of the city. Parker also advocated a smaller police force, believing that fewer officers would mean less corruption. He also cut back on foot patrols in favor of police cars, in the belief that isolating his officers from the streets would reduce opportunities for corruption. While Parker did manage to make slight reductions in police corruption, the vice squad of the LAPD continued to be notoriously corrupt. The novel and film L.A. Confidential provide a fictional depiction of the LAPD under Parker.
Parker was said[who?] to have employed the Organized Crime and Intelligence Division of the LAPD to keep tabs on politicians and celebrities for purposes of blackmail. The Watts Riots occurred while he was police chief. "The Glass House Tapes" written during this time period, provide a much more detailed account of police corruption within the ranks of the LAPD. The headquarters of the LAPD was called The Glass House by their informants. An informant for the LAPD provided local attorneys and political activists with a full accounting of Parker's activities.
Trivia
The term "Thin Blue Line", which suggests that an over-stretched police force is all that separates society from a descent into chaos, was coined by Parker.[2]
Parker was a guest on the television program What's My Line? on August 21, 1955.
External links
Bibiliography
- Donovan, John T. 'I Have No Use For This Fellow Parker': William H. Parker of the LAPD and His Feud With J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI. Southern California Quarterly 2005 87(2): 171-198
- Kramer, Sarah Alisa. "William H. Parker and the Thin Blue Line: Politics, Public Relations and Policing in Postwar Los Angeles." Ph.D. diss.: American University, Washington, D.C., 2007
References
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LAPD Chiefs |
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| 1876 - 1900 |
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| 1900 - 1926 |
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| 1926 - 1950 |
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| 1950 - 2002 |
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| 2002 - present |
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