My Start in Special Events

Spring time, 1988. I was working as a motorcycle officer assigned to South Traffic Division. There was a series of disturbances at Fremont High School in south Los Angeles. I can't remember what the issue was but the teachers are always encouraging students to get involved in various screwy projects. Anyway, all of the STD motor officers were sent to Fremont because of one of these disturbances and, as usual, we all just sat around because most Department commanders don't know what motor officers can do so they don't use them.

The Commanding Officer of South Bureau was Deputy Chief Bill Rathburn at the time. I had worked for him on a particularly interesting project earlier when I was a Police Officer assigned to Projects at Traffic Coordination Section, and he was the Department Traffic Coordinator (future blog if I remember). Chief Rathburn was at Fremont HS that day and he noticed me because I was wiping down (cleaning) my motorcycle while the other officers were just sitting around playing cards. Let me assure you that this was completely accidental. I goof off as much or more as anyone, but the Chief was moderately impressed and he stopped to say hi.

A few minutes later his car stopped and backed up toward me again and he said he needed some help in his Special Events unit to help coordinate special events that occur in South Bureau. Apparently the Academy Awards had returned to the Shrine Auditorium after having been at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for the previous few years and it was a disaster from the Department's perspective. Traffic was horrible (the Mayor had to walk several blocks to get to the show on time) and there were ridiculous problems with uncontrolled fans, demonstrators, etc. Anyway. He remembered me and wondered if I might be interested in being loaned to his staff for awhile to help out. I said sure and he departed. Bill Rugh, my partner, was there and said "wouldn't that be something if you had to go work Bureau for awhile." I actually didn't think about it again - for awhile.

Later that afternoon at EOW (end of watch), I happened to be at STD (at Harbor Station at the time) and the Watch Commander told me Captain Medina wanted to see me. I went up to his office - he was the Commanding Officer of South Traffic Division - thinking I might be in trouble because that was the normal reason for a motor officer to be called to the Captain's office. Captain Medina said that he had just received a call from Commander Curtsinger (Ernie Curtsinger - very good guy) who was the Bureau Assistant Commanding Officer requesting to know if I'd like to be loaned to South Bureau. I was a little stunned and managed to find out that the loan would begin the next day, I could dress in a suit and drive my own car, or I could dress in a uniform and drive my City motorcycle (no-brainer even back then and even for a motor cop). So one of the most interesting phases in my professional life began the next day.


I began planning for the next Academy Awards and realized that there were other significant events going on at the Shrine Auditorium (American Music Awards, Soul Train Music Awards, Frank Sinatra's birthday concert, Sammy Davis Junior's birthday, Russian Army Choir (lots of protesters), Ballets (Bolshoi and others). And I seem to have a knack for creating plans. We developed a new plan that could be scaled up or down and tried it out on some of the events mentioned. The next Academy Awards was a huge success and Rathburn loved me more (a good thing). Then I turned my attention to the Coliseum and the LA Raiders and USC football. We had some success there as well and of course the Spots Arena became a hot topic when the mighty LA Clippers finally started playing there. I was deeply involved in the visit of the Pope and Nelson Mandela's visit to the Coliseum. Helped with the LA Marathon and similar events. And, I finally got the Chief and members of the Command Staff to see the value of motor officers in policing events of significant magnitude.



I also became friendly with key people at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences which led to me being a part of their security management team for the next thirteen years. And THAT was really fun.

So that's how this old horse got involved in the Academy Awards. I stopped doing it for a variety of reasons when the show moved to the Kodak Theater in Hollywood and I don't miss it at all. I now do the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards show every January at the Shrine Auditorium and I love it. It's a better event (not nearly as much money, but better) and it's still fun. I have been told this year that after I retire, I will be paid to return to LA every January to manage the security for that show and I am planning to do just that.