Editor’s note: For the next nine weeks, Editor in Chief Kevin Herrera will be writing a first-person account of what it’s like to be enrolled in the Santa Monica Police Department’s Citizen Police Academy, which is intended to foster better communication between Santa Monicans and police officers, while giving residents a better understanding of what it takes to preserve the peace.
PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY I’m sure most parents haven’t thought of filling their 10-year-old’s Christmas stocking with condoms, but that might not be such a bad idea considering kids these days are being forced to deal with the topic of sex at an earlier age than their parents did — and even their older siblings.
That’s according to Santa Monica Detective Leslie Trapnell, who specializes in juvenile investigations for the Santa Monica Police Department and has seen her fair share of under-age drinking and drug use, as well as teens experimenting with sex without protection or any awareness of the devastating consequences such as teen pregnancy or contracting a sexually transmitted disease.
While the stocking remark was her attempt at humor (and she certainly succeeded), Trapnell, a no nonsense veteran who feels it is her duty to help children through some of the most challenging times of their lives, was trying to drive home the point that parents need to talk to their kids about drugs and sex before they get their education on the streets. That may mean sitting little Jimmy and Janie down for a heart-to-heart.
“I feel we have a huge responsibility to work with these kids,” Trapnell said during week three of the academy. “These kids are our future.”
Trapnell had some sobering news for the parents in the class. She said she has seen an increase in drug use and alcohol abuse amongst ninth graders at Santa Monica High School this year. She spoke about the kids’ belief that neither oral or anal sex should be considered sex and how they believe that by performing these acts they can protect themselves from contracting an STD.
“They have no concept that this is risky,” Trapnell said.
She also spoke about the rise in petty thefts at the large high school, calling out one group in particular — the football team.
“They’re stealing from each other,” she said. “That’s low.”
For those parents who have children who may have crossed the line, it’s still OK to spank them, that is if you believe in that form of discipline. Trapnell broke down the rules when it comes to discipline. Hitting a child on the bottom with an open hand is OK, just as long as you don’t leave a mark. But using that old belt with the steel buckle or a switch from out back isn’t cool. It’s illegal. So is smacking a kid across the face or beating them.
It’s also not OK to verbally abuse kids or to be in and out of jail so much that they have no guidance. In that case, children are taken out of the home and put into protective custody. The Department of Children and Family services steps in and investigates troubled families to see if the child should be returned to their parents, sent to live with another family member of be placed in a foster home.
Trapnell also discussed cyber bullying, warning parents to no longer make jokes about their computer illiteracy but instead get online and become tech savvy so that they can monitor their children’s Internet usage.
And if people are curious, Trapnell said that the majority of calls she gets come from public schools, not private, which have zero tolerance for misbehavior.
“It’s a privilege to go to that school,” Trapnell said.“They just don’t tolerate it … We rarely get calls from those schools.”
KEEPING AN EYE OUT If that wasn’t sobering enough, Officer Debbie Anderson gave an extensive overview of Megan’s Law and the monitoring of sex offenders in Santa Monica. Anderson’s presentation was very thorough and left me feeling sick to my stomach after she showed picture after picture of young victims who were molested, raped and murdered by sick individuals who need not be locked up, but instead sent to death for their perverted crimes. Seeing those photos of Adam Walsh, Jimmy Ryce, Amanda Brown, Jessica Lundsford and other victims helped me better understand why we need legislation that forces local law enforcement to keep constant tabs on these sexual predators.
I say if they are released, put a microchip in their bodies and monitor every move the make, place zoning restrictions so they cannot live anywhere near families. I say place them all in the dessert and let them rot. Harsh — yes, but the crimes committed are some of the most heinous imaginable. The punishment should fit the crime.
On a lighter note, Eric Uller, the SMPD’s I.T. guru and all around computer whiz who is responsible for incorporating the latest technology, gave the class a tour of the communications center on the second floor of the Public Safety Facility.
Communications operators are some of the most important people in the department for they are the one’s who handle all the emergency response calls coming in and direct the appropriate resources to handle the situation. They must act quickly and be extremely accurate. If not, help may not arrive in time.
Uller, who started off in dispatch, said the job is very intense and can be stressful. Some people manage to stay on the job for decades while others last a day or two, unable to handle the pressure. The first call Uller handled as a dispatcher had to deal with a father who just found his 4-year-old son laying on the floor with a gunshot wound to his head. The father told Uller that his son found his gun and shot himself. In the background, Uller said he could hear the mother’s screams.
Through it all, a dispatcher has to remain clam and collected.
“One minute you can spend 45 minutes talking someone out of killing themselves, and then the next call is about a leaf blower,” Uller said.
In addition to monitoring phones, the communications center is in charge of monitoring security cameras placed along the Third Street Promenade and the Santa Monica Pier. There are roughly 120 stationary cameras in all.
Next week we’ll be treated to presentations about community oriented policing, criminal investigations, gangs and graffiti.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 15, 2008. Read the original PDF.