FROM COMPLAINT PAGE 1 Complaint filed after recent raid
PICO NEIGHBORHOOD A grandmother who said she was caught last weekend in the middle of a gang sweep, along with her grandson and four other children, has filed a complaint against a Santa Monica Police officer after she was allegedly mistreated, insulted and unlawfully arrested.
Charlene Gowers, 50, said she was walking on the 1900 block of 17th Street with her 3-year-old grandson and some neighborhood kids around 8 p.m. Saturday when she found herself smack in the middle of a police raid on a suspected gang member’s home.
Several undercover officers jumped out of a van with their guns drawn and began cursing at her, the children and her adult son for failing to stay clear of the multi-department raid, Gowers alleges.
The Pico resident claims there were no signs or barricades that would have led her to believe an investigation was in progress, just a standard police car — parked with its lights flashing.
“The police are always on our street giving out tickets to people who fail to stop at the stop sign by our house,” said Gowers, who lives on the corner of 17th Street and Delaware Avenue. “The kids always like to watch and sometimes the cops give them stickers.
“That’s all we thought it was.” Gowers claims that she and her son were suddenly being handcuffed, with officers yelling, “The kid is gone. You will never see him again,” referring to her grandson, who was taken from Gowers at the scene by a representative from the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, and later released to his mother.
Gowers said the officers arrested her for child endangerment and for assault on a police officer because she allegedly tried to hit one of the officers who was handcuffing her son.
“Just because we live in the Pico Neighborhood doesn’t mean we should be treated like this,” Gowers said.
SMPD Lt. P.J. Guido confirmed this week that a complaint has been filed by Gowers against one SMPD officer and that Internal Affairs is handling the investigation.
“We will follow up on Ms. Gowers’ complaint, just like we would any other complaint, and investigate it thoroughly,” Guido said. “In fairness to all parties involved, it’s best to let the investigation proceed …”
Officers with the SMPD were conducting a gang sweep on Saturday along with officers from the Los Angeles and Culver City police departments, the California Highway Patrol and the FBI, according to SMPD Lt. Darrell Lowe. Each of the agencies are members of the Western Regional Gang Task Force, a collaborative law enforcement effort targeting Westside gangs in Santa Monica, Venice, Inglewood, Culver City and Mar Vista.
Lowe said more than 120 officers were involved in the sweep, but only a handful of whom were from Santa Monica, since Culver City was hosting. Santa Monica hosted a similar sweep last month, as did Inglewood police the month before. Each agency takes a turn hosting.
“It is a multi-layered approach,” Lowe said of the sweeps. “We do everything from street enforcement, compliance checks with probation and parole …”
Parole and probation officers, with police backing, paid surprise visits to the homes of alleged gang members on Saturday, and more than a dozen undercover officers were placed in target areas. Fourteen arrests were made for outstanding felony warrants after searching 30 homes.
“Westside gang members don’t recognize geographic boundaries,” Lowe said. “While they may claim Santa Monica or Venice shoreline, they will go where opportunities exist. They may have felt a false sense of jurisdictional comfort … Now, with all officers working in unison, when you see Santa Monica officers working with LAPD, probation and the Highway Patrol, it sends a clear message that we no longer recognize boundaries.”
Lowe said he was aware of Gowers’ arrest and that she has filed a complaint, but could not comment further since it is under investigation.
Gowers said she also plans to file complaints with Culver City and Los Angeles, but has, so far, been unable to identify the arresting officers. Gowers is also considering filing a lawsuit.
A spokesman for the Culver City Police Department said Tuesday that Gowers has yet to file a complaint. A spokesman from the LAPD said the agency does not disclose whether or not a complaint has been filed against an officer because that information is confidential.
Gowers feels “shocked and disturbed” that officers would allow a raid to take place in a residential neighborhood without blocking off the area, which is a “major through-way for students, residents and children.”
“At any moment, the raid could have escalated and shots could have been fired,” Gowers said. “Any of the adults or children could have been hit by gunfire or taken hostage … The perimeter was not secured at all, guns were drawn and tensions extremely high.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 1, 2007. Read the original PDF.