LAPD Metropolitan Division

Metropolitan Division, also known as METRO, is an elite division with in the Los Angeles Police Department under Special Operations Bureau which is responsible for managing the department's specialized units, including the Line Platoons(B Team, C Team), K-9, and SWAT. The divsion as a whole
is tasked with numerous crime-fighting duties including solving major crimes, search warrant service, dignitary protection, surveillance, providing counter-terrorism details, and attending high-risk barricade situations.

History

Metropolitan Division developed from a compact, mobile crime-fighting team formed by Chief James E. Davis in 1933. Named the Reserve Unit, it was formed to work throughout Los Angeles to specifically suppress criminal activity. By 1968 the unit was expanded from 70 officers to approximately 200 officers. In 1997, following the North Hollywood shootout, numbers were increased to approximately 350 sworn officers and 16 civilian support personnel.

The Reserve Unit was originally based out of Room 114 at Parker Center, the LAPD's former headquarters. The code number 114 (pronounced "one-one-four") is used today to refer to the Metropolitan Division and its headquarters. Metropolitan Division headquarters, which previously shared space with LAPD Central Division in downtown Los Angeles, moved to the former LAPD Rampart Division station in 2016. The old Rampart building had been empty since 2008, when Rampart Division staff moved to new facilities. The former Rampart division station was renovated for use by Metro Division.

Objectives

The Metropolitan Division's primary responsibility (other than SWAT) is to provide support to the LAPD's community-based policing efforts by deploying additional crime suppression resources throughout Los Angeles when needed.
Assignments of both SWAT and Metro Division as a whole include:
* counter-terrorism
* providing assistance to investigators in solving major crimes
* responding to high-risk barricaded situations
* stakeouts
* security details
* serving warrants
* uniformed crime suppression details (crowd control)

Organization

There are four field platoons (A, B, C, and G), three specialized platoons (D, E and K9) supervised by a Lieutenant II. The Operations Platoon performs the administrative and support functions. "A", "B”, "C" and “G” Platoons are primarily responsible for crime suppression. Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), “D” Platoon personnel, respond to emergency situations involving barricaded suspects or hostages. “E” Platoon (Mounted Unit), “K-9” Platoon and the Underwater Dive Unit (UDU) make up the remainder of the Division. The Division also maintains a doctor, crisis negotiators and other specialists in weaponry, computer science, and audio-visual technology.

A, B, C & G Platoons (Tactical Response Teams/Line Platoons)

A, B, C and G Platoons are primarily responsible for carrying out crime suppression missions. Their most active function is maintaining selective enforcement details in high frequency crime areas and targeting repeat offenders and criminal predators. Particular efforts are directed to the suppression of burglary, robbery, auto theft, and burglary/theft from motor vehicle. More recently, efforts have been aimed at attacking violent repressible crime.

D Platoon (SWAT)

D Platoon is the LAPD's SWAT unit. It provides the LAPD with 24-hour coverage necessary for immediate response to barricaded suspects, snipers, crisis and hostage negotiations, potential suicide-related situations, and other high-risk incidents. Rapid deployment, surprise attacks, extensive tactics training and thorough planning are all parts of successful SWAT operations. SWAT currently operates the Lenco B.E.A.R., Lenco BearCat, and MedCat armored rescue vehicles. The current platoon leader is Lieutenant John Stone.

E Platoon (Mounted Unit)

The "E" Platoon serves as both the LAPD's mounted police unit and the reserve unit of the Special Operations Bureau. The "E" platoon began as a volunteer/reserve officer program and was formally integrated into the LAPD in 1988. The platoon currently has 32 horses and is located in a state-of-the-art Ahmanson Equestrian Facility. Officers and their horses deploy on city streets or during special events and add to the LAPD's professional image. Beyond that, the Mounted Platoon performs crime suppression duties and responds to crowd control incidents.

Canine (K-9) Platoon

The Canine Platoon, or K-9 Platoon, deploys highly trained dog handlers and their canine partners to conduct searches and apprehend felony suspects throughout the Los Angeles area. K-9 personnel are deployed around-the-clock, seven days a week. They are available to assist any LAPD division with searches for felony suspects. Two K-9 officers have also been trained in search and rescue operations using dogs. The current platoon leader is Lieutenant Edison Porter.

In 1990, the Liberty Award was created for police dogs who are killed or seriously injured in the line of duty. The medal, which is named after Liberty, a Metropolitan Division K-9 who was shot and killed in the line of duty, has only been awarded once in its history. Liberty's handler, John Hall, received the Medal of Valor for the same incident.

History of LAPD SWAT

While not the first to use specially trained units, the LAPD was the first to form a police tactical unit, and originally created the term " Special Weapons And Tactics". John Nelson was the LAPD officer who came up with the idea to form a specially trained and equipped unit in the LAPD, intended to respond to and manage critical situations involving shootings while minimizing police casualties. In 1967, Nelson's CO, then-Inspector Daryl F. Gates, approved this idea, and he formed a small select group of volunteer officers. This first SWAT unit initially consisted of fifteen teams of four men each, for a total staff of sixty. These officers were given special status and benefits, and were required to attend special monthly training. This unit also served as a security unit for police facilities during times of civil unrest.

In 1971, SWAT personnel were assigned on a full-time basis to Metropolitan Division to respond to continuing action by militant groups, the rising crime rate, and the continuing difficulty of mustering a team response in a timely manner. Metropolitan Division, which had a long-established reputation as the tactical unit of the Department, was reorganized into six units: "A", "B", "C", "D", "E", and "K-9" Platoons. The Special Weapons And Tactics Unit was given the designation of "D" Platoon, and at the same time formally adopted the acronym "SWAT".

The first significant deployment of LAPD's SWAT unit was on December 9, 1969, in a four-hour confrontation with members of the Black Panthers. The Panthers eventually surrendered, with three Panthers and three officers being injured. By 1974, there was a general acceptance of SWAT as a police resource in Los Angeles.

On April 14, 2015, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced during the 2015 State of the City address that he would add more than 200 officers to the Metro division in an effort to control the crime rate which dramatically increased the year previously.

Notable incidents

Black Panther raid

On December 6, 1969, two patrol officers claimed to have seen Panther members, Paul Redd, "Duck" Smith and Geronimo Pratt, in possession of illegal firearms. Search warrants for illegal weapons were filed with the L.A. County Court Office were issued and served two hours before sunrise on December 9, 1969. The LAPD planned a massive three-location raid involving more than 350 officers. It was decided that the previously untested SWAT unit, led by Daryl Gates and Sergeant Patrick McKinley would take the lead of the raid into the Black Panther Headquarters at 41st and Central. The Black Panthers engaged the SWAT team in a four-hour gun battle, exchanging over 5,000 rounds of ammunition until the Panthers surrendered. During the shootout, Daryl Gates called the Department of Defense, requesting and receiving permission to use a grenade launcher; however, it was never actually used. The fighting resulted in the wounding of four Panthers and four officers. All six arrested Panthers were acquitted of the most serious charges brought against them, including conspiracy to murder police officers, because it was ruled that they acted in self-defense.

Symbionese Liberation Army shootout

On the afternoon of May 17, 1974, the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) barricaded themselves in a residence on East 54th Street at Compton Avenue. In response, more than 400 LAPD officers, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) deputies, California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers, and Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) firefighters surrounded the residence. Coverage of the siege was broadcast to millions via television and radio and featured in the world press for days after. Negotiations were opened with the barricaded suspects on numerous occasions, both prior to and after the introduction of tear gas, and police did not fire until the SLA had fired several volleys of semi-automatic and fully automatic gunfire at them. Despite the 3,772 rounds fired by the SLA, no police, civilian, or emergency services casualties were reported.

During the shootout, a fire erupted inside the residence. The cause of the fire is officially unknown; police speculated that an errant round ignited one of the suspects' Molotov cocktails, while other sources blame police tear gas grenades started the structure fire. All six of the suspects suffered multiple gunshot wounds and died in the ensuing blaze.

By the time of the SLA shootout, SWAT teams had reorganized into six 10-man teams, each team consisting of two five-man units, called elements. An element consisted of an element leader, two assaulters, a scout, and a rear-guard. The normal complement of weapons was a sniper rifle (apparently a .243-caliber bolt-action, judging from the ordnance expended by officers at the shootout), two .223-caliber semi-automatic rifles, and two shotguns. SWAT officers also carried their service revolvers in shoulder holsters. The normal gear issued them included a first aid kit, gloves, and a gas mask. It was a major change at the time to have police armed with semi-automatic rifles, at a time when officers were usually issued six-shot revolvers and shotguns. The encounter with the SLA sparked a trend towards SWAT teams being issued body armor and fully automatic weapons of various types.

1997 North Hollywood shootout

The North Hollywood shootout was an armed confrontation between two heavily armed and armored bank robbers, Larry Eugene Phillips, Jr. and Emil Mătăsăreanu, and both SWAT and patrol officers in North Hollywood on February 28, 1997. It began when responding North Hollywood Division patrol officers engaged Phillips and Mătăsăreanu leaving a bank which the two men had just robbed. Eleven officers and seven civilians sustained injuries before LAPD SWAT arrived and both robbers were killed.''Shootout!''; The History Channel; Viewed July 8, 2008. Phillips and Mătăsăreanu had robbed several banks prior to their attempt in North Hollywood and were notorious for their heavy armament, which included automatic rifles. LAPD patrol officers were typically armed with low-caliber handguns or revolvers, with shotguns available in their cars (only SWAT officers were regularly equipped with rifles). Phillips and Mătăsăreanu carried fully automatic rifles, with ammunition capable of penetrating regular police body armor, and wore full body armor that police handguns could not penetrate. The officers at the scene had a significant disadvantage until LAPD SWAT arrived with equivalent firepower and body armor; they also appropriated several semi-automatic rifles from a nearby firearms dealer to help even the odds, though by the time this began to happen, SWAT had already arrived. The incident sparked debate on the appropriate firepower for patrol officers to have available in similar situations in the future.

First officer fatality

Randal "Randy" David Simmons (July 22, 1956 – February 7, 2008) was the first member of the LAPD SWAT to be killed in the line of duty in its 40-year history (although an officer died in a training accident in 1998). He was shot and killed in Winnetka during a standoff with a barricaded suspect. He was among five deaths, including three civilians and the suspect, that day. SWAT Officer James Veenstra was also seriously injured in the same incident. The suspect, who was killed by a police sniper, was identified as 20-year-old Edwin Rivera. The three civilian victims were identified as 54-year-old Gerardo Rivera, 21-year-old Edgar Rivera and 25-year-old Endi Rivera, members of Edwin's family.

Simmon's funeral, which was attended by nearly 25,000 mourners including law enforcement personnel from all over the world, was the largest police officer funeral in both Los Angeles and United States history. Simmons, who was a 27-year LAPD veteran, had been with SWAT for more than 20 years.

To honor his legacy, the Metropolitan Division Randal Simmons Explorer Post 114 was named and dedicated after his death to continue his youth outreach work. Officer Simmons was also mentioned as a source of inspiration behind character Officer Jones' reason for joining the LAPD in the television series ''Southland'', in the episode " Underwater".

Media representations of LAPD SWAT

The SWAT police unit quickly became well known in the 1975 television series ''S.W.A.T.''. In 2003, a film adaptation of the series starred Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell and LL Cool J and was directed by Clark Johnson. The film was a success at the box office.

The ''SWAT'' series of computer games, created by Sierra Entertainment and developed by Vivendi Universal and Irrational Games, started off as an interactive film follow-up of the ''Police Quest'' series, which was narrated by retired LAPD Chief Daryl Gates. The ''SWAT'' series then continued as a real-time strategy game, and then three first-person tactical shooters similar to the '' Rainbow Six'' series. All games in the series featured the LAPD SWAT and endorsements from the LAPD except '' SWAT 4'', which was set in a fictional East Coast city.

In 2017, CBS created a new '' S.W.A.T.'' television series, with former ''Criminal Minds'' star Shemar Moore, which is a spin-off of the 2003 movie. The show, like its 1975 predecessor, follows the daily lives of a fictional team of LAPD SWAT officers.

Controversial deployments

The MacArthur Park rallies were two May Day rallies demanding amnesty for undocumented immigrants which occurred on May 1, 2007, at MacArthur Park. Six hundred police officers, including Metropolitan Division officers from "B" and "C" Platoons, were tasked with crowd control. When protesters began blocking city streets, the crowd was ordered to disperse; the orders were given in English to a crowd of mostly Spanish speaking demonstrators. A significant portion of the crowd did disperse on these commands while police officers formed a line and advanced slowly to clear the area. The officers proceeded about 50 feet at a time, allowing those complying with the dispersal order to retreat. Officers were attacked with plastic bottles, rocks and other projectiles, and responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, and batons, with approximately 146 foam-rubber projectiles fired. Twenty-seven marchers and nine members of the media were injured, five people were arrested, and at least fifty civilians filed complaints with the LAPD regarding mistreatment by officers. A $13 million settlement was paid over allegations of civil rights violations. Seventeen officers and two sergeants from the Metropolitan Division would eventually be disciplined for their actions.

References

External links

Metropolitan Division - Los Angeles Police Department

{{LAPD

Counterterrorism in the United States
Metropolitan Division