LAPD Rampart Division
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The Rampart Division of the Los Angeles Police Department serves communities to the west and northwest of Downtown Los Angeles including Echo Park, Pico-Union and Westlake, all together designated as the Rampart patrol area. Its name is derived from Rampart Boulevard, one of the principal thoroughfares in its patrol area. The station house is located at 2710 W. Temple Street in Westlake.
[edit] The "Rampart Scandal"
The Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums (CRASH) anti-gang program initiated under the direction of LAPD Chief Daryl F. Gates had encountered some success in the Rampart Division. However, in 1998-99, graphic allegations emerged of extreme police misconduct among Rampart's CRASH squad. The resulting scandal—exacerbated by what is widely viewed as inept public relations management by then-chief Bernard Parks—severely compromised the credibility of the LAPD, and the Rampart Division in particular, during a time when the department had only just begun to recover from the public relations fiasco of the Los Angeles Riots.
The most prominent casualty of the scandal was Parks, who was not rehired by newly elected Mayor James K. Hahn in 2001. While Parks's termination was hailed by outside observers and the LAPD's rank and file, Hahn's indelicate handling of the matter cost him the support of South Los Angeles's black community, leading to his crushing defeat by Antonio Villaraigosa in the 2005 election.
The pullback in Rampart Division CRASH operations following the scandal is widely believed to have enabled Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), a notoriously violent gang, to establish a firm base of power in Westlake's huge Salvadoran population.
[edit] The Shield (Contains Spoilers)
FX Networks hit series The Shield is based on Rampart's CRASH squad. Originally called "Rampart" when the first ads were run, the show's title was later changed at the request of the LAPD. By calling the show "Rampart", the LAPD claimed that the show's graphic content would portray them as corrupt. The show primarily follows the activities of corrupt Detectives Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), Shane Vendrell (Walton Goggins), Ronnie Gardocki (David Rees Snell), and Curtis Lemansky (more often called "Lem" or "Lemonhead", played by Kenny Johnson), who in Seasons 1-5 made up the Strike Team, a special unit specializing in gang activity and drug trafficking. Detective Kevin Hiatt, played by Alex O'Loughlin, is due to be added to the team at the beginning of Season 6. The show earned itself a TV-MA rating due to graphic violence, strong language, adult situations, and nudity, and is critically acclaimed for its indiscriminate realism.
