by Cliff Yates
The minimum compound was a very safe and enjoyable assignment. But it could turn dangerous very quickly. With 2,000 inmates, many of which were active gang members, we had to constantly monitor tension in the compound. Several riots have broken out at the facility over the years. There could be some real hardcore gang members who just happened to be doing time on a misdemeanor charge. Although classification was supposed to weed those individuals out and not assign them to the minimum facility, it would happen. Every so often there would be a hit at the minimum compound or just a shanking over who knows what that would lead to a death. We were always searching for and finding homemade weapons. The inmates had access to all sorts of materials to make weapons from. They were working in the kitchen, laundry, woodshop, dairy and pig farms. They made great shanks out of metal pieces removed from the steel bunk beds. They could take apart the security razors to get the blade and then melt the end of a toothbrush and sink the blade in the toothbrush before the plastic hardened, which made a great slicing tool.
We had use of metal flashlights and saps, but all too often we would resort to using our fists to protect ourselves, which was very stupid. I learned firsthand how stupid that was. I had a training officer in the jail who had been a boxer, and he would hit the heavy bag in the gym consistently. When he hit someone with his fist, he knew what he was doing. Not only did he know how to hit, he knew where to hit. I think he broke nine jaws in a row. I thought I could punch like him, and I was wrong. One pm shift during the inmate feeding, I sent an inmate who had been smuggling food out of the mess hall down to the office, with the intention of rolling him up later (sending him to a different facility). He suddenly turned and started running toward me. In protection of myself, I tried to throw a hard left cross to his face. I missed the mark and caught him square on the forehead. He went down like a ton of bricks, and I almost did too. I had broken my hand by hitting his forehead. That was an idiot move that was painful and caused me 6 weeks in a soft cast. Not to mention a light duty assignment at the main office. I don’t know which was more painful, the hand or the assignment.
When you were assigned to your mandatory custody assignment, you picked the stations you wanted to go to. The stations you pick and how fast the movement is determines how fast you could get out of the jail. I wanted no part of the jail. I came out to this big agency to work the streets in the most crime infested areas. Depending on attrition and a bunch of other factors, the rotation from custody to patrol varied. Some deputies went to patrol in six months and some went after five years. I had picked the fastest stations, but when I entered my second year in custody, I was becoming disgruntled and downright pissed off.
I was ready to quit and go to another department. I applied again to L.A.P.D and I got a notice that the NYP.D was getting to band three from the last test. The band three I was still on, I just needed to contact them and arrange for out of state testing to get my name back in play. Perfect timing; I was in. Everyone told me to hang on and that it would be worth the wait. They told me story after story of deputies who left the department only to return. I wasn’t hearing any of that. I made arrangements to fly to New York to get back in the process. So in August of 1986, I flew back to New York.
I arrived at Newark Airport in the morning, and something was going on in the city because I couldn’t get a hotel room for less than $500. I slept in the airport until it was time to leave for my appointment at the NYPD Academy. At the academy I met with a guy who had been on the job for over 20 years in every assignment there was. He was a great guy who spent many years on the streets. He said, “NY is the asshole of the Earth, don’t do this. I will test you if that’s what you want, but I’m telling you, stay in California. You’re living the dream, look how much money your making. It’s up to you, but my advice is to stay in California.”
I wasn’t be able to be tested until the next day, and I still couldn’t find a hotel room in Manhattan for under $500. I’m sure I could have, but I was not on my game. I think I was over tired from sleeping in the Newark Airport. I made a decision that day to return to L.A. and continue with the L.A. Sheriff’s Department. As I look back on it, maybe that decision saved my life. There is no doubt I would have chosen to live and work in Manhattan. So when 9/11 happened, I’m sure I would have responded in some way or another. I either would have gotten killed on the day of the attack, or as many of the those that responded are doing now, died of cancer years later from the smoke inhalation.
After returning to L.A. I had to keep buys while in the jail so I wouldn’t go crazy waiting for my patrol assignment. I signed up for a comedy writing class in the San Fernando Valley. My experience doing stand-up for my high school classes and after graduation with a local band involved me memorizing other comedians’ routines and performing them. I didn’t know that wasn’t something you were not supposed to do. I didn’t know anything about writing my own material. From day one of my comedy writing class, I have only performed my own written material. Comedians often use the same premises to write material, so sometimes you will hear similar material. It’s not stolen but based on the same premise. You will have similar set ups and punch lines. I have even thrown out material I have written because later I saw someone do something similar, and I never wanted that reputation of stealing someone else’s joke.
I can’t remember the name of the guy who taught the class. He was a great guy, and near the end of our class he had a good friend of his who was a working comedian come talk to us. His name was Ray Combs. Wow, this guy was inspiring. This was 1986, and at the time he was getting paid great money to be the warmup act for numerous TV shows. He talked about coming to L.A from Ohio to make it in stand-up. He had to work odd jobs by day and perform at open mics at night. He slept in his car until he could make enough money to have his family join him in L.A. Ray Combs was so inspiring. He was very energetic and upbeat. He stayed after our class to talk with us. There was only about 10 of us in the class, so we had some great personal conversations with Ray.
Our final class was at the L.A. Cabaret which was a comedy club on Ventura Blvd between White Oak and Balboa. Everyone in the class did a 10 minute set, and Ray Combs came and closed the show. He was fantastic, and he killed it of course. Ray Combs said he liked my set and told me I should continue in my comedy pursuits.
In 1987 he landed a great supporting role in the movie Overboard with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. One year later in 1998, he was picked as the new Host of Family Feud. He held that job until he was fired in 1994 to make room for the return of Richard Dawson. The firing was the start of a downhill spiral for Ray. He was in a serious car accident in 1995, leaving him partially paralyzed for a time. He regained his ability to walk but was in constant pain. He got divorced and was hospitalized after trying to kill himself with prescription medication. In 1996 Ray Combs was found dead in his Glendale, Ca home. He had hanged himself. It’s hard to grasp how this man I met in 1986 who was so vivacious and talented with a great career would be dead 10 years later at the age of 40.
During this time in the jail I found another obsession to distract me and keep me busy while awaiting to go to patrol. I saw a late night infomercial from Bobby Singer, a blackjack card counter. He was selling a program for the Bobby Singer Method. This was fantastic. I had been to Vegas once since coming to California and fell in love with it. For a career insomniac night person like me, a city with no clocks that never stops is for me. I bought that program by Bobby Singer and devoured it. I read it over many times and began following the plan. And I bought four or five books on card counting. I not only got proficient, you could probably say I became a semiprofessional card counter. To the point that it became financially profitable for me to fly into Vegas in the morning, card count through the day and then fly home in the evening. I did this five or ten times. Blackjack is the only game in Vegas where what’s been played tells you what’s left to be played.
The system I used was called a plus minus system. Contrary to what som
e people believe, card counters keep track of groups of cards, not every card. In this system 7, 8, 9 cards are given the value of zero and are considered neutral cards. The 10’s and face cards are given the value minus one, and 2-6 are given the value of plus one. Then you train your eye to keep a running count, looking at two cards. So a 2 card and a king would give you a running count of zero. The two being a plus one and the king being a minus one. You train yourself to look at two cards and see the count of the two cards. So if the next two cards were two sevens, your count would still be zero. The first two cards cancelled each other, the plus one and the minus one. The next two cards, the sevens are zero cards, so you’re still at zero.
To increase your proficiency in this skill, you take a deck of cards and remove a card without looking at it. Then you thumb through the deck two cards at a time, and when you get to the end, depending on the number you’re at in your count, you will know the value of the card you removed if you counted correctly. Every deck has to count to zero, so if you end with a count of minus one, you know the card you removed has to be a 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 because you need a plus one count for the deck to be at zero. If you end with zero, you know it is a 7, 8, 9 card. And you keep doing this until you can fan through a deck in less than thirty seconds with a correct count.
I bought my own blackjack table, and I would practice counting seven hands being dealt at a time. I would not only count but do the basic strategy of each hand. The basic strategy just says that in every deal there is a best decision mathematically. So I had flashcards with the basic strategy. If I am dealt an ace and 7, then mathematically I should double if the dealer has a 3, 4, 5, 6 and stand if the dealer has a 2, 7, 8. Otherwise, I should hit. So, I had flashcards with every different combination I could be dealt and on the reverse side of the card what the proper decision would be. I got to know those decisions reflexively, so I wouldn’t have to think about it during the deal, and I could concentrate on my card counting.
That was a weird time in Las Vegas. 1985 and 1986. On the one corner was just the Tropicana, and across the street was the Marina. There was no New York, New York, no MGM Grand. The Marina was later bulldozed and replaced with today’s MGM. Originally the MGM was where the current Bally’s is now. They were knocking down the Sands and soon after that the Stardust. I could actually write a book on card counting, maybe I will. When I was counting this was the time that a group of MIT students were taking Vegas for big bucks with card counting teams. This kept me busy waiting for patrol. And then finally in June of 1987.
LYNWOOD STATION
FINALLY IN JUNE of 1987, I was transferred to patrol. This was exciting. Before going to your unit of assignment after being transferred to the field operations division, you had to attend and pass patrol school. For most deputies a lot of time has passed since graduating from the academy where you learned everything about police work from a field deputy’s perspective. And then you go to the jail, which for most deputies is several years. If you’re smart, as your time comes near to going to patrol you start preparing yourself. You make sure all your gear and equipment are up to par, and you go on some uniformed ride alongs. Patrol training is very tough and not everyone makes it. Some have to remediate and come back again before passing. And some never make it. One thing that will make it tougher is telling your training officer you did nothing to prepare yourself for patrol while in custody.
When you got to patrol school, there were a couple deputies from your station of assignment who gave you a little orientation. They told you what to expect and what you needed to have before you got to the station. The department had a lot invested in you since the day you applied. When you got to patrol, everyone wanted you to succeed. If you failed field training, the reason or reasons in most cases could be attributed to officer safety. If you don’t have good tactics, officer safety is an issue. Unable to remain calm and take control in emergency situations, officer safety is an issue.
I remember Deputy Dave Gutierrez being one of our orientation deputies who came from Lynwood station to monitor those of us who were newly assigned to the station. Not only was it his job to advise us so we would be prepared when we arrived, he also reported back to the station as to what kind trainees were coming. Any problem child could be identified while they were at patrol school. Deputy Gutierrez told us the station was extremely busy. He said some nights there might be so many shooting calls that you wouldn’t be able to respond to all of them. This didn’t seem possible to me. Sounded like he was telling fairy tales. Remember my perspective, I came from Livingston County in upstate NY sitting in my patrol car on route 390 at a U-turn in the middle of winter and hadn’t seen a car in two hours. Now I’m going to a patrol station in south central L.A. where it’s so busy and there are so many shootings, you can’t even respond to all of them. This is what I wanted. I was a happy person.
I made it through patrol school no problem. Next stop Lynwood Station, 11330 Bullis Road in the City of Lynwood, Ca. Lynwood Station had patrol responsibilities for the unincorporated area of Los Angeles that bordered Watts, Compton and Southgate. Lynwood was also a contract city. The city contracted with the Sheriff’s Department to be their police department. At one time they had their own police department. I don’t remember why the city dissolved their police force and contracted with the department. It was several years prior to me becoming a deputy. On any given shift, deputies would be assigned to the City of Lynwood, Willowbrook, (county area of L.A.) or East Compton (county area bordering the City of Compton).
To say that the station area was gang infested would not do justice to the amount of gang activity. Here is a list of some of the gangs we had to deal with: 7th street Watts Crips, Carver Park Compton Crips, Mona Park Compton Crips, Neighborhood Watts Crips, Grape Street Watts Crips, Palm and Oak Gangster Crips, Bounty Hunter Bloods, West Side Piru Bloods, 135 Piru gang, Cross Atlantic Piru Bloods, Tree Top Piru Bloods, Lime Hood Piru Blood Gang. Leuders Park Piru Blood Gang, Fruit Town Piru Blood Gang. I won’t even list the more than 18 Hispanic gangs in Lynwood’s area.
The Crips are signified by wearing the color blue. The Bloods by wearing the color red. Every gang in Lynwood has a territory of control. Every gang member knows the map, where they should and shouldn’t go. If you fly (wear) the wrong colors in the wrong place, it’s a green light for the gang that controls that area to kill you. So if a Blood gang member gets shot and killed, within hours a retaliatory shooting will occur, and on and on it goes. When a gang war starts over drugs, territory or retaliation, it could go on for quite some time. There was always a string of dead bodies left behind in the wake of every gang war. The first thing I learned was that deputy Gutierrez was not telling fairy tales. This place was jumping off.
As a trainee you were expected to arrive at least an hour before shift to read the briefing boards and get yourself and your equipment ready for the shift. So by the time your training officer arrived, everything was prepped and ready to go. Part of this process established good habits that would carry you through your patrol career.
One of the most important things was prepping the car for the shift. After you found out what car you were assigned, you had to determine if it was available or still out on the previous shift. Once you had your assigned car, then you would do a physical inspection of the exterior. You had a vehicle inspection sheet which had a picture of the car on it at various angles so you could note any damage to the car. This comes into play when damage is noticed, and then whoever is investigating the damage will backtrack through the vehicle inspection sheets, and the last person who didn’t note the damage will be on the hook for claiming responsibility. The watch sergeant is responsible for collecting all the vehicle inspection sheets for the shift. Years later these paper sheets would be replaced by computer entries at the beginning of your shift. Sergeants had to be on their toes with the paperwork. If a sergeant wasn’t collecting these inspection sheets, hypothetically you could hold on to your inspection sheet, and if you had any
damage or dents during your shift, you could note it on your sheet and slip it in at the end of your shift. I’m sure this never happened.
After you inspect your patrol car’s exterior, you have to search the inside of the car, specifically the backseat. When someone is arrested, they should be thoroughly searched prior to being put in the backseat of the radio car. Sometimes this isn’t done, or it isn’t done thoroughly. Prisoners once in the backseat are able to dump any contraband. Even while handcuffed behind their back, prisoners were able to get rid of all sorts of contraband, weapons and drugs. When we had regular backseats, you would pull the backseat out. When you pulled the seat out, more often than you would think you would find drugs, knives, and even guns under the seat. You should never find anything under the seat. If you do your job right, you search your car prior to starting your shift, and you search it after each arrest and at the end of your shift. If you bring a prisoner in and you find drugs under the seat, you can charge your prisoner with possessing the drugs or other contraband and get a conviction because you can testify that you searched your car prior to your shift and at the end of your shift. And if you’re the oncoming shift and find the contraband and you can’t link it to a prisoner, you have to write a Found Narcotics Report.