Affrodite: I have a few questions from facebook and twitter that I want to ask. I will say that the reaction was not so much about speaking to you in particular but it was the reputation of the LAPD of being such a.
Capt. Young: (finishing my sentence) A tough, abusive agency.
Let’s just put it out there, that’s really what comes to mind for many of us when we hear LAPD mentioned. The following questions were submitted via Twitter (@affrodite) and Facebook (Affrodite Sez). I hope by reading Capt. Young’s responses that you’ll at least get a new perspective from a high ranking officer in the LAPD as opposed to our limited exposure (except for those of you living within Los Angeles).
Thank you, readers, for your questions. Here’s what Capt. Young had to say in response…
Affrodite: Yes. Here’s the first question from Curtis Heggins on Facebook.
For a number of reasons, I feel that she is the first named to that position. I can’t help but feel that she may be like that black cop in ‘Boyz in the Hood.’ The one that didn’t like himself and did things to his own to appease his fellow white cops. She had to bow down to get there. Being the first [when] LA is a deal making town. It’s like what have you done for me lately?
My question would be- How will you change the relationship between Blacks and Browns and Blues in your district, and how can you as a role model bring out more trust on both sides?
Capt. Young: Curtis, that’s a lot you’re asking me. I think the race relations between the police department and the black and the browns has gotten better. Do we still have work to do? Yes, on both parts. I’m not one of those officers. I vaguely remember the “Boyz in the Hood” movie because I’m probably older than you are, Curtis, and I didn’t bow down to get to where I am, and if you think this has been an easy road for me, you’re sadly mistaken because even to this day I’m being challenged and questioned. ‘Well, did we make the right decision?’ ‘Does she make the right decisions?’ So it’s not easy. I don’t have a strong sponsor on the department. Every position that I’ve obtained is because has been because of myself and hard work and people- black, brown, white people that I have worked for that have recognized my talent. I have never worked with officers who mistreated other individuals because I guess they knew I wasn’t going to stand for it. So no [to answer the question simply]. We are getting better, but we still, the community and the police, have a long to go, but I think things have gotten a little better.
Affrodite: The next question is from Noel Williams on Twitter (@Newilli), and he has a couple of short questions.
Given the LAPD history in the black community, have you been received as a new beginning or something to appease the black community?
Capt. Young: Oh no! Honestly, when I was first made captain, I was working in the Valley. I wasn’t working in the black community, so they didn’t like move me to the black community because I was black. They kept me in the valley because they needed me there, too, because there’s not many black people that work in the Valley. So the Chief was spreading everybody out, but never just to appease the black community. I actually liked working in all the communities in Los Angeles because they’re all very different and unique…I stayed in the valley for almost 3 years.
Affrodite: Here’s the second question from Noel.
Besides the obvious hard work, do you feel your upward mobility in the LAPD is as a result of diversity efforts or in spite of those efforts?
Capt. Young: No…I mean as for me. I don’t know about other people and conversations they’ve had, but the chief spreads us all out because the city of Los Angeles is so diverse. We have the valley which is predominantly white, caucasian, but you do have black and brown people that live in the Valley and officers that work out there so [the Chief] tries to get black COs and hispanic COs just to get that diversity. Just like in Southborough right now, there aren’t any African-American captains. So, are they not doing a good job? Yes, they’re doing a good job down there.
Affrodite: My last question is one of my own for you. How has Chief Bratton resigning going? Have they replaced him?
Capt. Young: They haven’t yet. They’re going through a process and a lot of our deputy chiefs and assistant chiefs are applying along with outside department chiefs.
Capt. Young: I was surprised, actually. I think the department was surprised.
Affrodite: Because he went back to join a private security firm?
Capt. Young: Yes, he’s going back to New York, where he’s from. His father is very elderly, and he wants to go back home. He’s done a good job here as far as police department, crime, promotions, diversity, technology. He’s a very outside of the box thinker. Very transparent and [he] uses that word, but you have to be. The part I like about Chief Bratton is that, on issues, he was out there, up front immediately. If he wasn’t, one of the assistant chiefs or deputy chiefs in whatever bureau, they’re out there. They were addressing the community’s concerns, and I think that has helped a lot to keep some of the racial hot beds down because we’re out there. He encourages us as captains if something’s happening in your community you get out there. You get your officers out there talking about what they can talk about. Sometimes, investigations are confidential. You can’t say everything but you’re out there answering questions to the best of your ability.
WARNING!!! THE STORY BELOW IS GRAPHIC IN NATURE AND COVERS THE SUBJECT OF CHILD ABUSE.
All too often we are captivated by horrific yet true stories that are seemingly unfathomable. Whether it’s our poor response to natural disasters as in Hurricane Katrina, acts of terrorism as in 9/11, or school shootings as in Columbine High School. Then there are stories like Shaniya Davis whose mother treated her own daughter as a commodity and sold her as a part of human trafficking where she was raped then killed. These stories affect the families directly associated with them as well as many of us who get a glimpse via newspapers or television.
I salute those like Captain Young and others from the nation’s police departments, fire departments, hospitals, and military agencies who regularly put themselves in harm’s way in order to protect the lives of others…especially our children.
Not every story makes the headlines, such as the one you are about to read. I feel as obligated to post this as I do sick to the very pit of my stomach. We must fight with every bone in our body to put an end to child abuse! Be vigilant and trust your instincts. If something doesn’t look right with a child, it probably isn’t.
Here’s more from my conversation with LAPD Capt. Young…
Affrodite: I’m sure you’ve been able to see a lot of things over the years. I know you have worked with child abuse and rape. I look at that and think I don’t have the heart to work in those areas the way you did.
Capt. Young: It was tough.
Affrodite: Would you like to share a story that touched you personally during that time and what about it made it so memorable?
Capt. Young: I’ll tell you, one of the most difficult assignments I’ve had was working in the Juvenile Division in the Abused Child Unit because in a specialized division we handle cases where the the children were victims because the parents or guardians did something to them…We have 21 stations so there’s a Juvenile Division within each station, but they handle if the neighbor abused the child…There was a case that I’ll always remember. A little girl, probably about 18 months old. Her father had been molesting her. It’s hard because I still see her face, just a cute little girl, and it was sexual molestation. It wasn’t physical. We went out to the house and we met her, and she was just the sweetest little girl. The mother, of course, was in denial. The case was reported by another family member not living in the home so that’s how we got there. We took the little girl, and this is where I just (she pauses)… We took her to the hospital as we normally would do for medical treatment…and these nurses were examining her and the doctor, and when they took off her clothes, all I heard was [a loud gasp]..I’m coming in there because I want to see, too…and oh my God! The nurses started crying. The doctor who was a man was tearing up, and I’m like what? So they showed me. They showed me her private area and they said that was the worse case of gonorrhea they had ever seen.
Affrodite: Oh my gosh!
Capt. Young: And I had never seen gonorrhea before, and I was thinking, ‘Oh my God! That’s why she was crying all the time.’ She was in so much pain, open sores, everything. I turned and I looked at my partner and I said, ‘We’re going back to that house. We’re going now, and everyone is going to jail.’ So we went back. Mom was in denial when we told her what the results were from the hospital. She said, ‘Oh, she got it from the toilet stool.’ I said, ‘Ma’am, I’ve never had any children but I do have nieces and nephews and at 18 months how do they hold up [on the toilet seat by themselves]? This is a little girl!…’ So we had the mom and everybody get tested, and the mom had gonorrhea. There was another daughter in the house who had it. We found dad and he was like, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
Affrodite: It reminds me of that story that was in the news about the girl, Jaycee Lee Dugard, that had been abducted. I wrote about it in my women’s column but I focused on the women behind that story (click HERE for story). The female police officers, Lisa Campbell and Ally Jacobs from Berkely who sensed something was wrong and went the extra mile of doing some follow up.
Capt. Young: Yes, people don’t do that often enough.
Affrodite: And then also looking at that Phillip Garrido’s wife Nancy Garrido because the media attention went straight to him like as if, I mean, I know, usually the man’s the main perpetrator, but I still feel like women play a role if you are there and witnessing it and not reporting.
Capt. Young: Yes.
Affrodite: So as you’re telling that story about the girl, I was wondering if you have anything to say to women who are in these situations. I understand that there’s a level of abuse that is happening to them too, but do you feel they’re equally responsible?
Capt. Young: They are equally responsible…He’d have to kill me for me to hold that secret of abuse that was happening to not only my child but to someone else’s [as in Garrido case]. This is a child that they took off the street from a family and brought home and tortured basically in the backyard for all of those years.
Affrodite: And nobody knew.
Capt. Young: But the neighbor, remember, they were saying that they had heard funny noises but he never called.
Affrodite: Yes, and it’s a shame that there’s more than one story like that out there.
Yes, there’s still more with Capt. Young to share with you so stay tuned as she offers safety tips for women and answers your questions submitted on Facebook and Twitter.
As mentioned in the kick-off post, Captain Ann E. Young (Capt. Young), has held a variety of positions as she’s grown through the ranks within the LAPD. Not being familiar with the various divisions within the LAPD or any police force, I wanted to get a better understanding of Capt. Young’s specific responsibilities at the moment and probe a little more into some of her community involvement.
Affrodite: What are you commanding?
Capt. Young: Right now, I’m the commanding officer of the Detective Support and Vice Division which I have citywide for all vice operations as well [including] prostitutes, pimps, pandering, massage parlors, ladies of the evening, all that stuff. In addition to that, I have the Threat Management Unit which they investigate celebrities that are being stalked or workplace violence cases, missing persons…I have the Mental Evaluation Unit where our officers actually go out in the field and make arrests or take into custody those that are determined to be mentally ill. I have all of the court liaisons, and that’s it. I have 180 employees that report to me in this command.
When Capt. Young said “that’s it,” I was literally left speechless. There are so many critical operations that fall within her command. Additionally, Capt. Young’s involvement does not simply stop at day-to-day operations. There were a host of other activities in which Capt. Young actively supports. Even as we continued to talk about the Los Angeles FOX 11 news segment, “Wednesday’s Child” that aired the night before and featured a young man named Christopher who was interested in being a police officer, it only represented one of many community programs in which Capt. Young is involved.
More on FOX 11 LA “Wednesday’s Child: Christopher”
Capt. Young: Christine Devine [from FOX 11] is trying to showcase and spotlight these children that are older children and show that they’re not on drugs. They’re not in gangs. They’re just normal boys and girls just like anyone else, you know, that are looking for mentorship to get them out of that life because when they turn 18, you’re [released from the foster care system].
Affrodite: No more support?
Capt. Young: No more support. Then they might turn to to drugs or some other type of life if they haven’t already planned…We want to stay in contact with [Christopher] because we have programs for children his age…like the Explorer program…It’s like a police cadette type program where at that age they go through an Academy for a couple of weeks and then they’re attached to that police station. They participate in different events…and work at the police station on little jobs…go on field trips…It’s a good coordinated program. We try to keep them straight so then when they’re able to at 18, 19, and 20, they can join a police department or join a fire department or go to school.
Mary Magdalene Project
Affrodite: Tell me about the drop-in center for women that you are involved.
Capt. Young: I’m on the Board of Directors. It’s out in the Valley. It’s called the Mary Magdalene Project(www.mmp.org) and it’s a drop in center for prostitute women that we’re trying to, again, get them off the street and get them into some type of program.
She went on to explain how they’re trying to model the Mary Magdalene Project after the SAGE Project (Standing Against Global Exploitation – www.sagesf.org) in San Francisco. Capt. Young continues:
Prostitution is something that’s ingrained over time. These women are truly victims. They started at a very young age, and this sometimes is all they know. So, hopefully, our drop in center will turn into a live-in center. Right now, they show up for resources. They show up for counseling and then they go back out…We’re starting with baby steps…You’ve got to change the whole mindset of that young lady. You’ve got to turn her around to where she feels the confidence that she needs to be able to go back out into the street and not go back into the life. Get an apartment, use the resources to get a job, clean up.
La Cienega School
Affrodite: I know you’ve gotten involved in a new project with one of the inner city schools. Can you tell me about that?
Capt. Young: Cienega Elementary School in LA. We’re trying to…work on a program to bring that entire school up to the Police Academy and put on a demonstration, similar to what we did with Christopher but…we’ll be bringing maybe 800 kids out there. Then, we’re going to join with that school to see if there’s some programs that we can develop to where it’s an ongoing basis where they can use the Police Academy or use the Museum of Tolerance because we’ve done some work with them, too.
In the next post, you’ll hear Capt. Young recall a memorable yet chilling story from her work experience.
When I was asked if I would like to speak to Capt. Ann E. Young (Capt. Young) and given her bio, I responded with a resounding yes. Her career has included service in the Juvenile Division (Abused Child Unit), Robbery Homocide Division (Rape Special Section), and Internal Affairs. Outside of her main responsibilities, Capt. Young is very active in the community. Just the day before she she was part of the Los Angeles FOX 11 News “Wednesday’s Child” segment, a series that features older children in foster care, after spending a day with Christopher who is an aspiring police officer. Check out the segment below.
Capt. Young was one of the first African-American female captains to be named to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), in its 131 year history, at the time she was appointed in April 2000. Who knew? Exactly! That’s why I’m excited to bring her story to my blog and Examiner women’s column in a series of posts.
I happened to be in Los Angeles on a visit, back in September, and arranged to meet Capt. Young in person at her office in the LAPD headquarters. Naturally, entering such a building came with some nerves. I don’t believe I’ve ever walked into a police department in my life (a good thing, of course). Fortunately, LAPD headquarters is just offices which made getting in to see her much simpler than if there were any holding facilities.
After being escorted to her department (Office of the Detective Bureau and Vice Squad), I waited patiently for Capt. Ann to complete a phone conversation. When she walked out, we greeted each other with a smile. You may argue whether or not this detail is significant, but I was pleased to see a woman in her position wearing her hair in a nice, neat short afro. I had a “Go ahead, girl!” moment in my mind as I shook her hand.
As she led me to her office, I looked around. I don’t know what I expected to see, lots of hustle and bustle like you see on tv, but it was kind of quiet. She shut the door and came over to a small conference table and sat next to me. In that moment, I began to move past Capt. Young as strictly a woman in a high ranking position and began to see her as an entire woman. She was shy and very soft spoken. While Capt. Young is very active in the community, I do not think that she’s had many opportunities for someone to come and feature just her story. I admired her sense of humility and wished I could have spoken to her all afternoon, but the time I did have with her was well spent as you’ll read in this post and upcoming posts in this series.
Just as I did, you have a lot to learn, so let me just give you an introduction to Capt. Young.
Affrodite: Tell me about yourself.
Capt Young: I’ve been on the department for about 28 years now. Prior to coming on, I was a teacher. I taught five years in Las Vegas and one year in Compton Unified School District which is kind of like a suburb of Los Angeles. Then I came on the department. I always wanted to be a police officer. We grew up in New York, actually, in Brooklyn, and I guess I was interested in becoming a cop back then.
Affrodite: So you do not come from a family history of those who served in the police force?
Capt. Young: Not a history, per se, but while living in New York I had a cousin that was a detective in the NYPD. He has since passed away, but I used to hear his stories when he would come to visit…He used to talk to my dad a lot because he was working undercover narcotics at the time back of[NYPD Detective Frank] Serpico, probably before your time. There was a horrendous scandal in New York…[and my uncle] was working narcotics. He was afraid for his life, and I used to listen between the doors because they didn’t want me to hear, but I thought ‘It sounds exciting.’ Then we moved as a family out to Los Angeles, out to Compton, when I was just about to go into high school. I finished high school in Compton and then went on to college at UC San Diego for two years, and then I went to UCLA and graduated there. Then I got my teaching credential, and then I moved to Las Vegas and then came back home after a few years.
Affrodite: How did you end up joining the police force if you went into teaching first?
Capt. Young: When I was living in Compton and teaching…at Compton college…I was happy with teaching, but I thought this might be a good time to go into law enforcement. When I had [originally] looked into it, before I went into teaching, the height requirement was 5’-9” or taller.
Affrodite: Really?
Capt. Young: Yes, back then.
Affrodite: I never knew there was ever that kind of requirement. That’s interesting.
Capt. Young: So that eliminated a lot of people, not just women. There’s some short men, too! It eliminated a large section of people because everyone’s not 5’-9” or taller, but you have to know the history of LAPD. Twenty, well maybe thirty or fourty years ago, a lot of people left the military and then joined the police department, back in the 1950s and 60s, and those were tall men, so they had that requirement, but times have changed so they…looked at it again and decided 5’-9” was not realistic.
Affrodite: What was your first job as a police officer?
Capt. Young: Well, my first job was trying to get out of that academy. (laughs)
Affrodite: Were you one of only a few women in the academy? I remember reading a statistic, not sure how current it was, but something like 19% of the LAPD is made up of women.
Capt. Young: Well, now it’s 19% women, but it was much lower 20 years ago.
That’s the first snapshot from our interview. Much more to come. Stay tuned!
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