Shootings Keep LAPD Officers on Their Guard : Violence: Law enforcement personnel review their safety practices after second attack this week. No arrests have been made in Watts ambush.
Los Angeles Police Officer David Knott and his partner were on patrol on the Eastside when they learned of the ambush shooting of an officer at a Watts housing project, the second attack on uniformed police this week.
“It got my partner and I talking about tactics, about who would do what in different situations,†said Knott, a training officer and seven-year veteran.
The shootings have prompted similar conversations among police officers that ranged from tactics to courage to fear. Many officers brush off suggestions that attacks on police make them nervous. Others admit that the shootings are a reminder of the dangers of their work.
“I don’t believe guys who say they don’t think about it,†Knott said. “You have to think about it because it could happen to you. It’s fear that drives you, gives you that adrenaline rush and makes you more aware. It’s what keeps you a survivor.â€
No one has been arrested in the most recent shooting, the Tuesday night ambush of two officers who were called to a domestic argument at the Imperial Gardens housing project in Watts. Officer Robert Cosner was wounded in the upper body and leg by a hidden gunman who apparently was firing an assault-type weapon, police said.
Several shots were fired at Cosner and his partner, Julie McAlpine, as they returned to their patrol car about 9:20 p.m. Cosner is recovering at a local hospital. McAlpine was not injured.
On Wednesday, police patrol cars were in evidence around the Imperial Gardens project. Officers there said they were not taking any special precautions in response to the shooting. Officer Mike Lockett, who has patrolled the housing projects for more than two years, said he and colleagues are already well aware “you have to mind your Ps and Qs. Officers here know you can’t let your guard down.â€
Cmdr. William Booth, Police Department spokesman, said no changes are planned in training or procedures in response to the shootings. Officers already are well trained in ways to reduce personal danger, he said.
Besides, he said, “I’m not sure there is any kind of training to handle somebody out of nowhere taking a shot at you.â€
In Sunday’s shooting, two officers were wounded in a gunfight with a man who burst from his car, firing a .44-caliber revolver after being stopped by police in North Hollywood. The driver, 35-year-old Daniel Kozelka, was killed. Officers Jon Hurd and Richard Householder were hit twice by gunfire but were apparently saved by bulletproof vests.
In the North Hollywood division, where the officers worked, the incident was discussed during 7:30 a.m. roll call Monday. Procedures were reviewed, and officers were reminded never to let down their guard, even when making a routine traffic stop, said Sgt. John Stilo, a watch commander.
Stilo, a 21-year department veteran, wore his bulletproof vest even at his desk, a precaution he described as standard. “They always tell us to wear vests. If we don’t, we’re dumb,†said Patrol Officer Sheryl Weireter, 28.
She and other officers said the shooting heightened their awareness of their vulnerability, and the need to be alert.
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