NORTH HOLLYWOOD : Officer’s Retirement Marks End of an Era

Today, for the first time in 51 years, there will be no member of the Labrow family working to keep the streets of Los Angeles safe.

Capt. Charles Labrow of the North Hollywood station retired from the Los Angeles Police Department Tuesday, taking with him a legacy of service that has spanned five decades, back to the days when his father, Harry Labrow, joined the force in 1942.

“My gut reaction is that it’s a legacy that’s ended,” said Labrow, 51. “Our whole family structure was evolved around the department and its workings.”

Learning to swim in the police academy pool and riding on his father’s police motorcycle are among Labrow’s early, happy memories. Labrow joined the force at the age of 21, shortly before his father retired as a captain with the Harbor Division. His uncle, Mort Baker, was a police officer for 25 years.

“Chuck is just a tremendous individual who has got a great deal of compassion and caring,” said Patrol Capt. David Doan, who will serve as acting area captain until a replacement can be found. “There’s no greater or more important program than community-based policing, and he was a very strong advocate.”

Labrow said he has no regrets that his two daughters have no plans to join the force.

“The job of a policeman has changed so much,” Labrow said. “The level of violence on the street today is not something you wish upon your children.”

Labrow has taken a job as the assistant director for corporate security for MCA/Universal, working in the same high-rise that was shattered by violence April 20 when ex-MCA employee John Brian Jarvis allegedly fired 36 shots into the building, injuring seven.

“I’m going to have an office right next to the windows,” Labrow said.