Ask The Chief

Yesterday, I attended a live edition of Patt Morrison's Ask The Chief monthly broadcast on KPCC. It was held at the brand spanking new Ronald F. Deaton Community Auditorium, a modern, sleek building seemingly void of bike parking or restrooms. The chief arrived a little before the start, packing heat and rolling 4 deep!



I was a bit disappointed that with at least 6 cyclists in attendance with questions for the chief, only one person was able to get their question asked on air. Afterwards, the chief was available for some additional questions. Que Box & Roadblock:


Though I wish these questions made it on the broadcast, I think it's important the chief is hearing the concerns of cyclists.

Commander Doan, Box and Roadblock

By far, the most interesting and worthwhile part of the event was meeting Commander Doan, who is the newest pointman on bicycle related issues for the LAPD. He seemed genuinely interested in the needs of cyclists and even admitted that rank and file officers need additional training in regards to cyclists' rights and what exactly the laws are concerning cycling. He also talked at length regarding the hit and run incident last week, as well as the need for undercover sting operations on bike paths that have seen criminal acts against cyclists recently. He mentioned that LAPD is looking to do a community outreach program to educate motorists on the rights of cyclists. I left the event cautiously optomistic that the LAPD can improve their record of protecting cyclists.