lausd testimony - jaming arkangel
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Application 06-12-005 et al.
Exhibit
Date: August , 2008
PREPARED TESTIMONY
OF
JAMING ARKANGEL
Q: Please state your name, professional position, employer, and business
address.
A: My name is Jaming Arkangel. I am an officer with the Los Angeles School
Police Department. My business address is 1330 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles,
California, 90015.
Q: On whose behalf are you providing testimony today?
A: I am testifying on behalf of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Q: What is the purpose of your testimony?
A: The purpose of my testimony is to describe the current student safety concerns at
Dorsey High School, to discuss the law enforcement challenges that will be posed by the
rail crossing planned for Farmdale Avenue and Exposition Boulevard, and to review how
alternative proposals for the crossing would improve my ability to enforce laws and keep
students safe.
Q: Where are you currently assigned?
A: I am currently one of two officers assigned to Dorsey High School.
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Q: How long have you been assigned to Dorsey?
A: For four and a half years.
Q: Prior to your assignment to Dorsey, what was your assignment?
A: I was assigned to an early morning patrol shift. I patrolled a wide range of areas
for emergencies or criminal activity between 9:30 p.m. and 7:30 a.m. I began that
position three months after my probationary period with the department ended. Before
joining the department, I was a Community Service Officer at California State University
at Northridge.
Q: What kind of training do you have in law enforcement?
A: I am a graduate of California State University, Northridge, with a degree in
Criminlogy. I attended the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Academy, and attend in-service
training on different law enforcement topics as required by the California Commission on
Peace Officer Standards and Training.
Q: What are your duties as a Los Angeles School Police Officer?
A: My job is to enforce the law and keep students safe and secure. I investigate
crimes and make arrests. I also work with community organizations, such as Community
Build, which provides eyes and ears for students walking to and from school. I attend
community meeting so that I am kept abreast of problems in the community as they
develop.
Q: What geographic area do you work in?
A: I am assigned to Dorsey High School, but I am authorized to travel anywhere
within the Los Angeles Unified School District as part of my duties. I generally patrol
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within a two mile radius of Dorsey High School. I am often called to other nearby
schools when there are incidents.
Q: Aside from nearby schools, what off-site locations near Dorsey do you patrol
most frequently?
A: I patrol places where students congregate, including the neighboring park, the
burrito stand at Farmdale Avenue and Jefferson Avenue, the McDonalds on La Brea, and
the 7-11 on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. I also regularly respond to calls from
other businesses reporting thefts or that students have rushed the store. Drug usage
outside businesses is another regular complaint requiring my response.
Q: What hours do you work at Dorsey?
A: I arrive at 7:30 a.m. and leave about an hour after dismissal, just after 4:00 p.m.
Q: How would you describe the neighborhoods around Dorsey High School?
A: The area suffers from gangs and violence, and students at Dorsey are among the
gang members. Students and other gang members frequently fight in the area around the
school. For instance, the side streets just north of campus, between Jefferson and
Exposition, are full of industrial and commercial buildings, and have little foot traffic.
Students frequently fight in this area. Gang members and other individuals also target
students for robberies and drug dealing. I frequently get reports from students that they
have been robbed for their cell phones or iPods.
Q: In your work as an officer for the Los Angeles School Police, have you
developed an understanding of the behavior of students at Dorsey High School?
A: Yes.
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Q: Are you familiar with the plans to install an at-grade crossing, with a
pedestrian plaza, at the intersection of Farmdale Avenue and Exposition Boulevard,
adjacent to the campus of Dorsey High School?
A: Yes.
Q: Based on your knowledge of the behavior of Dorsey students, and on your
familiarity with the crossing design, do you have any concerns about the proposed
crossing?
A: Yes.
Q: What are your concerns?
A: Based on student behavior that I have observed over the past four and a half years,
I am very concerned about the potential for students to engage in risky behavior that will
result in a deadly accident with the train. Every day, students crossing the street seem to
deliberately block cars in the intersections. I frequently must use my loudspeaker to get
students to move out of the street. Students seem to assume that drivers will stop for
them. I have seen students step into Rodeo Road to jaywalk with only a brief glance at
the cars coming nearest them. They continue crossing that four-lane road without further
looking. Students do not readily follow the rules when crossing the street, so I fear the
behavior of students when faced with crossing gates.
I am concerned that students will jump the gates and try to beat the train, or try to
run across the tracks as the gates are closing. Students engage in risky behavior without
regard for the consequences of their actions. I come across students who are under the
influence of alcohol and marijuana or a narcotic frequently, sometimes two or three times
a day. Students under the influence of drugs or alcohol frequently exercise poor
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judgment in determining whether it is safe to cross the tracks. I am also concerned with
students tendency to push others and the likelihood that they might push another person
in front of an on-coming train in a fight or gang-related incident.
The holding pen also concerns me. I believe students will try to find a way
around being corralled into this area. I am also concerned that the close quarters will
encourage robberies and fighting. When there is a high concentration of students in one
place, such as at dismissal, it takes very little to start a fight. As an example, one day at
dismissal a student was taking pictures of other students and a big fight broke out as a
result. I already have to call for backup officers from others schools on occasion at
dismissal and lunchtime due to the large fights that occur when big groups of students are
in a place at one time. I am concerned that such large fights will occur even more
routinely when students are forced to congregate in such a small area. Even worse than
fighting would be a drive-by shooting. Feuding between gangs in the area sometimes
results in a drive-by shooting, and the large number of students crammed into a small
area such as the holding pen would be an attractive target.
I am also concerned about being able to respond quickly to crimes and fights
taking place on the far side of the tracks. Currently, the corner of Exposition and
Farmdale opposite the school is a hot spot for student fighting. When the trains are
coming through, my ability to reach that location will be decreased. Students will be
aware of this, and use this location for fights more often.
Q: Do you feel that you have an adequate number of adults to ensure safety and
adequately supervise students at this point?
A: No. We are stretched thin.
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about the delay that would add to my response time. Nevertheless, my concern about the
dangers created by the proposed design of the Expo crossing lead me to conclude that if
the trains will be traveling at ground level, then a pedestrian overpass and closing
Farmdale is essential, despite my concern for my more difficult access north of
Exposition.
Q: Would a light rail overcrossing, where the train is on elevated tracks, address
your concerns?
A: If the train were to run above the street on elevated tracks and allow for vehicles
to travel freely through the intersection of Exposition and Farmdale, I believe that I
would be able to respond quickly to crimes or fights on the other side of Exposition, and
that students would be kept well away from the tracks in the area where they most
frequently congregate in large numbers. If the tracks were constructed on a solid
embankment, however, I would be unable to see students or others on the far side of the
embankment, creating a serious security risk. The tracks would have to be constructed on
posts so that the line of sight across the tracks is as unrestricted as possible.
Q: Does this conclude your testimony?
A: Yes, it does.