The thin blue line

Thursday, November 13, 1997

Officers of the UCPD tell what it’s like to keep students safeBy
Michelle Navarro

Daily Bruin Contributor

While on duty, university police officer Robert Sadeh came
across a couple of USC students violating the immaculate Bruin
campus. Not only were they tainting the university with their
detestable presence, but the Trojans were also spray-painting what
Sadeh called "nonsense about USC being No. 1."

After spotting Sadeh, the students quickly bolted to the other
side of Gayley Avenue. To Sadeh’s amusement and bewilderment, the
USC vandals began to wave their arms and jeer at the officer.

Nonchalantly, Officer Sadeh drove over to where they were
standing. He informed the USC students that they were under arrest
for vandalizing the school property.

This time the Trojans were confused.

Apparently, USC has a security outfit that operates only on the
private campus. The oblivious students assumed the same type of
system operated on UCLA grounds as well. Unfortunately for them, it
didn’t.

"When I told them we were state police," said Sadeh, lead
officer for the North University Apartments, "their eyeballs looked
like they were coming out of their sockets."

"That was my first introduction to USC students, waiting for me
to arrest them," he said. "It figures ­ USC students."

Currently numbering 58, the police force that protects the
blue-and-gold campus is exactly like any other in the state. The
only differences are that it is a state agency rather than a city
agency, and that it caters to a college community.

One of the huge misconceptions about the UCPD is that its
jurisdiction is restricted to the campus. Being a state police
agency, this isn’t the case.

According to Sadeh, the department also patrols areas like Santa
Monica Boulevard and other streets with off-campus housing; for
example, Venice Boulevard. Also, if any other UC campus needs
additional assistance with events like regents meetings, officers
may be sent over for mutual aid.

Sadeh’s special assignment, however, requires him to frequent
the dorms.

He walks up and down the halls, talking to students and making
sure all is well.

While walking in Sproul Hall, some students even greeted him by
the familiar name "Officer Bob."

"Some students come back years later, and they remember me,"
Sadeh said, "but I don’t remember them."

Generally, the officer attracts attention because his presence
suggests something is amok.

One student jokingly said, "I didn’t do it, I swear," to which
Sadeh responded with a chuckle and a brush of the hand.

"Just walking lets students know who I am and that there’s an
officer around," he said. "Some get nervous because they see an
officer and they think there’s got to be something happening."

An additional benefit Sadeh gets from foot patrol is the
exercise.

"I like to walk a lot; it helps with physical training," Sadeh
said. "My wife is a good cook, and eating is one of my vices."

On the way back to the car, the officers ran into the resident
director of Mira Hershey Hall, who had just purchased a meal at
Puzzles. They chit-chatted about each other’s families and
lives.

One of the usual violations in Sadeh’s area is exercising the
"California stop," a not-so-complete-stop people commonly make at
stop signs to save the extra second it takes to actually stop.

While driving around the dorms with Sadeh, Chuong Vo, UCPD
trainee and former community service officer, noticed a vehicle
commit this taboo traffic maneuver.

The two officers pulled the vehicle over.

Calmly the two men ambled on over, causing their belts ­
heavy from holding a .40-caliber handgun, radio, baton, pepper
spray, magazine pouch and other police equipment ­ to sway
back and forth.

Luckily for the traffic violator, Vo decided to exercise what
they call the "spirit of the law." In handling violators, officers
are given the choice to either issue a ticket or give a
warning.

"You’re a human being, but it really differs from officer to
officer," Sadeh said. "Personally, I will let a person either talk
themselves into a ticket or out. We don’t have robots issuing
thousands of tickets; the main concern is safety."

Vo agreed, but also added that the severity of the violation
largely decides whether an officer will exercise the spirit of law
or the letter of the law.

"Sometimes it doesn’t matter how nice you are," Vo said. "It all
depends."

So, those select drivers that proudly brag about how they
cleverly talked their way out of a ticket may now be silenced. The
secret is out.

When the two men patrolled the streets of Westwood, they came
across other police cars several times. Each time, Vo would throw
up a hand in greeting.

One of the cars was parked near the Fox Mann Theater. Sadeh
joked that the officers were probably getting a bite to eat at
Jerry’s Deli.

When a suggestion was made that they might be at Stan’s Donuts
instead, to go along with the popular belief that cops are always
chewing on a gooey glazed donut, Sadeh was quick to say they didn’t
eat the calorie-packed gems every day.

"Do we eat donuts? Yes. But we go to other places too," he said.
"We’re very health-conscious. Physical training includes proper
eating."

"I used to be young like Chuong," Sadeh said.

"You still look good," Vo replied.

"Yeah, I still look good. I know that," Sadeh laughed.

Keeping a sense of humor on the job is important to Sadeh.

"It makes the night go by," he said. "The job is stressful
enough; you don’t need to go and make it more stressful."

And Sadeh used every opportunity to exhibit his sense of humor.
When the police car passed Mira Hershey Hall, he said, "The grad
students are pretty quiet; they produce maybe two calls a year.
Once they fulfill their quota, that’s it."

Sadeh works four 10-hour shifts a week, primarily the evening,
or "B," shifts. Sadeh chose to work for the UCPD partially because,
as a student himself at Northrop University, he frequented the UCLA
campus to study and party. He’s been with the force for 13
years.

"It’s kind of ironic because I used to be a student," Sadeh
said. "Now I’m on the other side."

Vo was a student at UCLA for four years and also worked as a
community service officer. He just recently graduated from the
Orange County Sheriff’s Academy and is now in field training.

"I’ve always wanted to be a police officer since the fifth
grade. I always wanted to be like Pancho and John," Vo said. "I
never wanted a desk job. The great thing about this one is that it
changes everyday."

The events in their job are often altered by the area they are
patrolling.

At one point in the night, a woman the two officers suspected to
be a prostitute walked on the sidewalk along Venice Boulevard. As
if the knowledge was innate, Sadeh accurately predicted what the
woman would do after spotting the police car.

He said if any cars approached her, she would wave them off or
tell them to meet her somewhere else. He said she would then just
continue to walk as if nothing was going on.

The cops followed her into a residential street where they found
her walking with no particular place to go. Sadeh said there would
probably be a car waiting for her. There was. A vehicle was pulled
into someone’s driveway and the driver was silently sitting
inside.

When the woman saw the officers, she again continued on her
way.

From experience, Sadeh said they’re able to recognize who the
"bad guys" are. He kept asking what people were doing hanging out
on street corners at midnight.

"You get to know their behavior because you don’t know what they
look like," Sadeh said. "They can come in a three-piece suit or in
jeans, but their behavior gives them away."

As officers, they may be placed in life-threatening situations
at any time. When they do, even they get scared.

"Everybody gets scared," Sadeh said. "If someone tells you they
never do, they’re either lying or something is seriously wrong with
them.

"It’s scary to know that somebody out there wants to kill you,
just because you’re wearing the uniform."

One sad reminder of the dangerous situations they face is the
occasional, unfortunate death of a fellow officer.

"When we see or attend funerals, we’re reminded of what kind of
a job we’re in," Sadeh said. "It really hits home. (The job is) fun
and it has great benefits, but there is a price you pay."

Even so, these men continue to do their job because they enjoy
what they do.

"There’s nothing like getting paid for what you like to do,"
Sadeh said.

(Below) Officer Robert Sadeh makes the rounds to ensure all is
well on campus at UCLA. He says he doesn’t eat donuts every day.
(Right) Officers chat, sharing a moment of down-time with Rita
Alamshaw, a resident director in Hershey Hall.