UCPD officers uphold safety in Westwood

Classes are over, music is blaring and a game of beer pong is about to start. It’s Thursday night in Westwood. On the other side of UCLA’s largest party night, are the university police officers working to protect students and partygoers. Last Thursday, Daily Bruin Radio followed Sgt. Richard Davis on a typical patrol, complete with a car crash, a noise complaint and a rogue gunman.

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TRANSCRIPT:

DONNELLY: Classes are over, music’s blaring and partygoers begin a game of beer pong. It’s Thursday night in Westwood. As students finalize their plans for UCLA’s most popular party night of the week, the officers at the university’s police department do their own preparation for the evening.

DAVIS: When I started, all this gear weighed 18 pounds. Now, 33.

DONNELLY: That’s Sgt. Richard Davis. He’s served 30 years on the force.

DAVIS: Thursday night, like tonight, we are probably going to start experiencing party calls right around 11 o’clock or so, and it will go to about 1. And most of what we’ll be doing there is just ensuring that people don’t get out of hand.

DONNELLY: His nine-hour shift begins at the UCPD station at 9 p.m. Officers must be prepared for any type of crime, from a traffic violation to a shootout, but tonight, Sgt. Davis knows what to expect.

DAVIS: The most common crime out here is “drunk in public”, for students. It’s a misdemeanor. but it is definitely the most common crime. We have a large amount of theft on campus: backpacks, cell phones, bicycles. Students put down their property – it’s gone. As far as violent crimes, we have very, very, very few violent crimes.

DONNELLY: UCPD had more than 400 liquor violations last year, mostly in fall quarter, and almost 100 burglaries.
Ten o’clock. The night is quiet for now. Sgt. Davis occupies his time with a few loops around campus, greeting students that are salsa dancing in front of the Bruin Bear.

DAVIS: You guys are looking great! … I’d go dancing, but I have too much gear on.

DONNELLY: 10:30, the first call comes in.

DAVIS: Let’s see what we have here.

“They have a traffic accident over here, someone’s injured their arm.”

“One four code six.”

“He made a U-turn but he has no lights and possibly wearing headphones …”

DONNELLY: 10:45, back on patrol.
Sgt. Davis came to UCPD three years ago for a slower change of pace after working in LAPD’s gang unit and a year and a half in terrorism intelligence overseas.

DAVIS: I was on the South Bureau crash unit during the big gang wars in the late ’80s. … I worked on the counter-terrorism training unit.
Most I’ve had is a ricochet hit me in the face, but that is like a bee sting – that’s minor. I mean I’ve been shot at but for LAPD, that’s common.

DONNELLY: In Westwood, there are more pranks than violence.

DAVIS: 1:14:46 “What they did was they filled out a retest form, which  is for a driver’s licence, and they put on there “old man.” … they checked “needs assistance with hygiene.” …
One guy crashed a car, so I put up a fake funeral notice, which  we attend. …“We’re going to send off old car ’93 – it will be dearly missed.

DONNELLY: In the next few hours, he gets the expected noise complaints and students in costumes, one dressed up like a cop.

“You guys were so nice, I won’t even arrest you.”

DONNELLY: Just after midnight, the mellow evening took an unexpected turn.

“Did they mention what the weapon was?”

“I believe it was a black handgun.”

“Copy.”

DAVIS: We’re going to go up Landfair. Somebody’s got a gun up here.

DONNELLY: Armed robberies are rare in Westwood. The last reported instance of a criminal with a gun was almost a year ago.

DAVIS: It was five ago, by the time we get it, you are looking at 10 ago. He is probably long gone.
The biggest danger on these kind of calls, unless you see the muzzle flash or unless it is impacting, it is very hard to tell. It will echo so loud that it is hard to tell where the heck the person is. I’ve had that happen a few times.
Unless some guy sees us and starts running, I don’t think we’re going to find him.

DONNELLY: The gunman is still unknown. As the night moves on and the parties die down, Sgt. Davis and other officers continue their patrols. They clock out at 6 a.m. and head home until their next night.
For Daily Bruin Radio, I’m Erin Donnelly.