Desk Jockeys to Crime Fighters

LAPD chief wants more 'in-the-field activity' from detectives, who make up 20% of police work force yet account for only 2% of arrests.
By Andrew Blankstein and Richard Winton
Times Staff Writers

February 24, 2003

Fictional police detective Sgt. Joe Friday roamed Los Angeles streets at all hours of the day and night, an aggressive, hard-boiled investigator who stopped at nothing to solve crimes and arrest bad guys.

In the real Los Angeles Police Department, detectives make up 20% of the work force, but accounted for less than 2% of arrests last year, according to department officials.

LAPD Chief William J. Bratton, an unabashed fan of the original television series "Dragnet," wants to change all that, and more.

Since he took office five months ago, Bratton said he has been surprised to find many police divisions have one or two overnight detectives, despite the fact that most violent crime occurs between 10 p.m. Friday and 2 a.m. Monday.

Bratton found detectives who...