To me, he’s still Tommy. To everyone else he’s Homicide Detective Thomas Townsend. To me, he’s my tow-headed nephew sitting on the side of his bed practicing his guitar. To everyone else, he’s one of Los Angeles’ Thin Blue Line…the line that separates the law-abiding from the lawless. Earlier this month was National Police Week, and on May 29, the annual Z Awards are presented to police and other public servants in recognition of outstanding service to Our Valley. So it’s particularly appropriate to take a minute and think about those men and women who wear the blue uniforms. The first modern police force was created by Sir Robert (that’s why they’re called “Bobbies” in England) Peel in 1829. They wore blue uniforms with copper buttons…hence the nickname, “coppers.” Before then, vigilante justice and neighborhood-watch-type organizations passed for public safety. Although not popular initially, soon Londoners were crying for more police on the streets not unlike our own situation, where the allocation of police resources has been an issue for those who feel our north-of-Mulholland community is short-changed when it comes to public safety. Frankly, I don’t worry about it too much; as far as I’m concerned, what we don’t have in quantity we more than make up for in quality. With Deputy Chiefs in charge of the Valley Division such as Mark Kroeker, Marty Pomeroy, Mike Bostic, and Ron Bergmann, all of whom have been friends, the Valley Division has enjoyed superior leadership. Pomeroy , now retired out of state , and I used to sign our notes to each other “The Other Marty,” as if we were the only two Martys in the Valley. Our current Deputy Chief, Michel Moore, carries on that tradition of leadership. According to him, “Year-to-date we are down in overall crime nearly seven percent (1,115 fewer serious felony crimes than last year). In violence, we are down in every category Overall gang crime is also down 18 percent and gang-related homicides down more than 50 percent.” Backing up and often freeing up the regular officers in the Valley is a cadre of business and community leaders who serve as reserve officers, for a total of 1,910 police personnel. Two of the most notable reserve officers are a pair of Our Valley’s City Council members, Dennis Zine and Greig Smith. And while we don’t agree with every Council vote they cast, no one can argue that they deserve our respect and appreciation for their law enforcement volunteerism. Of course, the ambivalence we feel toward the police is understandable. There’s nothing we appreciate more than seeing a black-and-white pull up when we’re in trouble; and nothing we resent more than when one pulls us over after we’ve gone through a red light (I wonder how many times a day they hear, “But it was still orange, officer”). One day several years ago, not yet a detective, Tommy came in to have lunch with me. Resplendent in blue uniform, nightstick; gun and his other “cop paraphernalia,” he went to the receptionist , who, like everyone else on staff , had no idea I had a police officer as a relative. The receptionist, in a slightly tremulous voice, informed my secretary that a policeman wanted to see me. That information took but seconds to spread throughout the office…and all eyes were on me as I walked out to meet the waiting officer of the law. Upon seeing me, that blonde policeman gave me a big hug…and I heard one of the nearby staff members wonder out loud, “Why is that cop hugging our boss?” At one point, Detective Townsend was in the not-too-enviable situation of having to extract a criminal suspect from a white supremacist bar. A bit more cautious and prudent than was Eddie Murphy in the film 48 Hours, he decided that ingenuity was to be preferred over bravado. So instead of going inside, he called the bar on the phone without identifying himself and whispered to the manager, “This is Jimmy, the cops are going to raid the place in 10 or 15 minutes ” Like rats fleeing a sinking ship, the bikers scurried from the establishment, scattered, and Townsend followed, and then arrested, the suspect. When he was about 12, I asked Tommy why he wanted to be a policeman , since he had recently announced that to be his career choice. “To put all the bad people in jail,” he told me. Just last week, we had lunch at Mezzomondo in Studio City, and I asked him why he wanted to be in law enforcement. “To get all the bad guys off the street,” he said, without a moment’s hesitation. The same answer a quarter century apart and I’m sure he didn’t even realize it. Do me a personal favor, the next time you pull up beside a police car or a couple of motorcycle officers at a red light, smile or wave at them…that’s the least we owe them. “My heroes are those who risk their lives every day to protect our world and make it a better place – police, firefighters and members of our armed forces.” , Author Sidney Sheldon Martin Cooper is President of Cooper Communications, Inc., President of the Los Angeles Quality and Productivity Commission, Founding President of The Executives, and Vice Chairman of the Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley. He is a Past Chairman of VICA, Past President of the Public Relations Society of America-Los Angeles Chapter, and Past President of the Encino Chamber of Commerce. He can be reached at [email protected].