Come Say Thanks to Commander Andy Smith

By Eric Richardson
Published: Wednesday, June 20, 2007, at 11:40PM

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Promotion Party for Commander Smith Next Thursday the Downtown community gets a chance to thank Andy Smith for his work as Captain of LAPD’s Central Division. He’s moving up to the much more intimidating sounding rank of Commander, and will now have responsibility for multiple divisions.

Captain Smith has been a critical part of what LAPD’s been able to do to help improve Downtown, and it’s tempting to be sorry to see him go. He’s not going far, though, and will certainly still be involved in what’s going on here in our neighborhood.

I like to tell a story from about six months ago, when then Captain Smith arrived late to one of the monthly Skid Row Neighborhood Walks because of a situation taking place at Central. Even once there he was working two phones, going back and forth between calls from the Chief’s office and calls with the station.

At the end of the walk, as we were returning to the Midnight Mission, a man off the street approaches Captain Smith with something on his mind. Despite all that was going on, Captain Smith stood there and listened politely with genuine interest.

That snapshot is what defines Commander Smith for me. No matter what’s going on, he’s the cool head who really cares about the little things.

Central City East Association is leading the charge for Thursday’s get together, to be held from 4 to 8pm at the Farmers and Merchants Bank (4th/Main). RSVP’s are requested, but everyone’s invited. Click on the image above to get a copy of the flyer with full information.



Comments

1
Don Garza writes:

I got my invite from Estela two weeks ago….

The great thing about being the town crier is that if LA CAN shows up to protest… I get a pass go and collect 200 dollars card. the town crier is non- partisan, apolitical , and non-sectarian in his role. SO LA CAN will leave me alone. When I am out of character I won’t give up my first amendment rights. Commander Smith has been a positive influence in Central City East.

Thanks for posting . I will miss not seeing Captain SMith as often as I have while he was the divison commander.

He is very respectful to many of us out here in skid row.

# on Jun.21.2007 AT 01:03 AM
2
shannon writes:

awesome. i’ve always wanted to meet him. thanks for posting this.

# on Jun.21.2007 AT 07:41 AM
3
David Kennedy writes:

Your anecdote underscores the fundamental failing of the LAPD. In every routine interaction I’ve had with the LAPD over nearly two decades, I’m continually astonished by their heavy-handed cluelessness in dealing with the public. They come across as hard-wired to prove how tough they are and, dammit, they are in charge.

Years ago, I recall a bank robbery gone bad which turned into an extraordinary gun battle. The LAPD handled the incident with determination and skill. Good job. But, this ethic seems to apply across the board. I’ve seen officers pounce on jaywalkers with similar zeal. Quite frankly, the LAPD don’t seem to be able to distinguish between normal citizens and common criminals. We’re all punks as far as they are concerned. Or so it seems. I’d never think of saying hello to the local cop because I have no idea where it is going to go.

So it is good to hear that Captain Smith seems to have a sense of how to deal with people on a normal level. It is unfortunate to see him move on. Hopefully, he can impart some of his good sense to the cops he is supervising.

# on Jun.21.2007 AT 02:55 PM

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