Officer John Freunde with the university police said people often get the wrong impression about their job.
“It’s not that we’re here to arrest students or faculty. Our job is to protect the community and university. … Eighty percent of people we arrest aren’t affiliated with the university. They come to take advantage of the students,” Freunde said.
Every night, UCPD police cars rove university property and Westwood Village to maintain security for residents. Officer Freunde and his partner, Officer Kevin Kay, are “lead officers,” which means that on their night patrols they are in charge of specific areas.
The police department divides their coverage area into seven main “beats” for the lead officers to patrol. Officer Freunde covers the residence halls and Officer Kay has the fraternities and North Village.
Though they are in charge of these specific areas, during a typical night on duty they cover all of Westwood, the campus, and places as far away as the university apartments near Sepulveda and Venice boulevards.
“There is quite a lot that goes on in this little area. People may not think so, but stuff happens,” Kay said.
The officers’ first stop last Thursday night was at Landfair Avenue and Ophir Drive, where a young woman dressed all in silver was holding what looked like an open beer bottle wrapped in tin foil.
“It’s a space beer,” the girl said, explaining that she was supposed to be dressed up like she was in outer space for a party.
She told the officers that yes, it was beer and that she was underage. She produced her ID and politely answered all of the officers’ questions. They gave her a warning and left.
Officer Freunde said her demeanor and honesty is what kept her from getting a ticket.
“In these situations, we have the opportunity of giving a citation or a warning. It depends on their attitude toward us. If you’re up front with us, often times, you can get away with a warning,” Freunde said.
A short while later, the officers stopped by Delta Sigma Phi, which had let UCPD know it was having a party that night. Arian Esmaili, the fraternity’s social chair, answered officers’ questions about the party.
“We have about 10 security guards, two guys posted to each entrance. The party should be from about 10 to 2 (o’clock),” Esmaili said, tugging at his toga while hired security guards checked IDs at the door behind him.
Officer Kay said many fraternities have a couple of people on call to answer questions and help with party details while the event is going on.
“The higher-up people are usually in charge. If anything happens, they’re responsible,” Kay said.
Back on patrol, the officers utilize their Motile Data Computer to enter license plate numbers on suspicious vehicles.
“We have access to the DMV computer. We can run plates, all from here. We also get our calls sent to us on the computer,” Freunde said.
Shortly after leaving the party, the officers pulled over a red car with spinning rims that they said looked familiar.
“I pulled this guy over before. His car reeked of marijuana,” Kay said.
Officers questioned the man, who told them he smoked marijuana for medical purposes. Despite the strong aroma, there were no drugs in the car. Kay said he was suspicious of the man’s intentions in the area, especially since he is not a UCLA student.
“He claims he smokes for medical purposes, but he’s over here (in Westwood) way too often. I think he’s selling it around here,” Kay said.
The officers let the man go with a warning, reminding him that he cannot smoke while driving, prescription or not.
As the officers drove back up Landfair Avenue, Kay noticed a man quickly shoving a glass bottle behind the rock he was sitting on. Upon further investigation, the young man admitted it was alcohol, but said he had not been trying to conceal it from the officers.
“No, I wasn’t hiding it. … I was just putting it down,” the man said.
He also told them why he was drinking out in the open.
“I don’t go here (to UCLA), that’s why I’m sitting on a rock,” the man said, who said he was waiting for friends to meet him.
Officers looked the man up in the computer and were able to corroborate his story ““ he had two previous arrests and a suspended license. Officer Kay emptied and threw away the bottle of alcohol, but let the man off with a warning. Kay said that the man, like the young woman earlier, had been honest about what was in the bottle and about his identity, so they did not feel the need to ticket him.
Just before midnight, the officers were called over to the Center for Health Sciences, where a man was resisting arrest and had attacked a security guard and a responding police officer. After checking the computer, Freunde said this was not the man’s first encounter with the police.
“He’s on probation for narcotics, and parole for burglary. When he saw the security guard (tonight), he tried to run,” Freunde said.
He added that this was the exact kind of person officers tried to keep off campus.
“He’s already … on parole. We don’t want him here,” Freunde said.
At 12:40 a.m., the officers raced up Santa Monica Boulevard, where they had been checking on the university hospitals, to respond to reports of a girl screaming in the stairwell of an apartment building on Landfair Avenue. Though it turned out just to be a verbal dispute between a girl and her boyfriend, officers made sure to thoroughly question the man and woman separately to make sure things had not gotten physical.
Later that evening, the officers got word from their sergeant that the man they had arrested was in possession of contraband.
“The guy they arrested (at CHS) had three stolen phones on him,” Sergeant Maureen O’Connell told them.
The sergeant is often called to the scene when someone complains or is injured in some way. Sergeant O’Connell had to take photos of the arrested man and the officers he attacked for insurance purposes.
Sergeant O’Connell had to make another stop when the officers pulled over a young man in a red Chevrolet Tahoe for having tinted windows, a broken license plate light, and for possibly speeding. Before Officer Freunde had a chance to explain to the man what he was getting ticketed for, Khashayer Mani, a third-year law student at University of Southern California, demanded that Sergeant O’Connell come and speak with him.
“(Officer Freunde) is making a mistake. I wasn’t speeding,” Mani said.
After complaining to the sergeant and trying to leave without signing the ticket, Mani finally realized he was not getting ticketed for speeding.
“I’m just citing you for the broken light and tinted windows,” Freunde said.
Though they have to deal with complaints, jeers and the constant possibility of violence, the officers said they enjoy serving the community and trying to keep people safe. Officer Freunde said the idea of them just out there to catch students drinking and partying is a misconception.
“We only respond if we get a call. We don’t drive around looking for stuff,” Freunde said.