Thomas Reddin Explained

Thomas Reddin
Office:Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department
Term Start:1967
Term End:1969
Birth Date:25 June 1916
Birth Place:New York City, New York, U.S.
Death Place:Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Party:Republican
Otherparty:Independent (1973)

Thomas Reddin (June 25, 1916 – December 4, 2004) was a Los Angeles Police Department chief from 1967 to 1969. He left May 6, 1969, to become a news commentator. He also owned a Los Angeles–based private security company, which was named for him.

Reddin helped modernize the department and introduced the community policing concept,[1] which "perceives the community as an agent and partner in promoting security rather than as a passive audience."[2] During his tenure, he allowed his department to give technical advice for the first three seasons of the revived version of the Jack Webb-created detective drama Dragnet (He even made an appearance at the end of the Season Two finale, "The Big Problem", in a plea for improved community relations between the department and the city) and during the first season (1968–1969) of the police drama Adam-12.

Notes and References

  1. http://www.lapdonline.org/december_2004/news_view/20695 official website of THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT
  2. http://www.ncjrs.gov/policing/use139.htm The Use And Effectiveness Of Community Policing In A Democracy