WATTS RIOT POLICE AUDIO!!! 1965 SCANNER AUDIO -

On Wednesday August 11, 1965 rioting broke out in the Watts area of Los Angeles, following the arrest of a suspected drunk driver by California Highway Patrol officers. Law Enforcement agencies hadn't been confronted with such widespread violence in decades, and the Los Angeles Police Department never had. After the riots, California Governor Edmund G "Pat" Brown appointed a commission to investigate the causes of the riots, and their report is available here for some background information.

I have obtained recording of about 29 minutes of LAPD radio calls, probably from Friday night, August 13, 1965. The recording was apparently made off a home radio tuned to LAPD's radio frequency just above the regular "AM" band, at 1730 kilocycles. It was fortunate timing to make the recording, as later that night LAPD made a quick switchover to the VHF band for the dispatchers; the move had already been in the planning stages for a while, but the likelihood of rioters using "police calls" for their advantage prompted LAPD to make the switch that night. (Los Angeles Times, Aug 16, 1965, p4). The officers in the field transmitted back on separate frequencies, and cannot be heard on this recording.

At that time, all the "metropolitan area" dispatchers (for eight patrol divisions, plus two divisions of traffic cars and motor officers) shared a single "talk-out" radio frequency. Another complication was that units coming in from divisions in the San Fernando Valley had quite a bit of trouble communicating with the dispatchers on their "Valley" frequency (2366 kcs).

Most noticeable is that almost all calls were "broadcasted and filed" for "any unit in the vicinity" rather than assigned to a specific unit. Later procedures for unusual occurrences and Tactical Alerts hadn't yet been put in place. So you'll hear a call for officers needing help in one division, and in another division someone will be making a routine traffic-stop or even requesting "Code 7" - lunch! Or a traffic car being dispatched to take a non-injury traffic accident report in the middle of the riot area.

Special thanks to Chris and Sharon for supplying portions of this recording.

NOTE: THIS RECORDING CONTAINS SOME TERMINOLOGY (SUCH AS THE WORD "NEGRO") THAT WAS IN GENERALLY ACCEPTED USE AT THE TIME.

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• racist

[HenryChinaski405]

Ive got a strong feeling that most of the comments here are from people that have NO IDEA what thw Watts Riots even were, or WHEN they occured. YES, racism was rampant with the older LAPD cops in 1965. Why is that a surprise?

GROW UP CHILDREN.

[ladyblack601]

you all are ignorant i see! reading these comments are pissing me off! white people you are no smarter than black or negros as you seem to like to call us. damn near all the shit yall use today black people invented it.i hate racist ass people! im determined to succeed because you want me to fail so bad! & before you try & talk about black children please look at your own. wtf you think white children do?? okay white children do heavy drug such as crystal meth.

[yahoo1o1]

@drgrant01 wtf are u on about man. i just ask u one question and your ranting me essays. you need help man, u must do this everyday. i am not a racist, nor am i mexican,. i detest fights over the net. i asked because i was interested in knowing, but its no big deal, just dont involve me in your crazy racist cycle. this happened years ago, time to stop living in the past and move on.i dont care if your white, black, mexican etc... i respect all races the same. im outtttt of here. take care

[yahoo1o1]

@drgrant01 like? name me some

[code2high]

"Large groups of neeee-gros throwing bottles!"..........Wow........­Could'nt say that now!

[drgrant01]

@dingleberry1989 Mexico is third world trash and unfortunately for the people living in a nice neighborhood is not an option. More than likely you will live amongst other people who are lower middle class historicly who happen to be black only because black people were denied the same rights and privelages as whites. Given the same opportuitites black people have and can progress. There are plenty of black neighborhoods in this country with 0 vilence.

[drgrant01]

@dingleberry1989 By the way, just in case you are unaware which you are do to a lack of education and your cultural background and of course your ignorance fueling your hate for a group of people responsible for yo having basic human rights protected by the U.S. govnt, most people arrested during the L.A. riots were Mexican. Yeah, I know. Hurts doesnt it. o ahead and call me a liar and try to disprove the facts. You cant .criticize black people knowing that Mexicans are poor if not poorer.