Al Moreno doesn’t pull any punches in this one. Moreno, the author of LA’s Last Street Cop, talks about the way things used to be done, how he was abandoned by his own department, and the truth about the black lives matter movement as he sees it. Listen in for a little taste of what you can expect from his book, LA’s Last Street Cop, which can be found at the following site as well as through Amazon.
www.laststreetcop.com
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Overcoming Adversity
Moreno had overcome tremendous odds to achieve his dream of becoming an L.A.P.D. officer. He was one of 12 children raised in a 874-square-foot, three-bedroom home in the gang-infested streets of Florenai-13/Watts with a neglectful ex-con father who didn’t even attend his graduation from the police academy. As a child, he suffered from a rare childhood disease, Legg Calves Perthes, which required the use of crutches and metal braces for four years. If that wasn’t enough, he was a poor student in grade and high school due to an undiagnosed case of dyslexia and dyscalculia (learning disabilities in processing language and math). He dropped out of high school his senior year and was arrested three times, drifting from one meaningless job to another until he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1968 at the height of the Vietnam War.
Upon returning home from the war, Moreno went on to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming Los Angeles Police Officer, but was disqualified nine separate times for non-existent medical conditions. After fighting the erroneous disqualification for five years he realized his dream and entered the L.A.P.D. academy in August of 1975 at 29 years of age. His Mexican heritage made him a groundbreaker, since in those years the Department generally was not hiring women and people of color.
Years of Commendations While Saving Lives
Once he became an officer, Moreno accelerated in all his assignments and in five-and-a-half years earned an unprecedented 71 commendations. Because of his superior street cop acumen, he was one of 40 police officers selected from the ranks of the entire L.A.P.D. to launch what became the nation’s premiere specialized gang unit, CRASH (Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums). Within a year, he led his colleagues in the number of arrests, and had been frequently commended for his uncanny ability to control and arrest heavily armed suspects without the use of lethal force.
His L.A.P.D. commendations often noted his skill to avoid bloodshed. One of them reads: “Regardless of how hectic the situation may be, Moreno never compromises completeness for speed. Officer Moreno displays particular skill when handling armed suspects, as he recovers more weapons in the field than any other CRASH officer yet has avoided involvement in an officer-involved shooting.”
And Then Came the Fall…
Officer Moreno’s troubles began when he challenged his unit’s commander for underreporting the true number of gang-related crimes in the city. His commanding officer administratively transferred him out of the specialized gang unit to a street patrol assignment in another division. Moreno filed and won a grievance and was returned to the CRASH. It was around this time he reported the corruption of his commanding officer to the bureau commander. Two of the four sergeants in the CRASH unit verified Moreno’s allegations and there was going to be an investigation. As Moreno describes it, “heads were going to roll.”
But then two incidents occurred within a two-week period, destroying the life and career he had built. In the first, Moreno grabbed and pushed an Avenues gang member while interviewing him for the brutal shotgun drive-by murder of an innocent 16-year-old. The second incident involved an off-duty fight while he and some friends were on a water-skiing trip on the Colorado River in Arizona. One night they went out for dinner and drinks to a bar that unbeknownst to them was a hang-out for white supremacist and the Aryan Brotherhood. Before they were able to exit the bar, they were attacked by armed members of the Brotherhood. Moreno physically subdued the ringleader, “Crazy Gerry” Hallam, while the others ran to safety. Then he ran out of the bar and dove into the nearby river while being closely pursued by the enraged Hallam, who was carrying a sawed-off shotgun. Miraculously they all were able to escape with their lives.
When the L.A.P.D. group returned to work, they reported the off-duty incident to the Department. That gave Department heads the tool they needed to get rid of Moreno and stop the investigation of his unit commander’s corruption. The Department initiated a corrupt Internal Affairs investigation and ordered Moreno to an equally corrupt Board of Rights and was charged with “conduct unbecoming an officer.”
The kangaroo court twisted the facts in the off-duty fight and fired one of L.A.P.D.’s most decorated officer for misconduct. Most chilling is the fact that the Aryan Brotherhood ex-con told two Department investigators that he with the help of “La Eme,” the Mexican mafia, was going to murder officer Moreno, but throughout the seven months investigation two lieutenants, four captains, the bureau commander and the chief’s office refused to initiate the standard security protocol to protect officer Moreno and his family.
After he was terminated, Moreno drifted from one sleazy security guard job to another while wondering when the ex-con would strike. During this period, he applied for jobs with nineteen police departments and five fire departments. Two years later, he was hired by the Culver City police department after they conducted and exhaustive background investigation into the corrupt L.A.P.D. charges. The investigation included a polygraph examination that conclusively proved Moreno’s innocents. However, after only two weeks on the department, Moreno, left the force. Culver City was much too civil for an L. A. cop. who had become habituated to the daily intensity and mayhem in the City of the Angels.
For the last four decades Moreno has hand-carried a “Request for Rehearing” (RFR) to every L. A. Chief of Police from Daryl Gates to Charlie Beck, and recently took another polygraph examination that again proved his innocence of any misconduct. Recently he submitted the RFR to the fifteen members of the L. A. City Council and both Mayors Antonio Villaraigosa and Eric Garcetti. All have turned their backs on Moreno’s innocence.
For the past 34 years Moreno’s firm, Global Investigations and Global VIP Security Services, has conducted high-level private investigations and security services for multiple VIP clients in the entertainment industry and Corporate America.
Praise for L.A.’s Last Street Cop
“Probably the most entertaining and chilling police tale you’ll read this year. An incredible romp, surprisingly well-written, fast paced, and serious page turner.” – John C. Dvorak, co-host of the No Agenda Podcast
“If you love a street-gritty crime drama set amidst one man’s heroic rise and fall, this is the book for you. Cinematic in its sweep and tragedy, it also happens to be true – told by police officer who was in the middle of all these events. Sometimes life itself is more compelling that fiction.” – Paul David Walker, Fortune 500 leadership coach and author
“Al Moreno's commitment and dedication to the citizens of Los Angeles were always at the forefront of his service, but he also had a compassionate side for the victims of gang violence, and at times for the criminals he encountered. When a mentally ill suspect came at him wildly swinging an axe, Al made a split-second decision to shoot him in the legs instead of fatally to the torso. The suspect’s father later thanked Al in court for not killing his son. It’s all here in this book!” – Frank R. Flores, retired L.A.P.D. Sergeant
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