TV REVIEW : ’48 Hours’ Offers a Gripping Look at LAPD’s 77th Division

With fear of crime now the No. 1 concern of most Americans, according to the polls, CBS’ “48 Hours” sent its cameras for a timely look into what it calls the toughest police precinct in the United States.

That precinct is the Los Angeles Police Department’s 77th Division, which includes a 12-square-mile area of South-Central Los Angeles. In “Behind the Blue Line,” Dan Rather and four other “48 Hours” correspondents offer a gripping, tele-verite look at a police force, undermanned and poorly equipped, barely coping.

Community-based policing is the new tactic in the war against crime and we watch as officers try to win over the hearts and minds of community residents after the turmoil of the Rodney G. King beating and subsequent events. “We’ve been set back 20 years with the people of the community,” says a veteran cop who has remained by choice in the 77th.

We see one police officer give up her day off to help youngsters paint over graffiti. Hours later, the graffiti is back.

There is also plenty of tough, traditional police work in “Behind the Blue Line.” The 77th Division vice officers are seen arresting both prostitutes and their customers; two detectives painstakingly gather evidence in a recent murder, only to discover that their prime suspect has been in prison for the past year; two squad car officers who grew up in the neighborhood see themselves fighting a losing battle to save it.

Most compelling is the 77th’s so-called Crash Squad, 11 cops detailed to anti-gang duties. Led by an ex-Marine, they fight by the rules of the street, according to correspondent Harold Dow. That means quick-striking, hard-hitting tactics that, the commander insists, have full community support.

While the CBS cameras were present, it was a quiet 48 hours, Rather points out. There was only one murder, 12 assaults and 19 robberies in the 77th.

“Behind the Blue Line” is a fascinating look at police work in the central city. Most apparent is how dangerously thin the blue line is stretched.