Informed Opinions on Today’s Topics : Scorching Sun Turns Up the Heat on Police

The thermometer rises, air conditioners break down, the beer cans pop open and tempers flare.

Then police arrive and somebody gets led away in handcuffs.

To police officers on the street, the blazing hot summer now scorching the San Fernando Valley means more domestic trouble calls and dealing with scores of sweaty, agitated residents, counseling families who get into spats after drinking too much.

“You have more alcohol-related domestic incidents when it gets hotter,” said Bruce Crosley, a patrol captain at the Devonshire Division. “People sometimes are stuck inside and tempers flare easier. And then they drink more often.”

Some head outside for a cool evening breeze, sitting on porches or in their yard sipping a nice, cool drink.

But when the alcohol takes hold, they run the risk of turning a few cross words with a neighbor into an all-out brawl that may send them to jail, he said.

Statistics bear out the impressions of the street cops. In April there were eight slayings in the Valley and 832 incidents of assault, including domestic violence. May was about the same.

But as the weather warmed in June, homicides jumped to 13 and assaults to 857. Based on initial reports, July’s numbers will be even larger, said Sam Sayah, an LAPD analyst who compiled the statistics.

In May, 1994, there were only 3 homicides and 837 assaults. In August, the hottest month of the year, homicides rose to nine and assaults to 1,094.

Unfortunately, more sunshine doesn’t grow more officers to handle that load. In addition, scores of officers go on summer vacations at each station, making it even more difficult to keep up with the workload.

And beyond their own patrolling woes, officers must deal with staying cool themselves, especially in the dark blue LAPD uniforms that accentuate the heat. Wearing the dark-colored uniforms on a sweltering day is like walking around in a “sauna all day long,” observed Van Nuys Sgt. Brett Papworth.

And then there are those bullet-resistant vests.

The vests are made of Kevlar, a super-tough fabric which “keeps your body from breathing,” Crosley said, holding in the heat. The vests weigh about five pounds, which can be a considerable burden on a long, hot day, but at least they are much lighter than the heavy plate armor of the pre-Kevlar era.

Hot or not, officers still strap on the vests for safety’s sake.

To combat the heat, officers, like everyone else, drink more liquids and try to stay out of the sun. But that isn’t easy for patrol officers, whose jobs require them to drive and walk the city streets.

Patrol cars are air conditioned--which often makes no difference.

“Most officers like to have their windows down so they can hear what’s going on around them,” Crosley said. “So even if they have air conditioning, they might have to deal with the heat.”

Papworth said residents should realize that officers are human and even they may become a little testy when it gets to hot.

“Officers are supposed to maintain their humor when it’s hot,” Papworth said. “While everybody else can act how they want.”

Both officers said the old advice of proper summertime drinking habits is still the easiest way to avoid trouble.

“The best advice is the same as it always has been: Stay inside or go to the beach,” Papworth said. “Drink soda or water and stay away from the alcohol.”