Parents, Youths Protest Reassignment of Officers

Parents and teenagers protested Tuesday that Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan’s push to transfer more police officers to street patrol duty is harming the department’s lauded Jeopardy anti-gang program at the Foothill station.

About 60 parents and teens targeted plans to reassign Det. Richard Knapp, who supervises the Foothill program, and Officer John Harden, a popular boxing coach. At the meeting between the protesters and Lt. Joe Garcia, who supervises Foothill Division detectives and the overall Pacoima Jeopardy program, Garcia told the crowd that the reassignments are part of a plan to cut costs by reducing the program’s staff from four to two, replacing the departing officers with volunteers.

“I have to follow my orders,” Garcia said.

But parents--angered mainly about the possibility of losing Harden as the program’s boxing coach--say that youths in the program would lose a role model and friend.

“We live in the projects and [teenagers] there hate the cops,” said Hilda Serrano, a mother with an 11-year-old son in the program. “[Harden] shows them the human side of an officer.”

Added Cindy Zamudio, a 14-year-old boxer: “He’s been with me for two years and he’s the only one I trust.”

Some of the teens pointed out that Harden has given up vacation time to coach, drives them home after practices and has spent his own money for meals after athletic activities.

“He doesn’t say, ‘You have to pay me back,’ ” said Albert Cuellar, a 16-year-old boxer. “To me, he’s like a second dad.”

The parents pointed to the value of having an officer interact with their children. They believe that a civilian volunteer as a replacement wouldn’t have the same effect on the teens.

If reassigned, Harden “might stop one or two robberies on the street,” said parent Lupe de la Toba. “But with 40 kids in the program, he’s going to prevent more crime.”

Harden wouldn’t comment on his upcoming reassignment. Knapp said in a phone interview: “You work where the city says you have to work.”

Parents said they would collect signatures on petitions and seek ways to keep Harden in the program.

Tony Vasquez, director of field operations for Los Angeles City Council member Richard Alarcon--whom some parents cite as an ally--said Alarcon is “committed to the program” and would try to help, but there is a limit to how deeply the councilman can get involved in police personnel matters.

Cardenas is a Times staff writer and May is a correspondent.