Reservists Honor the ‘Gray Knight’

As the Los Angeles Police Commission voted Tuesday to accept no new police recruits over the age of 35, an octogenarian reserve officer was being celebrated for his age.

Nate Landsberg, who turned 83 on Friday, works on the telephone at LAPD’s South Bureau once a week helping homicide detectives track down suspects.

He joined the reserves at age 71--possibly the oldest person to do so--and has no intention of turning in his shield.

“When I retired I decided I didn’t want to just come apart at the seams,” the Culver City resident said Tuesday. “I wanted to live.”

At the LAPD Reserve Foundation’s monthly board meeting Tuesday, fellow board members sang “Happy Birthday” to Landsberg as shots from the Police Academy target range next door echoed in the background.

“We’re proud to be here with you, Nate!” one man called out.

“Well, I’m proud to be here with you,” Landsberg said after he blew out the three candles on a round white cake. “Words can’t express it.”

One other LAPD reserve officer is older than Landsberg by a few months, and another will turn 83 in October, according to the California Reserve Peace Officers Assn.

But, said association President Jim Lombardi, “It’s not that common. Just to have somebody with that knowledge of the way society works is great.”

Many board members praised Landsberg’s performance and wealth of knowledge as a benefit of having older, more experienced reserves.

“He brings all this wonderful maturity and life history,” said Lt. John Desmond, who runs the LAPD reserve program. “We couldn’t afford to pay someone with this kind of experience.”

Technical reserve officers like Landsberg, who do administrative work, will not be affected by the commission’s decision Tuesday to limit the age of new recruits. But line reserves who work in the field may be.

The commission unanimously adopted the age limit after personnel officials reported that older recruits were having more problems completing training and that they left the department sooner.

The police officers union and Chief Bernard C. Parks supported the proposed new policy. The commission’s decision now goes to the Civil Service Commission, which could vote on the age limit as early as next month, officials said.

Landsberg said he doesn’t see a problem with age limits for regular officers or reserves who work in the field.

“I understand if they give someone a gun, they want to make sure that person can handle it,” he said.

But volunteers like himself, who essentially do desk work, should be able to contribute without regard to their age, Landsberg added.

“I just want to serve the community--that’s all that’s important,” said Landsberg, who has lived in the Los Angeles area since 1918.

Landsberg has not slowed down since he retired 12 years ago from his 50 years of tracking down debtors.

Besides his weekly shift at South Bureau, Landsberg regularly takes calls at home from detectives who need assistance tracking down information. He often calls old sources from his days of debt collecting, but now he’s looking for murder suspects rather than deadbeats.

“He’s very physically fit, and his mind is keen,” said Seymour Rosen, vice president of the reserve foundation. “He’s excellent--he helps solve crimes.”

Other bureaus occasionally request his help as well. And Landsberg has even gone back to his old job tracking down people who have skipped out on their bills.

“I’m not tired, so why retire?” he asked, his eyes twinkling.

As a technical reserve officer, Landsberg had to pass an entrance exam and complete four months of police training classes.

The physical requirements for technical reserves are more relaxed than for line reserves, who must meet the same standards as regular police officers.

Landsberg and other reserves, who get a monthly $50 stipend, save the city millions of dollars with their service, officials said.