Best of Both Worlds

The name tag reads Iddhi, but that’s because Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Woody Iddhi’s real name is way too long to fit.

Few attempt to pronounce Woravoth Iddhibhakdibongse. Yet his surname is a royal gift.

Twelve years ago, Thailand’s king bestowed it in recognition of Iddhi’s service to the local Thai community, and because he provided security to the Thai queen during her 1985 trip to the United States.

“The king felt I was acting like a good ambassador,” said Iddhi, who heads the department’s anti-gang unit at the North Hollywood division.

As a pioneer in the LAPD and a tireless activist, the 44-year-old officer has his admirers in Los Angeles, too.

Several officers who joined the force after Iddhi did in 1981 said they respect his leadership. His community involvement includes a recent push to raise thousands of dollars to fix earthquake-related damages at the Wat Thai Temple of Los Angeles.

He helped raise about $42,000 to go toward replacing the temple’s roof, which was damaged during the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Iddhi and his relatives donated around $1,000, he said.

Repairing the temple is expected to cost as much as $300,000 if the project ultimately includes installing new tiles and sound and lighting systems, temple officials said.

Iddhi, who knows of only five other Thai officers among the nearly 600 Asian members of the LAPD, said he cruises by the temple regularly.

During a recent lunchtime stop at the temple, Iddhi frequently exchanged greetings by bowing with clasped hands. He happily chatted with the orange-robed monks, as they feasted on rice, chicken and vegetable dishes brought by worshipers.

Iddhi wears a small golden Buddha on a necklace beneath his bulletproof vest.

His prominence within the Thai community began with his success at helping fight crime. It wasn’t long before his likeness was on the cover of local Thai newspapers. When he ate at Thai restaurants he was greeted by supportive compatriots, who sometimes wanted his autograph.

“All the bad people were scared of him,” said Viraj Rojanapanya, 53, director of the newspaper Thai L.A. “He’s a strong man. He’s good for the Thai community.”

Said Iddhi: “They called me the Thai Serpico, or something like that.”

He also became known for his willingness to help others.

After federal and state authorities removed 72 Thai workers from a sweatshop in El Monte in 1995, Iddhi delivered food to some of them at the United Methodist Church of North Hollywood, said Chanchanit Martorell, executive director of the Thai Community Development Center in Los Angeles. Iddhi also took them for rides in his patrol car, she said.

“In Thailand, police act as if they’re above the law. Woody places himself well in the community,” said Manote Kongthong, 54, editor of Sereechai, a local Thai paper.

Iddhi’s popularity was apparent during a recent visit to Bangluck Plaza on Sherman Way in North Hollywood. In the strip mall’s crowded parking lot, while men unloaded boxes from a truck, several businessmen said they knew Iddhi well.

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Many recent Thai arrivals who don’t speak English look to Iddhi for advice, said video store manager Thongchai Thongthavikiat, 47. “They see at least they have an officer who they can talk to and depend on, too,” he said.

“He never says no. I really respect him,” said Surapong Chinotaikul, 46, an owner of the plaza.

Members of Iddhi’s anti-gang unit have also noticed his popularity among Thais.

Officer Mike Perez, 33, said Iddhi seems to know everyone in the Thai community. Thai people with domestic or business disputes often come to the station asking, “Is Woody here?”

Lt. Len Hundshamer said Iddhi’s ability to gain Thai people’s confidence--persuading them to report crimes--has been important to the division. Iddhi has been at North Hollywood four years.

“We never realized how much the Thai community was growing around us until he came around and made us aware,” Hundshamer said.

The 1990 census counted fewer than 18,000 Thais in Los Angeles County, but community activists estimate there are thousands more today.

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Hundshamer said the division does not view Iddhi as merely its connection to Thai people.

“We don’t look at him as our Thai sergeant,” he said. “He’s highly effective. He’s one of our more trusted people.”

Yet Iddhi, who received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Cal State Los Angeles, and a master’s in public administration from Cal State Northridge, acknowledged it has been difficult to rise above the rank of sergeant. He said that whenever he takes the exam required of officers seeking the rank of lieutenant, he does poorly on the oral section.

“I’m very stressed when I take that test,” he said. “When I speak fast, [the examiners] can’t understand me.

“Because of my accent, people may have the misconception that I’m not intelligent,” said Iddhi, who came to the U.S. as a teenager.

Iddhi said one officer several years ago hesitated to let him drive because he believed Asians were incapable of operating a car.

Ben Lee, an LAPD detective and president of the Law Enforcement Assn. of Asian Pacifics, said he has known Iddhi since the early 1980s.

“He has learned to roll with the punches,” Lee said. “If he had thinner skin, he would have never survived. The system would have gotten him. Woody’s a pioneer.”

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Officer Pete Phermsangngam, 32, a self-defense instructor at the Police Academy who is Thai, said he admires Iddhi.

“He’s like my big brother,” he said. “I look up to the guy.”