The Early History Of The LA County Sheriff's Department

Los Angeles in 1850 was a city rich with gold rush money, Mexican bandits and confederate sympathizers, and boasted the highest homicide rate in America. Larry Mantle talks with Sven Crongeyer, about the early history of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which was created to bring law and order to the city in its chaotic early days. From profiles of the frontier-style lawmen hired to stop the initial mayhem to an analysis of the the city's modern sheriff's office-the largest in America-Crongeyer draws comparisons between the uproar of the early days, the racial tensions that erupted during the Watts riots, and the safety issues that preoccupy the police force today. The name of the book is Six Gun Sound: The Early History of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.