Scope and Contents
Pool, Bill W. (Editor).
Compton Police Annual. Compton, CA: Compton Police Officers Association, 1964. The fourth annual edition of this periodical, which was used to
raise funds for the Officers Relief Fund and to inform the public of "some of our problems and functions." Within a year,
there would be riots--founded in a long history of friction between African-American residents and the police--in neighboring
Watts, and by 1970, Compton would have the highest crime rate in California. This publication starts with a positive story
showcasing a newly completed police building, and includes articles about successful police operations and public safety tips.
However, hints of the police-community tension to come are also present. An article titled "'Defenders of the Peace' in Community
and Human Relations" asks citizens to support the efforts of the police, complaining that "unjust charges are sometimes made
against the police. Charges made or rumored by persons who do not have all the facts. When this happens, police morale is
jeopardized and the development of an esprit de corps is made difficult." Another, titled "Take the Handcuffs Off Our Police,"
argues that by overzealous interpretation of constitutional rights "we are increasingly throttling our law enforcement officers
with judge-made rulings that stagger common sense." And an editorial proclaims that "now, more than ever before in our history,
one is either for law enforcement or he's against it. He's either for mob rule--or he's for the law. He's either for America--or
he's against America. Let's begin to make our laws say what they mean and mean what they say--and let everybody know it."