By now many of you have seen the news reports about the death of Northeast Police Officer Kenneth (Kenny) Aragon. After the initial media reports went out, I requested to take over the media requests to ensure that an accurate and true account of this incident was told. I also wanted to remind the viewers of the positive aspects of Kenny's life - as a police officer serving you - and as a father of five children and a person who dedicated his off-duty time to youth programs in the community he lived in. This is important because the news media is a business - one that I respect and have always had a good relationship with - but one that will tell a story that gets the highest coverage, and not always tell the most balanced story.
As police officers we know and completely understand that we will be held to a higher standard. We know when we make mistakes and worse yet - violate the law - a spotlight will be shown on us. Remember that when police officers get into trouble they have to face the same justice system as anyone else (usually and rightfully - with a much stronger penalty). They will also have to face internal discipline system that can range from getting an administrative admonishment to termination depending upon the circumstances of the incident. The standards are higher and we all accept them.
Kenny worked all day Wednesday and then went out for some dinner and ultimately went to the Academy Bar for some drinks. He left the bar after midnight and investigation is ongoing as to where he may have gone after that. However, he clearly was over the allowable limit for alcohol consumption when he became involved in a single vehicle accident (on his personal motorcycle) at approximately 2:15 AM, which resulted in his death.
Kenny 's decision to drive his motorcycle while over the alcohol limit was a mistake - a mistake that he ultimately paid the highest price for. We do not condone this activity and hope others (police officers and the community) will learn from it. Being a police officer - much like a military solder or firefighter - is a stressful job. Know that we spend a lot of time discussing stress and coping mechanisms (potential alcohol abuse) at roll calls and other regularly scheduled meetings. It is important to note that it's actually rare that officers get into trouble for violating the law, or making undesirable decisions, but it happens.
There is a comprehensive investigation into this incident. Whenever anyone dies as a result of a traffic collision we take it very seriously. All factors will be looked at including the role the Academy Bar played. Appropriate action will be taken once the investigation is complete and all the facts are known.
I do want to state that the media is playing the "Payday Wednesday" angle very heavily and some accounts have talked about how wild the bar was - albeit in the 1970s and 1980s. There is no doubt that drinking alcohol was much more prevalent 20-30 years ago. Society was different then and the laws surrounding Driving Under the Influence (DUI) were lax. I credit Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) for changing the country's view of this problem - leading to far greater penalties for DUI. Society changed - and we the police changed with it. The Academy Bar today is actually pretty tame. They had to close it for several years because there was no demand - officers were not using it much and it made no sense to keep it open. It is not a wild nightclub by any stretch of the imagination. Mostly, it's used for retirement functions.
Many of you may not know Kenny and what he did for the LAPD, specifically his work in Newton and Northeast Areas. I would like to fill in the gap. Kenny was a twenty-year veteran. He spent approximately 17 of those years at Newton Area where he worked as a patrol officer, CRASH officer (gangs), and as a community relations officer (CRO). He was an outstanding street cop, but an even better community relation's officer. He had a gift working with children - probably developed through his experience as a father of five. I had the honor of being his commanding officer first at Newton Area and later at Northeast Area. He was well liked by his peers and certainly by the community he served.
When I got to Northeast Area I wanted to create the very best community relations office on the Department. We needed to improve our youth programs and we went out and recruited Kenny to come here. Kenny maybe the very best Police Athletic League (PAL) officer on the entire Department and his reputation in this area was stellar.
Unfortunately, we had no money to fund the new youth programs. This did not deter Kenny; he simply created the first annual Business for Law Enforcement in Northeast Division (BLEND) Golf Tournament. The money raised would support the purchase of operational police equipment we could not get due to budgetary restraints - and more importantly, fund our new youth programs. Kenny visited numerous businesses and community groups and asked them to support the golf tournament so we could create these new programs. His efforts led to a highly successful golf tournament and the funding to create the youth programs.
Kenny then created the first Northeast PAL. He recruited a board of directors to oversee it. He then went out to all the schools, parks and recreation programs, and various community groups to recruit kids (many from economically disadvantaged families) that he could mentor in the PAL program. He took it from zero to dozens of kids in the program. He created the first Deputy Auxiliary Police (DAP) program - basically a junior Explorer program. He worked tirelessly to bring youth programming into our neighborhoods - working very closely with the Mayor's Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) and Summer Night Lights (SNL) programs. Kenny created numerous day-trips so that the kids could go to area beaches (some for the first time in their lives) and created sports teams (softball) to enter into summer leagues.
Kenny cared about kids and the last mission he accomplished was obtaining toys that we could give to needy families this holiday season. I probably do not have to tell everyone how bad the economy is right now (12% unemployment in the City). Each year we rely on supportive businesses to purchase toys that we can give to these poor families. Unfortunately, many could not afford to support us this year. This did not deter Kenny, he simply gathered up many of our Explorers and went to the local COSCO and Toys R Us and asked for donations of toys from the people who were shopping there. Through his efforts we gathered dozens of toys which we will give away on Saturday, December 19, 2009, at 8 AM, at Northeast Station. We will give them away in his memory.
One of the toughest aspects of this tragic incident is the impact it will have on Kenny's family. He leaves behind a wife and five children - the youngest being only four years old. Life is going to be very difficult for them and we will do everything we can to be supportive. Kenny was not perfect (most of us are not) - but he had a great heart and was committed to the kids in our community. Hopefully, he will be remembered for all the good he did in life.
We have established a trust fund to support his kids and if you wish to donate, provided below is the information. Thanks for your consideration.
Checks needs to be made out to: "Blue Ribbon Trust for Kenneth Aragon"
Send check to: Los Angeles Federal Credit Union
Attn: Blue Ribbon Trust for Kenneth Aragon
P. O. Box 10188
Van Nuys, CA 91410
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