From Marine to police chief: Revolutionizing law enforcement

0:00 - Hello and welcome to Degrees of Success podcast. 0:14 I'm your host, Frida Richards. And today we have an incredible guest, chief Patrick Smith. 0:20 He's here with us today to talk to us about his incredible career that has gone from serving in the military 0:26 with the Marines all the way to the LAPD and currently where he's at in Washington. 0:32 He's also a two-time University of Phoenix graduate, getting his master's in organizational management. 0:40 Patrick, thank you so much for joining us. - Oh, no problem. Glad to be here. - So let's just jump right in. 0:46 You are the youngest of 13, born in Alabama. Tell me about your journey. 0:53 - Y you know, somewhat of an interest, interesting story, I would imagine growing up with 12 other brothers 1:00 and sisters, but you know, my mom and dad were committed 1:07 to raising their family and keeping us as a close knit group. And even until this day, we are all 1:16 work very hard to maintain the integrity of our family, keeping close and working together as a family. 1:24 And so it's paid off in the long run. - That's awesome. And gimme an example. What does it look like to exercise that there's 13 1:31 of you all, what do you do to stay connected? Because I imagine you're not even in the same states. - Well, you know, the vast majority are still in 1:40 and around Alabama. For the most part. Things that they do is e even 1:46 after Sunday, they still have Sunday dinners together, and my sisters still get together. 1:52 They create their own sisters weekend to where they go off and enjoy each other as sisters. 1:59 And even my nieces and nephews have cousins, weekend, cousins time. So it's, it's, you know, 2:08 a great testament to family - That that is incredible. So you have a strong family that you grew up in, 2:16 but you also have a family of your own. Tell me more about - That. Yes. Well, I have a wife, 2:22 I have five great children as well as two grandchildren, - Two grandchildren. Oh my goodness. Are they all in? 2:29 Tell me where are they located? Are they in Alabama as well, - Or? No, actually they have taken root in, in 2:37 different parts of the country and primarily in Los Angeles where I served 28 years, 2:43 but also in Georgia, - So, so much great culture on, on that side 2:50 of the country. So you grew up in Alabama, speaking of culture a lot in 2:56 Alabama, a lot of historical black colleges as well. Tell me what it was like just 3:02 to grow up in that environment. What was Al, how did Alabama aid your character? 3:08 - Well, I think it was, it was a history lesson within itself. 3:15 My parents were very much involved in the church, and the church during that time was very much involved in the civil rights 3:24 movement, many of the things that were going on during that time. And I just happened to be a kid who, who's seeing, 3:33 watching, imagining, and in some instances being a part of. 3:39 - So you actually literally got to watch the civil rights movement grow 3:48 and literally change the trajectory of African Americans in America, is that right? 3:54 - Yes, my brothers and sisters, many of them were involved in as well as the, 4:00 the church that I grew up in. - That's incredible. I, 4:05 my grandmother actually worked very hard in civil rights here in Arizona 4:11 and like we were, Arizona was one of the last states to get Martin Luther King Day approved, which just kind 4:18 of lets, you know, like the, the temperature that she was dealing with at the time. 4:23 And so I, I find that to be so admirable. So thank you 4:29 and your family for what it is that you've done just to get us to this place. But not only that, you're also a US Marine, 4:37 so you've also fought for our freedoms. Tell me more about that. - Well, so I, I joined the Marine Corps 4:45 primarily directly out of high school, and I served 28 years in the Marine Corps. 4:51 I started out at Paris Island, went to California then overseas where we went to the Philippines, 5:01 Okinawa, and also various parts of, of Japan. 5:08 And, and then we made our way back to the States. From there, I went and served time in Jacksonville, Florida on a, 5:17 a naval base there then to North Carolina, where I also went to Honduras 5:26 for a while and came back, and that's when I decided to become a member of the LAPD. 5:33 - And where did that drive come from? So you were serving our country for a substantial amount 5:40 of time and then chose to serve the city. 5:45 Tell me what that looked like for you and how, how you made that transition. - So e every, 5:53 every male in my family served ti served in the military. 5:59 My father, I have had four other brothers 6:05 and sisters all, I'm sorry, four other brothers. And all of my brothers served in one branch 6:13 for the other in the military. - So all the, out of the 13, there's only four 6:18 - Boys. There are five boys including myself. - Five including you? Yes. Five boys out of the 13. 6:25 Oh my goodness. No wonder they, they have a really good time for their sister holiday, don't they? 6:30 Yes, there's definitely a few of them. Oh my goodness. Yes. 6:35 That sounds like a bless. So it sounds like you had an, in an incredible 6:41 childhood moving on into like young adulthood where you've made some really strong decisions in regards 6:47 to being a leader and becoming a leader in saying steadfast on that path, were, 6:53 did you have any influential people in your life that helped you, guided you through that path? 6:58 - Oh my God, I could, I could write you out a list of, of people when they talk about a village. 7:06 I will tell you that during that timeframe, at least for me, there was a, a substantial village that helped us, 7:16 propel, helped us to work hard, provided great examples of moving ahead 7:23 and just, it truly made me believe 7:28 that there's nothing that you cannot accomplish if you, if you assert yourself, if you try, if you continue 7:34 to push your head, you can succeed. And so I took that to heart. 7:40 I applied it to everything that, that I've done. And going into the Marine Corps helped me significantly 7:48 to develop, as a young man, created the discipline that I needed to move ahead. 7:56 It's helped me along to, to this day. And so I'm a very proud Marine. 8:01 IIII can't take anything away from my journey or my time in the Marine Corps. 8:06 - Thank you so much for your service as an army brat, myself slash marine brat, I know that it is a great, 8:14 great sacrifice. And so thank you so much for your service along with serving the country and serving your city. 8:21 You also took the time to invest in your education, getting, ultimately getting your master's in organizational 8:29 management, which I imagined helped in your vast career. 8:34 Tell me about your experience at University of Phoenix, why you chose this degree path, 8:42 and then if you can enlighten me on if and how your, what you've learned in that time 8:50 helped you in your degree. How, how did that lead you in, in your, in your career path? 8:57 - Well, so I initially started my law enforcement career in Los Angeles with the LAPD. 9:07 During my time with the LAPD, I started to promote and move up. 9:13 And in looking ahead, I saw the path that others were on. 9:19 I saw various things, and so I needed to do more. 9:24 I needed to excel in a different way. And so the requirements also changed. 9:32 In order for you to promote in certain areas, you had to have a, a degree. 9:38 Well, being a police officer is a very demanding job. It's demanding in a way to, 9:44 whereas you're constantly working, your hours are changing, your days of the week are, it's constantly changing. 9:51 So the best choice for me was to 9:58 use the University of Phoenix model to go to college. 10:03 So I chose on campus, I went to the campus in Gardena, California. 10:09 And so I started going there. And so I continued to work my way through. 10:17 I got my bachelor's degree from the University of Phoenix. Very shortly thereafter, maybe a year 10:24 or so later, I started my master's degree. And, and the reason for that is, first I wanted 10:32 to move ahead. I wanted to be competitive in the promotional environment, 10:38 and I also wanted to expand my knowledge. Now, at that time, it would've been easy for me to go 10:46 through a criminal justice program because that's the field that I'm currently in. 10:53 However, I chose a different outlet. I chose business and I chose organizational management for my degrees. 11:00 And the reason for that is because I wanted to add a different perspective and a different way of doing things 11:07 to things in law enforcement. First, many of things that we do, 11:12 especially now in the position that I'm in, is about business. 11:17 It's about numbers. It's about keeping track of statistics and following up 11:22 and things of that nature. It's about organization. It's about being organized in what you do. 11:29 And so for me, the program certainly helped me in a number of ways in those areas. 11:37 One of the greatest was about being able to present, being able to present a, 11:46 a program, a system, sell an idea, meet with the community, 11:52 or develop a systematic approach to doing something 11:57 that helped me significantly. Coming from the Marine Corps, I wasn't really, 12:03 I didn't really have stage fright or anything like that. I was used to addressing people. I was used to dealing 12:11 with groups and crowds. However, taking the business approach 12:18 and the business model to law enforcement helped me significantly. And I, I'm incredibly grateful to the University of Phoenix 12:27 for the opportunities that it, it has afforded me during that time. - We are so grateful that we have the opportunity 12:32 to have you here on the podcast and just talk about your incredible career, which I don't wanna skip over. 12:39 Let's jump in to the beginning of the LAPD 1990. 12:44 You start with the LAPD, right? 1991 is Rodney King. 12:50 I imagine that had to be a very interesting year for you. What was that like? What was the temperature? 12:57 - You know, that was a very difficult time in law enforcement. It, it was about learning 13:04 and truly about what was necessary and what the ongoing dynamics of law enforcement should be 13:12 and could be. There were so many things happening during that timeframe. 13:18 I can remember working during the riots. I can remember being in 13:24 south central Los Angeles in, in the thick of things. I can still in my mind see the burning buildings. 13:30 I can see the ongoing looting, the 13:36 constant shooting in the air, just a number of things that were happening during that timeframe. 13:43 Also, also the, the, the protest and things of that nature. 13:48 Now, keep in mind, and this is where my background comes in from home, 13:55 you know, there, there were protests about civil rights here, there were protests about police. 14:03 And so one of the greatest lessons that my father ever gave me is I, I went home 14:09 and I'm telling my, my my, my dad everything that's going on. And he's sitting there, he's barbecuing, 14:16 and I'm talking to him and I'm going on and on and on explaining to my dad everything that's happening. 14:22 And they said this about us, and they said that about us, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And he listened and he listened patiently. 14:29 And finally he said, you know what, son? This is why they hired you. 14:36 They hired you as a part of the next generation to make a difference. Some people make a difference from the outside, 14:44 but you hire to make a difference from the inside. And so it's up to you to move ahead, 14:52 take on the task, and learn to address things from the inside. 14:57 And sometimes there are protests, but sometimes they're protesting you. 15:02 The only thing that you have to do is shed out the noise and listen to the message. 15:09 And though that was probably one of the greatest lessons that my dad ever sat down and gave me unsolicited, 15:18 that helped me throughout my career. And many a times, you know, there have been protests 15:24 and I've learned to shut out the noise and listened to the message of, of what is it that you need from me and how I can make things better. 15:32 - That is powerful. Your dad is very wise. And from knowing your story 15:37 and reading your bio, I can see how those words must have resonated with you throughout your career. 15:45 - Absolutely. Absolutely. That's incredible. One of the greatest lessons that, 15:50 that he ever could have given. And, and he was very cool about it by sitting there listening and listening to me ramble on, 15:57 and then finally, you know, come in with, with a, 16:02 a very timely ineffective message. - Do you catch yourself doing that now with your children? Because you said all your children are grown. 16:09 - I, I, I do the very best that I can to guide them because, you know, as a kid, as, as a a parent, 16:16 the dynamics change as your kids get older and you provide them with good sound, timely advice, 16:24 but also you, you're trying to be not just a, a parent anymore, but a good mentor and a good teacher 16:32 and a good coach. And so you, you just have to learn where they are, meet them 16:38 where they are to provide them the message that they need to hear. - How did you balance that? 16:43 So you have a large family of five, you're married to your beautiful wife, and your career is taking off. 16:51 And again, I still wanna go through all of this ladder climbing that you've done in with LAPD, 16:59 but what did that balance look like for you? - You know what, it was 17:05 very difficult at times. Here, here, here's the funny thing. I can remember when I was an officer working 17:14 and taking classes at the University of Phoenix, trying to meet all of the demands, doing my, my homework, 17:24 making sure that things were done. There were times where I would be working 17:29 and my partner and I would take lunch and there was another unit that would show up, 17:36 and they would also go, go in for lunch. They would go into the restaurant and they would sit 17:43 and look out the window, and they would see me in the police car, 17:48 either reading my books, going through everything that I needed to do, preparing my, making sure 17:55 that I'm prepared for the presentation, that I have to give, editing my paperwork, everything else. 18:02 And I can remember then that they were, were looking out the window, pointing at me and laughing 18:10 because I was sitting in the car doing reading, doing my work, and, 18:19 and they were enjoying themselves to a nice hot meal. So fa fast forward years later, 18:28 they were still in the same position doing the same job. And I had promoted about four 18:34 or five times since then. And it wasn't until then 18:43 that they came to me saying, Hey, wow, we really blew it. We should have been listening 18:49 and following your lead rather than laughing at what you were doing. 18:55 - Wow. Good for them for actually taking a look back and recognizing that you were doing the right thing 19:01 and acknowledging that with you. That's fabulous. You were clearly someone that they aspire to be more like, 19:08 and I could understand why as we talk about your career. So 1990, 19:14 you get in 1991, Rodney King. 19:19 And then, if I'm not mistaken, is is it like 97 when there, like, there's like the OJ trial. 19:25 Yes. Right. So I imagine that that also bring like a really different temperature. Tell me more about that. - Well, you know what, it, 19:31 it's interesting that you brought that up. I was reading and watching television the other day, 19:37 and, you know, everything start coming up about the OJ trial. There were so many things that were occurring 19:45 and I was like, wow, I, I just never realized what a part of history I was truly living through 19:52 because, you know, there, there was the Rodney King, there were police reforms, there was 20:01 the OJ trial, there was the, you know, just constant things happening during 20:09 that timeframe that, that, you know, really shaped law enforcement 20:15 and some of the changes that were made in law enforcement. But as far as, as far as the, the OJ trial, fortunately for, 20:23 for me, I was a a little bit distant from that. I didn't have to go down to deal with that too much. 20:31 But, you know, it definitely shaped who we were as a department. Some of the changes that we had to make internally, 20:38 the adjustments that we needed to make as a department. And also personal reflection on 20:46 how you should operate professionally within the organization, - A personal reflection on how you should operate 20:54 as an organization. How, how did that come about? So you're saying that during that time, that's actually, 21:00 that's what was revealing. How, how did, how did that come about? - Just recognizing that hey, there are, there are areas 21:09 that we could have done better. There are areas that we could have represented ourselves 21:14 better as a department or as a, as an individual representing the department. 21:19 There are several things that we could have done that would've made things incredibly easier for 21:28 that particular case and things that, that occurred. - Oh, absolutely. Tell me, let's, let's do this 21:34 because you have so many different positions that you got with the, that, that you, that you worked your way up to, 21:40 to go into this position from a Marine to LAPD and then moving up the ladder so quickly. 21:46 I would love if you could tell our audience exactly what those positions were and what that movement looked like. 21:52 - When I started, I was just a regular patrol officer working in 22:01 different patrol divisions such as Wilshire, south 22:07 East Division, and then over to our Pacific Division. After that, I was a training officer, 22:14 or I shouldn't, I was a training officer in Pacific Division. Then I went to become an instructor at the academy, 22:22 instructing younger officers on the rules, regulations, things of that nature on how to be a police officer, 22:30 giving classes there. I went on to make sergeant, I went back to our, 22:36 our southeast division, and from there I worked, I was assigned 22:42 to the jail, probably one of the assignments that I never wanted to work. However, I, I've always learned 22:49 to not allow the assignment to work me, but to work the assignment. 22:55 And so what I did from there, this is when I truly jumped into the University of Phoenix, 23:02 I started taking my classes while working inside and making sure that I'm, I'm doing everything 23:09 that I can from there. From there, I went to work at Internal Affairs, 23:17 and I spent a number of years there working, doing in administrative investigations, 23:26 criminal investigations that I also, I started being an in an instructor there teaching the 23:31 internal affairs school, how to do good interviews, cognitive interview skills, et cetera, et cetera. 23:39 There at Internal Affairs I made lieutenant, I went to Pacific Division as a lieutenant 23:47 and over patrol, then assistant in detectives. And then I went back to Internal affairs 23:54 and was over a section of 24:00 investigators there at Internal Affairs. From there, I went to be the adant 24:07 or aide to a commander, and from there I was promoted to the rank of captain 24:15 and I worked in the Hollenbeck division. 24:20 And from there I went to become captain at Metropolitan Division. 24:25 And this includes the SWAT team, K nine, your mounted 24:30 unit, your underwater dive team, crime suppression, platoons 24:37 and dignitary protection, going from place to place all over the city, handling all of the major 24:44 incidences and crisis within the department, such as 24:50 hostage situations, active shooters, major mental 24:56 crisis, that required a SWAT response, barricaded suspects, every, everything in that, that realm, 25:05 or even if it were an active shooter or something, you would be the one responding. So from there, I went over to 25:15 police sciences and training bureau, and that's where you have an entire reach on the department 25:22 because you're dealing with the in-service training for officers. 25:27 You're also dealing with recruit training for all of the new officers. 25:33 There I was doing reviews of officer involved shootings, 25:42 tactical reviews, tactical notices, just a number of things to make sure that the, 25:50 that the department was moving in the right direction, providing the necessary training to in service officers 25:55 as well as the new officers, and making sure that that things hand were handled the way they were supposed 26:02 to do as it related to training. - I heard what you said your father said to you 26:08 and how that was a bit of like some of the best advice for you, for him to say, son, they hired you for this 26:16 to help and guide and change this, and then you're at Eternal Affairs 26:23 doing just that. Could you give me, could you, could you tell us just a bit about that experience? 26:32 - Honestly, my entire career with the LAPD was eye-opening and just some of the things that you come in contact with, 26:40 some of the things that you have to do. And, you know, the thing is, I I, 26:48 I enjoyed my time there. There are probably just a few days 26:54 that I've worked in my entire career. Most of it has just been me enjoying what I do 27:02 and being grateful and thankful for the opportunities that I've been given. 27:08 Working internal affairs was something, 27:13 something different for me, where you're conducting investigations, but not just regular investigations. 27:21 You're investigating complaints against officers, making sure that one, they depart, 27:28 follow department protocols. Two, they did what they were supposed to do, making sure 27:33 that things were above board, that uses of forces were appropriate, that 27:42 actions taken were, was the way it was supposed to be. And so it, it, it was just a very interesting time, 27:50 - I'm sure. And you were clearly well prepared since not only are you educated in how to in organizational management, 27:58 but with your career, going from the, the Marines and spending years with LAPD, 28:05 you've clearly had a great impact on that city. So you left the LAPD to go to 28:14 Alabama, and this is a really, really cool story. So tell me more about the chief leaving 28:22 and then the mayor picking you over those who should have naturally come behind the last police chief. 28:31 - My decision to go to Birmingham had two different stories to it. 28:37 First, during that timeframe, my oldest sister was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. 28:43 And so for me, my oldest sister is almost like a second mom 28:49 because she's always helped to guide me, direct me, look after me, so forth and so on. 28:58 And so once she got started getting really sick and she was diagnosed with cancer, then the opportunity 29:07 to become chief of police in Birmingham came up. 29:12 And so I just looked at it like, you know, 29:17 this is an opportunity to help her, but also an opportunity to 29:23 do something more different in my career. And so I, I applied for the position as Chief of Police. 29:30 There, there were, I wanna say 63 to 68 applicants for the job. 29:38 Honestly, I did not think fill or believed that, you know, I would get the job. 29:43 No one there knew who I was. There's a, you know, a different culture, different way of, 29:51 of, of things going on, but fortunately I ended up getting the position 29:59 and was able to go back there. - What was it like leaving a very large police 30:05 department to go to Birmingham? What, what were the significant differences? - Well, there were a number of differences, honestly. 30:12 You know, LAPD is very innovative, likes being on the cutting edge, 30:19 and the city invests a lot into the police department. And so going from 30:29 LAPD, going to Birmingham, it was like someone dropped me in 1972 30:37 and well, I, I'm, I'm just being honest, in terms of budget training, technology 30:49 and just ability to, to maneuver and get things done was 30:56 more cumbersome than anything. The investment in the police department, in my estimation, 31:05 for the amount of crime that you have simply wasn't there. 31:10 - That makes sense, because while you were there, you actually helped implement a, a brand new plan 31:19 to help manage and organize the, the process in which the police officers 31:26 were reporting or showing up to the crime scenes on time. Could you tell us more about that? - Well, it depends on which one, one that you, 31:33 you're referring to, because I implemented several different changes there. I built out a real-time crime center on one floor 31:42 of the building and dedicated that to the resolution of crime, built out a, a full center 31:50 with cameras, license plate readers, and just a number of, of new technologies 31:58 that were there that did not exist before. And so, you know, 32:06 it was, it was very difficult starting out. And, and that 32:13 to me came from a very significant case that occurred in Birmingham, 32:19 where this little child, they referred to her as Cupcake, was kidnapped. 32:27 And during that timeframe, the department had not invested in any technology from 32:34 license plate readers, cameras, nothing whatsoever. And so everything was done the old fashioned way with, 32:43 you know, knocking on doors and hoping that someone will tell you something when 32:50 that just wasn't the, the case, the the relationship wasn't built there 32:56 to resolve those things. And so from there 33:03 we had an area where they, one floor where they were using as primarily storage 33:09 and you know, it was like, Hey, get this stuff outta here. We cleared everything out and came up with a completely different plan 33:18 of the real-time crime center. Got it up and running, introduced new technology, introduced 33:26 new live streaming of body-worn cameras and things of that nature to help facilitate 33:32 what was happening in, in the community. It brought in the, the shot spotter technology. 33:40 Everything brought into one area and space to help facilitate what's happening in the field. 33:48 - What would you say your highest achievement was, whether it be the LAPD 33:54 or when you went to Birmingham, what, what were you most proud of achieving during that time? 34:00 - So with the LAPD, for me, it was just that a 34:10 young African American, male American from a town like Tuscaloosa, Alabama 34:19 can go into the Marine Corps, join the LAPD, and then get into the top 1% of 34:27 the highest rank ranking officials in the department, 34:33 just to make that leap. A lot of people, probably nothing to, 34:38 but I know where I came from. I know the starting my starting point in, in life, 34:47 I know the difficulties and challenges that, that I had to go through 34:53 and, but I took the time to commit myself. 34:59 I took my, the time to commit myself to learning what I can about the department, working very hard, 35:08 taking the jobs that nobody else wanted to take, working the hours that no one else wanted to work, 35:15 taking the time to study for the examinations when they came up, going back to school 35:20 and positioning myself when I, I I, where I needed to be, even when others, as I mentioned earlier, 35:28 laughed at me and laughed at what I was doing. I kept going 35:33 and dedicated myself to what I needed to, to get ahead. 35:39 So I, I don't, I don't take that, that journey. I don't take the sacrifice, I don't take any of that 35:45 for granted because I know what I had to do. I know where, what, where my starting point was. 35:51 I know where I came from. And, and so to go to Los Angeles and, 35:58 and achieve what I did in terms of, of moving up the ranks, 36:03 I, I, I feel that's a great achievement and something that, that is incredible in, 36:10 in Birmingham. It is taking and, 36:16 and recognizing what needed to be done, 36:21 building out a real time crime center, which even today they just said the, 36:29 the federal government was gonna invest another $4 million into it because there was nothing. 36:36 This was a basis for the future, a development for the future, a development of, 36:45 of what's to come. And I don't think that people truly 36:50 understood what I was doing. They don't truly understand the technology, 36:55 they didn't truly understand the vision that I saw and the direction that I was trying to go, 37:02 because I, as I, I said before, I, I, I was dropped in 37:07 to 1972 trying to bring things up to where they need, needed to be 37:15 and to raise the standard of what we were doing and trying to accomplish. - And in doing so, I imagine not everyone had 37:23 to be happy about so much change. You brought two departments together, it created this, 37:29 this crime department in doing so, and you implemented other software. Your story has been fantastic to learn more about. 37:39 You've been encouraging to me, so I'm confident you've been encouraging. To our listeners, thank you so much 37:44 for just sharing this time with us. So anyone looking to get some more incredible leadership advice, feel free to look for Chief Patrick on LinkedIn. 37:53 And just again, thank you so much for joining us and for sharing your incredible journey. And that is the end of our episode today 38:01 for Degrees of Success. I am your host, Frida Richard, reminding you that your next chapter just might be your best. 38:08 See you next time.