Tonight on Lifestyle Channel:
—Working Dope—>
Season 1; Episode 1
Sponsored on all affiliates by Beaverkill Industrial Depilatories…”we tamed the Mediterranean and we’ll tame yours!”
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D2 Eddie Garcia is just returned from Southeast Asia, 1971, having worked a year of reserve obligation to Army CID. He checks in at Parker Center, expecting to be deployed in Newton, his old division.
In the drab hallway of Detective HQ, he is summoned past an RTO and unformed receptionist…armed females, and directed into the office of CPT Grant.
“Garcia, I got a new posting for you, but it’s sensitive. While you were overseas, shit blew up with the narcotics task force. Some guys from ‘nother agency mighta been on the take.
Once you read the indoc notes, I want you report to Lieutenant Ford, down to Firestone at the Sheriff’s Office.”
“Oh. When you say sensitive, Cap, how sensitive is all this?” Garcia intoned.
“Means you tell no one from your old division. Also, don’t go warming up old informants…no matter how many cases you made off them. Clear?” CPT Grant was looking over the top of his glasses.
It was clear and Garcia motored south, in a haze of 1971 brown smog, south on the Harbor Freeway, then east on Imperial. Firestone was in the industrial belt of LA, and the wiry detective docked his Plymouth in the employee marked lot.
Lt Ford was to be found in a building off the motor pool, where jail trustees supervised by an iron haired harness bull were cleaning up patrol units in from morning watch.
Ford was short and intense. He had two indoc files for Garcia to read. One gave an overview of operations of the compromised task force. A Fed and a veteran narc from Long Beach PD were both under suspension, suspected of taking bribes. The brief didn’t identify the source of this intelligence and Garcia asked.
“That’s protected for now. We have to start a clean operation, not reliant on anything these guys were working. Last three warrants served got us nothing…nada, and were supposed to be based on solid buys into the Avenues Organization.”
The Avenues. Mexican street gang from Northeast LA. One of the oldest criminal organs in the city, it dated to when Los Angeles was part of old Mexico.
“So, Lieutenant, is it just me and you?” Garcia had to ask.
“No. I’m partnering you with Mike Aldridge. He is outta the Sheriffs Office, just back from Vietnam in the Marines. You’ll have three weeks training time, get a car out of impounds in Willowbrook, qualify, and most of all stop shaving and let your hair grow. We have to take this shit to the streets as soon as possible.”
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Stay tuned…..
Nils Grevillius 2021
