Capt. Don Farrell, Port of Los Angeles Police
Last week I traveled to Long Beach to photograph Don Farrell, captain of the Port of Los Angeles Police, for a story in Government Computer News. The piece focused on his use of “unified communications” to coordinate the police force. Basically, that means streamlining all forms of communication between the officers into one platform that ties into each of their handheld PDAs. Each of them also have the ability to view and shoot video on the devices, giving each other a better picture of what they are talking about. The new system has apparently made a significant difference in how they patrol the massive 7,500 acre port. Behind him is the Vincent Thomas Bridge, an iconic symbol of the port.
Speaking of waterways, I spent this morning photographing Marina del Rey as residents, many of whom live on their boats, anticipated the arrival of the tsunami that emanated from yesterday’s massive 8.9 earthquake off the coast of Japan. Fortunately, the effect here in Southern California was minimal, with just enough of a swell to produce a visibly evident current in the marina’s normally calm waters. Northern California was not so lucky, and nothing can compare to the horror that deluged the northeastern shore of Japan. My thoughts are with them tonight. This definitely has those of us living in Venice and other low-lying areas of California reassessing our escape route should we suffer a similar fate!
Considering the location, the only actual sign of summer from these three photos is the police patroling the boardwalk on their customized Segways. The weekend crowds are growing noticibly more dense and with that apparently comes an increased police presence. I guess they get a better view from up there, but considering the number of people roaming about I’d think they’d be better off chasing someone down on foot.
