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BLUE LIVES MATTER

death of eight officers and one police canine, it is dedicated to all officers
who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
Although there is nothing positive about the death of a police officer,
the authors have included a “Lessons Learned” segment at the end of each
chapter. Former LAPD Captain Greg Meyer is one of the nation’s foremost
experts on police tactics and on officer safety, having lectured and pro-
vided expert testimony on these topics throughout the country over the
years. He has contributed his opinions and expertise in the preparation of
these “Lessons Learned” segments. It is hoped that police officers in the
future can benefit from this component of the book to enhance their safety
and awareness of potentially dangerous situations.
I remember a bit of advice that my father, a former FBI agent, gave me
when I told him how excited I was to be an LAPD reserve officer. “Fine,
Steve. Just don’t get your ass shot off.”

CAPOS (Crimes Against Peace Officers Section)

In my view, the murder of a police officer is a crime that attacks the very
fabric of our society. A strong police presence is in the public interest be-
cause it maintains public safety. Without the police to maintain law and
order, there would be anarchy. The prosecution of persons who have mur-
dered police officers is one of the most important functions performed by
a prosecuting agency.
To that end, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office main-
tains a special unit called the Crimes Against Peace Officers Section
(CAPOS) to handle these cases.
In 1978, District Attorney John Van de Kamp hired private attorney
Johnnie Cochran to be the Assistant District Attorney, one of the two
highest positions in the office below the District Attorney. He remained
in this position for about two years before returning to private practice.
Cochran had already established a reputation handling high profile cases
and police brutality cases. One of his responsibilities was oversight over
cases involving police misconduct, and he oversaw a rollout program in
which a deputy district attorney and a district attorney investigator would
go to the scene of a shooting by a police officer involving injury to a civilian.
Law enforcement officials suggested to District Attorney John Van de

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