1 00:00:10,119 --> 00:00:13,880 Speaker 1: This is Lee Habib, and this is our American Stories. 2 00:00:14,440 --> 00:00:17,360 Speaker 1: In the years after World War Two, Los Angeles was 3 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:21,840 Speaker 1: a city caught between Hollywood clamor and a growing criminal underworld. 4 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:25,720 Speaker 1: Here to tell the story is Ashley Lebinski. Ashley is 5 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: a frequent contributor here on Our American Stories and he 6 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 1: was the former co host of the Discovery Channel's Master 7 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:35,920 Speaker 1: of Arms. Let's take a listen. You boys shouldn't fight. 8 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: You got to be different like these four cops. They 9 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:41,200 Speaker 1: would not as the Hat Squad, and they were hats 10 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:43,320 Speaker 1: and thusters as a symbol of that difference, and no 11 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:46,159 Speaker 1: criminal would mess with them, and they protected people like it. 12 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:50,520 Speaker 1: So maybe someday you could be like them. 13 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:53,920 Speaker 2: Inside the Los Angeles Police Museum, which is housed within 14 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:58,840 Speaker 2: the former Highland Park Police Station, there are so many 15 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:04,080 Speaker 2: objects that document way more than crime, and amidst all 16 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:09,720 Speaker 2: these items are a series of artifacts that appear deceptively simple. 17 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 2: There are four books, two from the nineteen fifties and 18 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:20,120 Speaker 2: some from the nineteen forties, and they are worn bound 19 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:24,080 Speaker 2: volumes that are filled with photographs and on the outside 20 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:29,759 Speaker 2: it mentions the gangster Squad and what these books are 21 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:33,240 Speaker 2: are called mug books, and when you open them up, 22 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:36,520 Speaker 2: you get it's almost like your old family photo album, 23 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:39,280 Speaker 2: but instead it's a bunch of criminals, and you see 24 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:42,920 Speaker 2: rows of faces captured in black and white and a 25 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 2: lot of notes about them. You've got front facing portraits 26 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:51,560 Speaker 2: sometimes paired with these kind of profile views or pictures 27 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:54,160 Speaker 2: of them kind of out in the world, and they're 28 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:59,560 Speaker 2: arranged in careful rows. And the format descends from kind 29 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 2: of nineteenth century Roague galleries, which were early photographic archives 30 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:08,240 Speaker 2: used by police to catalog repeat offenders. But over time 31 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:12,720 Speaker 2: these evolved into kind of portable reference systems that they 32 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:15,040 Speaker 2: were books that detectives could carry a study and rely 33 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 2: on in the absence of a centralized database. And in 34 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 2: Los Angeles these volumes became a lot more dynamic. Their 35 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 2: pages should wear the edges, softened, corners bent, some photographs, spent, 36 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:32,480 Speaker 2: and services that have been clearly handled repeatedly. By the 37 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:35,959 Speaker 2: time they came to the museum, they were used by 38 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 2: an organization that is known as the Gangster Squad, but 39 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:43,520 Speaker 2: at the time they went by the Hat Squad. When 40 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:47,360 Speaker 2: you look at modern mug shots, you see kind of 41 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 2: the person does not look great holding the sign and 42 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:53,160 Speaker 2: having kind of the stripe lines behind them. But when 43 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:56,080 Speaker 2: you look at these mug books, you see men in 44 00:02:56,160 --> 00:02:59,239 Speaker 2: three piece suits that are looking quite good for having 45 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:05,240 Speaker 2: their mugshots. That's an interesting piece of style that existed 46 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:08,280 Speaker 2: with both the LAPD's Hat Squad and organized criminals. When 47 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:10,080 Speaker 2: you think about gangsters back EASTEE a lot of that 48 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:12,160 Speaker 2: times think about the pinstripe suit, and that was not 49 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:15,799 Speaker 2: popular out in LA because of the suit riots, and 50 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:19,640 Speaker 2: so gangsters and the Gangster Squad, who was trying to 51 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 2: fly under the radar and sometimes impersonate other organized criminals, 52 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 2: they kind of wore the same thing. It was flashy, 53 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 2: they wore tanned suits, they wore spectator shoes, and they 54 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:33,239 Speaker 2: wore their fedoras low on their heads, which is how 55 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 2: the Gangster Squad actually was known as the Hot Squad 56 00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 2: because they embodied LA style in every single facet. So 57 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:43,640 Speaker 2: to understand these mug books, we have to look at 58 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 2: kind of the context of the time. By the nineteen 59 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:50,280 Speaker 2: forties in Los Angeles, it was becoming a breeding ground 60 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:55,360 Speaker 2: for organized crime, and the LAPD was incredibly concerned that 61 00:03:56,040 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 2: East Coast and Chicago based organized crime was going to 62 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:02,680 Speaker 2: kind of slowly start to migrate further west, and they 63 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 2: had genuine reasons to fear this because it literally was. 64 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:10,960 Speaker 2: The LAPD responded in nineteen forty six and they formed 65 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:15,240 Speaker 2: a kind of small specialized unit under the direction of 66 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:18,800 Speaker 2: Police Chief Clements by Horror, and it was initially composed 67 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:22,080 Speaker 2: of just eight officers, and it became known as the 68 00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:24,920 Speaker 2: Gangster Squad, or the Hat Squad as they kind of preferred, 69 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 2: and that was a nod to the fedoras that the 70 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:32,160 Speaker 2: members wore. Unlike traditional police units, the Gangster Squad operated 71 00:04:32,279 --> 00:04:36,279 Speaker 2: with a lot more autonomy and that's what set it apart. 72 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 2: They essentially didn't exist. They were led in the early 73 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:44,040 Speaker 2: years by Sergeant William Burns, and his squad's mandate was 74 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:49,080 Speaker 2: basically simple, keep organized crime out of Los Angeles dot 75 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:52,520 Speaker 2: dot dot by any means necessary, and how that was 76 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:56,240 Speaker 2: accomplished was often left to the discretion of the officers themselves. 77 00:04:56,680 --> 00:04:59,960 Speaker 2: The Hat Squad was also known to have midnight chip 78 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:04,640 Speaker 2: chats in the Hollywood Hills where they would take new 79 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:08,120 Speaker 2: criminals that have come to the area associates of bigger criminals, 80 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:10,920 Speaker 2: and they would have what were referred to as heart 81 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:14,240 Speaker 2: to hearts where basically in some of the instances they 82 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:17,159 Speaker 2: would put a gun to the head of the criminal 83 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:19,359 Speaker 2: and basically tell them to get out of town. So 84 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:23,159 Speaker 2: definitely a lot of questionable moments in the HAD squad's career, 85 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:27,719 Speaker 2: but they were effective. They drove unmarked cars, and sometimes 86 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 2: there would be it was like a clown car. There'd 87 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:31,320 Speaker 2: be so many of them piled into these unmarked cars, 88 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:34,359 Speaker 2: and they would park these unmarked cars kind of near 89 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:39,400 Speaker 2: operations by these organized criminals. Sometimes they would dig out 90 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 2: Illinois license plates from the DMV in LA and put 91 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 2: them on the car to convince the criminals that they're 92 00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:49,120 Speaker 2: not cops. There maybe rival gang members. They conducted a 93 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:55,479 Speaker 2: lot of surveillance, including illegal wiretaps, and their tactics included intimidation, 94 00:05:56,200 --> 00:06:01,920 Speaker 2: warrantless searches, and extra legal pressure methods that reflected both 95 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:04,920 Speaker 2: the urgency of the mission and the limited oversight under 96 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:10,000 Speaker 2: which they operated. And within this environment, these mug books 97 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:15,080 Speaker 2: became essential because it was basically a diary of LA's 98 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:19,360 Speaker 2: most wanted and they could gather photographs and gathered dirt 99 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:22,760 Speaker 2: on them and write notes. Because their job wasn't necessarily 100 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 2: to make all these little arrests. They were there to 101 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:29,880 Speaker 2: gather intelligence so that they could arrest criminals down the road. 102 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:32,960 Speaker 2: In fact, Mickey Cohen was arrested twice on tax evasion. 103 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:38,000 Speaker 2: Not necessarily you might assume from someone as prolific a 104 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:42,160 Speaker 2: gangster as Mickey Khen. These records were not stored in 105 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:45,599 Speaker 2: evidence rooms. They were basically working tools that were handled daily, 106 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:50,279 Speaker 2: flipped through in squad cars, consulted before raids or confrontations. 107 00:06:50,839 --> 00:06:54,640 Speaker 2: In fact, in one of the later mug books, there 108 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:58,880 Speaker 2: is kind of a profile on the organized criminal Jack Dragna, 109 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:02,360 Speaker 2: who operated under the front of a Sicilian banana farmer. 110 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:05,200 Speaker 2: When you look at this, you see not just the mugshot, 111 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:08,719 Speaker 2: but like a list of like known associates, different names 112 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:11,920 Speaker 2: that the person went under the arrest records. But then 113 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:14,440 Speaker 2: at the bottom of this month book and very very 114 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:18,120 Speaker 2: small writing, it has like an other category and it 115 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:21,080 Speaker 2: lists a few things and one of them is quote 116 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 2: a great lover end quote And I'm not really sure 117 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:29,360 Speaker 2: why that was necessary for the gangster squad to know, 118 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:33,160 Speaker 2: but you know what, to each his own. In nineteen 119 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:35,560 Speaker 2: fifty five, as a result of a lot of these 120 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:40,040 Speaker 2: kind of illegal wire taps warrantless searches, there was a 121 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:45,239 Speaker 2: California Supreme Court case that created the exclusionary rule, which 122 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 2: said that LAPD officers could not use evidence gathered illegally 123 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 2: in court, which really kind of changed the way that 124 00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:59,480 Speaker 2: law enforcement operated, especially in Los Angeles. It was these 125 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:02,800 Speaker 2: court visions and internal reforms. There were chiefs that came 126 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 2: in kind of grew the Hat Squad beyond just eight 127 00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:09,640 Speaker 2: men to having women's units, and they created a much 128 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:14,320 Speaker 2: more structured system, ultimately with the Gangster Squad being disbanded 129 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:18,720 Speaker 2: and those functions were absorbed into more structured divisions that 130 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:23,200 Speaker 2: would eventually evolve into laped's Organized Crime and Intelligence Division, 131 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:28,000 Speaker 2: and now it's under many different umbrellas. The firearms and 132 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:31,840 Speaker 2: badges often associated with the Hat Squad capture a lot 133 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:36,839 Speaker 2: of attention, but it's these books that were handled, studied, 134 00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:40,320 Speaker 2: and worn from use that review how the work was 135 00:08:40,480 --> 00:08:45,720 Speaker 2: actually done. In a city defined by reinvention, illusion, and performance, 136 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:48,640 Speaker 2: the Hat Squad relied on something far more concrete, the 137 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:52,200 Speaker 2: ability to recognize a face, to place it within a network, 138 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:55,160 Speaker 2: and to act on that recognition. And within the pages 139 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:59,160 Speaker 2: of these mug books, that system, which was imperfect, powerful 140 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:01,240 Speaker 2: and deeply human, still unders. 141 00:09:03,800 --> 00:09:07,000 Speaker 1: And a terrific job and the production, editing and storytelling 142 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:09,520 Speaker 1: by our own Greg Hengler. And a special thanks to 143 00:09:09,559 --> 00:09:13,000 Speaker 1: Ashley Lebinski. She's a frequent contributor here and she's doing 144 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:15,679 Speaker 1: this as a part of a series, the Stories of Objects, 145 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:19,200 Speaker 1: and my goodness, this book, this one on the Gangster Squad, 146 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:23,080 Speaker 1: the Hat Squad, fascinating. Here's La. It's a city on 147 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:25,360 Speaker 1: the rise, and of course whenever there's a city on 148 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:28,760 Speaker 1: the rise, all the other crime families around the country, well, 149 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:31,880 Speaker 1: they want to get some territory. LA's response was a 150 00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:35,319 Speaker 1: sort of form a let's just call it a non sanctioned, 151 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:38,840 Speaker 1: sanctioned organized crime unit that got to do almost anything 152 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:42,640 Speaker 1: it wanted. And then came the Supreme Courts case Matt v. Ohio, 153 00:09:42,679 --> 00:09:44,880 Speaker 1: and it basically said, you need a warrant before you 154 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:47,320 Speaker 1: can do a search, and you can't beat up people 155 00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:49,040 Speaker 1: to get a confession. Oh and you got to read 156 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:52,480 Speaker 1: people their rights. The story of the Hat Squad, the 157 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:57,920 Speaker 1: original gangster Squad of the LAPD here on our American 158 00:09:58,000 --> 00:09:58,679 Speaker 1: Stories