Clemence B. Horrall
Encyclopedia
Clemence B. Horrall was Los Angeles Police Department
Chief of Police
from June 16, 1941, when he succeeded Arthur C. Hohmann
to serve as the 41st Chief of the L.A.P.D., and June 28, 1949, when he resigned under pressure during a grand jury investigation of police corruption
. Horrall had become chief when Hohman, under pressure from Los Angeles Mayor Fletcher Bowron
, voluntarily took a demotion to deputy chief after he had become ensnared in a police corruption trial that had embarrassed the mayor.
During his tenure as Chief many significant events occurred that would shape Los Angeles during the decade of the 1940s, when the population of the city proper surged from 1.5 million to nearly 2 million people. Events such as World War II
, Japanese-American relocation and internment
, the Zoot Suit Riots
of 1943 and the Black Dahlia
homicide roiled the city, as did the Brenda Allen
vice scandal of 1948-49 that led to Chief Horrall's resignation after it was found that officers involved with the Hollywood madam perjured under oath during grand jury
testimony, as did Horrall himself. He resigned in 1949.
Clemence Horrall died in 1960 from a heart attack and was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills.
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
Chief of Police
Chief of police
A Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...
from June 16, 1941, when he succeeded Arthur C. Hohmann
Arthur C. Hohmann
Arthur Clarence Hohmann served as Los Angeles Police Department Chief of Police from 1939 to 1941, when he voluntarily relinquished the position during a police corruption scandal. Hohmann was the 40th Chief of the L.A.P.D., succeeding acting Chief David A. Davidson in July 1939...
to serve as the 41st Chief of the L.A.P.D., and June 28, 1949, when he resigned under pressure during a grand jury investigation of police corruption
Police corruption
Police corruption is a specific form of police misconduct designed to obtain financial benefits, other personal gain, or career advancement for a police officer or officers in exchange for not pursuing, or selectively pursuing, an investigation or arrest....
. Horrall had become chief when Hohman, under pressure from Los Angeles Mayor Fletcher Bowron
Fletcher Bowron
Fletcher Bowron was the 35th Mayor of Los Angeles, California from September 26, 1938 until June 30, 1953. Until Thomas Bradley passed his length of service during the 1980s, Bowron held the distinction of having the longest tenure in that position in city history.Bowron was born in Poway,...
, voluntarily took a demotion to deputy chief after he had become ensnared in a police corruption trial that had embarrassed the mayor.
During his tenure as Chief many significant events occurred that would shape Los Angeles during the decade of the 1940s, when the population of the city proper surged from 1.5 million to nearly 2 million people. Events such as World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Japanese-American relocation and internment
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
, the Zoot Suit Riots
Zoot Suit Riots
The Zoot Suit Riots were a series of riots in 1943 during World War II that erupted in Los Angeles, California between white sailors and Marines stationed throughout thehi c mlc city and Latino youths, who were recognizable by the zoot suits they favored...
of 1943 and the Black Dahlia
Black Dahlia
"The Black Dahlia" was a nickname given to Elizabeth Short is an American woman and the victim of a gruesome and much-publicized murder. She acquired the moniker posthumously by newspapers in the habit of nicknaming crimes they found particularly colorful...
homicide roiled the city, as did the Brenda Allen
Brenda Allen
Brenda Allen was a madam based in Los Angeles, California whose arrest in 1948 triggered a scandal that led to the reform of the Los Angeles Police Department . Allen received police protection due to her relationship with Sergeant Elmer V...
vice scandal of 1948-49 that led to Chief Horrall's resignation after it was found that officers involved with the Hollywood madam perjured under oath during grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
testimony, as did Horrall himself. He resigned in 1949.
Clemence Horrall died in 1960 from a heart attack and was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills.