Louis D. Oaks
Encyclopedia
Louis D. Oaks served as the Chief of Police
of the Los Angeles Police Department
from April 22, 1922, when he succeeded James W. Everington
, and August 1, 1923, when he was succeeded by ex-Berkeley, California
Police Chief August Vollmer
, a prominent criminologist.
During his short reign as chief, Oaks frequently clashed with Los Angeles City Council
member Ralph Luther Criswell
. In 1922, Criswell claimed that "members of the police department have been levying thousands of dollars in protection money". Subsequently, for several weeks, he blocked Oaks' request for 1,500 badges for his police officers and 50 Dodge automobiles for the L.A.P.D.
, a prominent socialist, when one of the L.A.P.D.'s Red Squads virtually kidnapped the writer at a rally in San Pedro, which had been annexed to the City of Los Angeles in 1909. A resident of Monrovia
, which was located near Los Angeles
, Upton had founded the state's chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union
. He had run unsuccessfully for Congress
on the Socialist
ticket: in 1920 for the House of Representatives
and in 1922 for the Senate
. Sinclair was active in radical politics in Los Angeles.
The San Pedro rally was held in support of the free speech rights of Industrial Workers of the World
(I.W.W.). As Sinclair began to read from the Bill of Rights
, he was promptly arrested bu officers of the L.A.P.D. The arresting officer proclaimed that "we'll have none of that Constitution
stuff."
Sinclair was arrested despite the fact that his appearance at the rally already cleared by the office of Los Angeles Mayor George E. Cryer, which had declared it would allow him to exercise his free speech rights as long as he did not make an incitement to violence. Chief Oaks, who claimed that Sinclair was "more dangerous than 4,000 I.W.W.", had one of his police officers swear out a complaint on which Sinclair was arrested. The complaint charged Sinclair with the offense of "discussing, arguing, orating and debating certain thoughts and theories, which...were detrimental and in opposition to the orderly conduct of affairs of business, affecting the rights of private property...."
Hundreds of other rally attendees also were arrested by the L.A.P.D., but Sinclair was given "special" treatment as part of a plan by Oaks to silence him, not just at the rally, but for years to come. Oaks had issued a public statement, declaring, "I will prosecute Sinclair with all the vigor at my command, and upon his conviction I will demand a jail sentence with hard labor."
Police officers drove him from station to station, but failed to lodge charges against him. In all, he was held incommunicado for 22 hours. Chief Davis had planned to have Sinclair arraigned just before the close of court on Friday afternoon, effectively concealing his whereabouts by not pressing charges against him and movie him about in order to deny him his right to a writ of habeas corpus
. Oaks' plan was thwarted when the plot was revealed to Sinclair's wife, Mary Craig, by a police official and Sinclair's attorneys were ready with a writ when he was finally brought to court.
police, who discovered Oaks in the backseat of an automobile, accompanied by a “half-dressed woman and a half-empty bottle of whiskey.”
Reform-minded Protestant clergymen, including the politically active radio preacher Robert P. "Fighting Bob" Shuler
, who was the president of the Ministerial Union, targeted Oaks for his sinful ways. Schuler and other Protestant ministers had been active in the reform and anti-vice movements in predominately Protestant Los Angeles, and they had applied direct political pressure on both the mayor and the Chief of Police. Schuler actually staked out a speakeasy and saw the Chief exiting the vice den in an inebriated state, accompanied by two women, neither of whom were his wife. After publicly revealing that had he seen Oaks womanizing and drinking (the latter being a crime during Prohibition
), Oaks was ousted as chief by Mayor Cryer.
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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...
of the Los Angeles Police Department
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...
from April 22, 1922, when he succeeded James W. Everington
James W. Everington
James W. Everington served as the Chief of Police of the Los Angeles Police Department for four months, from January 4 to April 22, 1922, when he succeeded Charles A. Jones, and was succeeded by Louis D. Oaks....
, and August 1, 1923, when he was succeeded by ex-Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
Police Chief August Vollmer
August Vollmer
August "Gus" Vollmer was a leading figure in the development of the field of criminal justice in the United States in the early 20th century. He was also the first police chief of Berkeley, California.-Youth:...
, a prominent criminologist.
During his short reign as chief, Oaks frequently clashed with Los Angeles City Council
Los Angeles City Council
The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles.The Council is composed of fifteen members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro tempore are chosen by the Council at the first regular meeting after...
member Ralph Luther Criswell
Ralph Luther Criswell
Ralph Luther Criswell , first a Socialist and then a Republican, was a member of the Los Angeles City Council for ten years in the early 20th Century...
. In 1922, Criswell claimed that "members of the police department have been levying thousands of dollars in protection money". Subsequently, for several weeks, he blocked Oaks' request for 1,500 badges for his police officers and 50 Dodge automobiles for the L.A.P.D.
Upton Sinclair Incident
In 1923, Oaks also clashed with the writerUpton SinclairUpton Sinclair
Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. , was an American author who wrote close to one hundred books in many genres. He achieved popularity in the first half of the twentieth century, acquiring particular fame for his classic muckraking novel, The Jungle . It exposed conditions in the U.S...
, a prominent socialist, when one of the L.A.P.D.'s Red Squads virtually kidnapped the writer at a rally in San Pedro, which had been annexed to the City of Los Angeles in 1909. A resident of Monrovia
Monrovia, California
Monrovia is a city located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 36,590 at the 2010 census, down from 36,929 at the 2000 census...
, which was located near Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Upton had founded the state's chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
. He had run unsuccessfully for Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
on the Socialist
Socialist Party of America
The Socialist Party of America was a multi-tendency democratic-socialist political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party which had split from the main organization...
ticket: in 1920 for the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
and in 1922 for the Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. Sinclair was active in radical politics in Los Angeles.
The San Pedro rally was held in support of the free speech rights of Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
(I.W.W.). As Sinclair began to read from the Bill of Rights
Bill of rights
A bill of rights is a list of the most important rights of the citizens of a country. The purpose of these bills is to protect those rights against infringement. The term "bill of rights" originates from England, where it referred to the Bill of Rights 1689. Bills of rights may be entrenched or...
, he was promptly arrested bu officers of the L.A.P.D. The arresting officer proclaimed that "we'll have none of that Constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
stuff."
Sinclair was arrested despite the fact that his appearance at the rally already cleared by the office of Los Angeles Mayor George E. Cryer, which had declared it would allow him to exercise his free speech rights as long as he did not make an incitement to violence. Chief Oaks, who claimed that Sinclair was "more dangerous than 4,000 I.W.W.", had one of his police officers swear out a complaint on which Sinclair was arrested. The complaint charged Sinclair with the offense of "discussing, arguing, orating and debating certain thoughts and theories, which...were detrimental and in opposition to the orderly conduct of affairs of business, affecting the rights of private property...."
Hundreds of other rally attendees also were arrested by the L.A.P.D., but Sinclair was given "special" treatment as part of a plan by Oaks to silence him, not just at the rally, but for years to come. Oaks had issued a public statement, declaring, "I will prosecute Sinclair with all the vigor at my command, and upon his conviction I will demand a jail sentence with hard labor."
Police officers drove him from station to station, but failed to lodge charges against him. In all, he was held incommunicado for 22 hours. Chief Davis had planned to have Sinclair arraigned just before the close of court on Friday afternoon, effectively concealing his whereabouts by not pressing charges against him and movie him about in order to deny him his right to a writ of habeas corpus
Habeas corpus
is a writ, or legal action, through which a prisoner can be released from unlawful detention. The remedy can be sought by the prisoner or by another person coming to his aid. Habeas corpus originated in the English legal system, but it is now available in many nations...
. Oaks' plan was thwarted when the plot was revealed to Sinclair's wife, Mary Craig, by a police official and Sinclair's attorneys were ready with a writ when he was finally brought to court.
Charles P. Williams
Charles P. Williams was the first African American policeman in the L.A.P.D. to be killed in the line of duty. Williams was working undercover when he was shot and killed by the owner of a house being used for prostitution. The owner was attempting to evict the prostitutes. Chief Oaks personally led the manhunt for his killer. (Ironically, at the time, it was not known that Williams was African American.)Termination
Chief Oaks had a reputation as a hard-drinking womanizer. He was arrested by San BernardinoSan Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
police, who discovered Oaks in the backseat of an automobile, accompanied by a “half-dressed woman and a half-empty bottle of whiskey.”
Reform-minded Protestant clergymen, including the politically active radio preacher Robert P. "Fighting Bob" Shuler
Robert P. Shuler
Robert Pierce "Fighting Bob" Shuler, Sr. , was an American evangelist and political figure. His radio broadcasts from his Southern Methodist church in Los Angeles, California, during the 1920s and early 1930s attracted a large audience and also drew controversy with his attacks on politicians,...
, who was the president of the Ministerial Union, targeted Oaks for his sinful ways. Schuler and other Protestant ministers had been active in the reform and anti-vice movements in predominately Protestant Los Angeles, and they had applied direct political pressure on both the mayor and the Chief of Police. Schuler actually staked out a speakeasy and saw the Chief exiting the vice den in an inebriated state, accompanied by two women, neither of whom were his wife. After publicly revealing that had he seen Oaks womanizing and drinking (the latter being a crime during Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
), Oaks was ousted as chief by Mayor Cryer.
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