Police Magazine

Richard Valdemar

Sergeant (Ret.)

Sgt. Richard Valdemar retired from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department after spending most of his 33 years on the job combating gangs. For the last 20 years, he was assigned to Major Crimes Bureau. He was also cross-designated as an FBI agent for 10 years of his career when he served on the Federal Metropolitan Gang Task Force. From 1995 until his retirement in 2004, Valdemar was a member of the California Prison Gang Task Force, helping prosecute members of the Mexican Mafia.

Inside the Badge •by Richard Valdemar•August 22, 2008

Learning How to Speak “Gang”

I would have them imagine that we were going on a trip to a faraway land, to a country and a culture with very different customs, clothing, family values, and religions. We were going to visit a place where various warring tribes spoke different languages.

Inside the Badge •by Richard Valdemar•July 23, 2008

Gang Members in the Emergency Room

You are now in the middle of a kill zone between two rival and highly agitated gangs. You watch in slow motion as they drop their wounded and draw their guns. It is as though they cannot even see you or recognize your uniform or police vehicle. You are not the intended target, but you could easily be collateral damage.

Inside the Badge •by Richard Valdemar•July 22, 2008

Richard Valdemar on the Radio

Hear Richard Valdemar take part in radio discussions about Los Angeles gangs.

Inside the Badge •by Richard Valdemar•July 11, 2008

Treasure Hunters and the Desert Madness

LASD SEB (SWAT) was called in. They approached the structures in an armored car. Suspect Kueck engaged the SEB vehicle with his .223 assault rifle giving away his position. A heavier LAPD SWAT armored battering ram was brought up and tear gas was fired into the wooden structure.

Inside the Badge •by Richard Valdemar•July 4, 2008

What Really Happened During the Rodney King Riots

For several months prior to the riots, intelligence reports rolled across my desk about activity in the Jordan Downs, Imperial Courts, and Nickerson Gardens Housing Projects. Drug dealers were financing meetings of gang members from rival gangs, and these meetings were being arbitrated by OGs (veteran gang members) or the Fruit of Islam, Black Muslim security units.

Inside the Badge •by Richard Valdemar•June 26, 2008

Some Gang Members Can Go Straight

We had just saved the founder of the Mexican Mafia’s life by arresting him and sending him to prison. But he wouldn’t be grateful. He would quickly eliminate anyone he suspected of making the heroin buy for the police that got him arrested until he narrowed it down to Buzz.

Inside the Badge •by Richard Valdemar•June 18, 2008

An Unsung Neighborhood Hero

Each former or active Sheriff’s detective was there to pay his last respects to a neighborhood hero. No one made them come, and many of their peers would have probably ridiculed them for coming to the funeral of a “snitch.” But none of the ridiculers knew what Mad Dog had done to make Los Angeles a safer place. Not many people knew, not even his own family.

Inside the Badge •by Richard Valdemar•June 5, 2008

The Tragic Tale of Spider from White Fence

The two burly deputies wanted to book him, but I was interested in hearing his story. Hype gang members do not normally seek out the police or walk into a police station. Just for my safety I patted him down for weapons and had him remove his shirt. I saw that he was heavily tattooed with prison and gang tats. His arms proclaimed that he was “Spider” from the infamous “White Fence” gang.

Inside the Badge •by Richard Valdemar•May 29, 2008

Going to Gang School (Part Two)

“You have who!” I overheard the other party yell over the phone. “He is a four-man escort here at Folsom, a member of the Mexican Mafia, and a danger to all inmates and staff. He is a convicted cop killer!”

Inside the Badge •by Richard Valdemar•May 20, 2008

Going to Gang School (Part One)

I was assigned to L.A.’s Men’s Central Jail, Module 2400, without the benefit of any custody training at all. There were about 250 inmates divided among the four rows of the module. Rows A and B were on the bottom and rows C and D on the top.

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