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•July 11, 2012

Mexico's Deal With the Devil

The Mexican press estimates that 19.5% of the official ballot boxes were installed in areas controlled by the drug cartels. Many voters avoided the poles altogether in fear of intimidation and violence.

Inside the Badge •by Richard Valdemar•June 13, 2012

Can Education Cure Gang Members?

There seems to be an illogical perception in the U.S. that "bad guys," especially those associated with criminal gangs, are dumb—or at least uneducated. But education is not an elixir to cure the diseases of immorality or an upbringing steeped in situational ethics. It can't teach the gift of empathy for another human being.

Inside the Badge •by Richard Valdemar•May 24, 2012

Gangs and Terrorism

We often focus on one puzzle piece rather than the whole puzzle. If we would slow down and step back, we might see the whole of our enemy's tactics and battle plan. This wider perception of problems enables criminal investigators to recognize trends, alliances, tactics, conspiracies and connections in the underworld. This is what is needed in the battle against gangs, cartels, and terrorists.

Inside the Badge •by Richard Valdemar•May 15, 2012

Sensitive Needs Yards (SNY) Gangs

Dropouts, jail informants, child molesters, and other "softies" segregated in the Sensitive Needs Yards (SNY) of California prisons are forming gang sets of their own. Unencumbered by the big four prison gangs that control the main yards, they use their criminal skills and the power of intimidation of their new dropout gang.

Inside the Badge •by Richard Valdemar•May 1, 2012

20 Years After the Rodney King Riots

Sunday marked the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the Rodney King Riots in Los Angeles. In 1992, major rioting would continue until May 25. Much has changed since those days of anti-police rioting, yet much has remained the same.

Inside the Badge •by Richard Valdemar•April 17, 2012

Gang Truces Usually Turn Out Badly for Cops

Can you imagine what a gang formed from all aligned Crip and Blood gangs or between the Mexican Mafia and the Nuestra Familia might be capable of?

Inside the Badge •by Richard Valdemar•March 14, 2012

Sureños: Understanding Kanpol and Pilli

Sureños identify with the color blue and use tattoos with the number 13, sureño, sur, south sider, or "kanpol" (a word taken from the ancient Aztec language of Nahuatl that means southerner).

Inside the Badge •by Richard Valdemar•March 6, 2012

Gangs and Electronic Surveillance—Part II

The girlfriend was provided with a “burnout phone.” A burnout phone is one that would be operational for a few months before being burned out. By that time the bill would have grown to many thousands of dollars, which they had no intention of paying.

Inside the Badge •by Richard Valdemar•March 1, 2012

Gangs and Electronic Surveillance—Part I

Sometimes separate local, state, or county police are used for physical surveillance. Occasionally when intercepted communications seem to have gone dormant, the surveillance team will also be used to deliberately arrest or conduct a traffic stop on individuals to cause them to increase their criminal communications or "tickle the wire."

Inside the Badge •by Richard Valdemar•February 17, 2012

Off-Duty Gang Confrontations

Do yourself a favor. Your planning for the many facets of an unthinkable off-duty situation must be serious and deliberate. Think about it, and be prepared for these confrontations.

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