2007年VOA标准英语-Museum Highlights Los Angeles Police History, H

By Mike O'Sullivan
Los Angeles
23 August 2007

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has had a colorful and sometimes controversial history, and has been celebrated¹ in television and movies.  VOA's Mike O'Sullivan paid a visit to a museum that chronicles the LAPD story.

Los Angeles Police Museum

The Los Angeles Police Museum is housed in an old station house, and it tells the tale of a lawless western town that slowly developed into a modern city.

Los Angeles got its first paid police force in 1869, and part of the department's early history is shown in an exhibit of handcuffs, locks and other restraints.  Glynn Martin, executive director of the Los Angeles Police Historical Society, points to three exhibit cases, opposite a row of empty jail cells.

Glynn Martin in front of the Police Helicopter display

"Some great stuff, and it dates back well into the 1800s at the start of handcuffs," he noted².  "We've got things like balls and chains.  And we've got foreign and domestic handcuffs, and different types of restraints used throughout more than a century of the history of handcuffs."

Martin, a retired³ LAPD watch commander, points to a police radio from the 1950s, and a  modern vehicle-mounted computer.  Further on are the lights from a police patrol car and, upstairs, old uniforms.  One from the 1890s features a helmet like those still worn by some British police patrolmen.

The exhibits also show the interplay of the LAPD and Hollywood.  There are two wallet badges with the picture-identifications of two fictional⁴ detectives from the radio and television show Dragnet. The show's creator, Jack⁵ Webb, played the lead role of Sergeant⁶ Joe Friday.

Martin says a spin-off series called Adam-12 would also bring the department into the homes of Americans.

"For us, what it meant was the LAPD came into the living room of folks that had TV sets," he recalled.  "The trials and tribulations⁷ of a day-to-day detective and all the trappings that went along with that were now in the living room, and that could definitely increase the understanding of what it meant to be a police officer here in Los Angeles during that time."

The department has been featured in many movies, including L.A. Confidential⁸ and the Die Hard and Lethal⁹ Weapon series.  An LAPD officer, Joseph Wambaugh, became a best-selling writer of police and crime stories.

The museum also tells the story of a real-life incident in 1997, when two heavily armed bank robbers battled police for 44 minutes in the North Hollywood section of the city. 

As police radioed for reinforcements, the bank robbers fired some 1,200 rounds ammunition¹⁰ in a ferocious¹¹ shootout caught by television news cameras.

"We are the final resting place for material relating to that case, meaning we have on exhibit the clothing worn by the robbers, and the weapons carried by the robbers as well as weapons carried by the officers that responded to that day and were able to keep these folks from getting out into the community and doing any more damage than they did," he said.

Ten officers and six civilians¹² were shot, but luckily, none died.  One robber committed suicide and the other succumbed¹³ to his wounds as he lay in the street.  Outside the museum, two bullet-riddled cars round out the story.  One was driven by the robbers, and the other by a police sergeant who was wounded in the fierce exchange. 

The LAPD story has more than its share of heroism¹⁴, but it also has its dark side, from corruption¹⁵ in the department's early days to the scandals and racial incidents of the 1990s.  The police beating of a black motorist named Rodney King would spark citywide riots in 1992, after a jury acquitted¹⁶ four accused officers.  The museum does not highlight these topics, but Martin says visitors sometimes raise the issues.

"And it was one of the things that we had to address early on as a historical society, certainly before we had a museum, was dealing¹⁷ with people that asked questions about some of our less savory¹⁸ portions of our past," he explained.  "And our board [of directors] resolved and I'm a firm believer in it, that we need to tell the story warts¹⁹ and all."

And the LAPD story, says retired officer Glynn Martin, is well worth the telling.

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

4 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

5 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

6 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

7 tribulations   

n.苦难( tribulation的名词复数 )；艰难；苦难的缘由；痛苦

参考例句：

• the tribulations of modern life 现代生活的苦恼
• The film is about the trials and tribulations of adolescence. 这部电影讲述了青春期的麻烦和苦恼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 confidential   

adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的

参考例句：

• He refused to allow his secretary to handle confidential letters.他不让秘书处理机密文件。
• We have a confidential exchange of views.我们推心置腹地交换意见。

9 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

10 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

11 ferocious   

adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的

参考例句：

• The ferocious winds seemed about to tear the ship to pieces.狂风仿佛要把船撕成碎片似的。
• The ferocious panther is chasing a rabbit.那只凶猛的豹子正追赶一只兔子。

12 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

13 succumbed   

不再抵抗（诱惑、疾病、攻击等）( succumb的过去式和过去分词 )； 屈从； 被压垮； 死

参考例句：

• The town succumbed after a short siege. 该城被围困不久即告失守。
• After an artillery bombardment lasting several days the town finally succumbed. 在持续炮轰数日后，该城终于屈服了。

14 heroism   

n.大无畏精神，英勇

参考例句：

• He received a medal for his heroism.他由于英勇而获得一枚奖章。
• Stories of his heroism resounded through the country.他的英雄故事传遍全国。

15 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

16 acquitted   

宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现

参考例句：

• The jury acquitted him of murder. 陪审团裁决他谋杀罪不成立。
• Five months ago she was acquitted on a shoplifting charge. 五个月前她被宣判未犯入店行窃罪。

17 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

18 savory   

adj.风味极佳的，可口的，味香的

参考例句：

• She placed a huge dish before him of savory steaming meat.她将一大盘热气腾腾、美味可口的肉放在他面前。
• He doesn't have a very savory reputation.他的名誉不太好。

19 warts   

n.疣( wart的名词复数 )；肉赘；树瘤；缺点

参考例句：

• You agreed to marry me, warts and all! 是你同意和我结婚的，我又没掩饰缺陷。 来自辞典例句
• Talk about trying to cure warts with spunk-water such a blame fool way as that! 用那样糊涂蛋的方法还谈什么仙水治疣子！ 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险