10 CHARLIE IS TEN-97

By

Jack Miller

After reading Anderson's account of his experiences with Captains Weddle and Arruda, I got to thinking of my own experiences with Capt. John Arruda. During the five or so years I spent at FPK I only worked for John Arruda, so I have no one to compare him to.  However, with a perspective developed from some time spent in the military, I can't imagine a finer field commander.  Rolling on calls was not limited to assisting one-man day cars.  '10Charlie' rolled on several calls in the pm and em hours that I'm aware of, including one that I was involved with while assisting 15PM on a "major" 415 on 116th and Wilmington in June of '65.  I was working 15APM on a Friday with a trainee when at about 10:30 or so we received a call to investigate a possible 459 or 594 at the Safeway store on Imperial Hwy & Holmes Ave.  After gaining entrance thru the broken front window and satisfying ourselves that the store was devoid of bad guys I used the phone at the location and was going to clear the call when the Dispatcher advised me that there was a major 415 going down at 116th and Wilmington and that the only assistance available was rolling from the station.  My trainee and I rolled to the location to find that Doug Travis and his partner (NFD) had about a dozen or so goofballs of various ethnicity and hues lined up against the wall and the situation well in hand.  Before we could broadcast the code-4, three other units arrived led by you know who, '10Charlie' Capt. Arruda.  He was in full uniform. No Sam Brown, but a Rose Wood nightstick (remember those) in one hand and his 2" S&W M&P in the other.  Doug advised him that the situation was code-4 and that with the possible exception of transportation for arrestees, no other assistance was needed.  I stood there dumb founded and could only wonder in amazement at this man thinking to myself, "what the hell is he doing here at this time of night". Capt. Arruda then threw everyone a kind of half salute and took his leave while we, along with the other crews in car's 14 & 12 helped Travis clean up the location.  We then left to clear our call at the Safeway store.  (Note: this is the same store that was looted, torched and burned to the ground two months later during the riots). 

Claude Anderson said it quite succinctly in his narration, "This was a Captain who was a real Deputy at heart and one who never forgot his roots". "This is why FPK was always #1"

Rest in Peace Sir.