We’re going to root out every criminal racket, from drugs to prostitution to money laundering. We’re going to purge the streets of gangs and violent crime. We’re going to change Los Angeles into the kind of place where everybody feels safe and secure and proud of their neighborhood, whether they live in Beverly Hills or Boyle Heights.” There was a light smattering of applause, and Chief O’Malley raised one hand to acknowledge it. His petite blond wife, Charlene, came up to him and linked arms and smiled proudly at all their guests. This was their first reception since Douglas O’Malley had been appointed chief of police. He had taken over six weeks ago, after the sudden resignation of Paul De Souza, following his heart attack. Chief O’Malley was stocky, white-haired, with a broad, pugnacious face, half Irish. Before he moved to California he had spent five years in New York, where his policing policy had become known as “subzero tolerance.”
