Organized Chaos in South Central, Los Angeles

An aerial view of the Harbor 110 freeway in South Los Angeles, in a file photo. trekandshoot/Shutterstock

Commentary

The LAPD’s 77th Division in South Central serves what some officers consider “pretty much the most violent area of the entire city and county of Los Angeles,” explained Officer Charles Simmering in a phone interview. “You’re just running and gunning all night. You’re just running. There’s never a dull moment. You’re just going from one call to the next to the next. ‘Organized chaos’ is the best way we describe it.”