This has been a fascinating read. I've always admired the LAPD. Although my only exposure to LAPD has been on TV and films it always struck me as a very squared away department. I can't recall ever seeing a cop looking sloppy or a banged up patrol car (I am seeing it throught the heavily filtered lens of TV though). I'm also kind of envious of the gun culture that seems to exist there. The LAPD seems to be a much more para-military than my beloved NYPD claims to be.

While they are both the biggest PD on each coast, it always amazes me how different each department is. I once met an LAPD officer who was visiting New York. I was standing on a foot post and he came over to BS while his family was in a store. He wanted to take a picture with my car, which I didn't have because I was on a foot post. The guy couldn't believe I didn't have a car and had to walk around all day. The idea of a foot post blew his mind. Truly different worlds....