For Immediate Release

On Sunday, December 7, 2008 the Randal D. Simmons Outreach Foundation will launch the 1st Annual “Legacy of Love” Holiday Fundraiser and Celebration in honor of Randy. The will be held at The Trump National Golf Club in Ranch Palos Verdes, California. Proceeds from this event will benefit disadvantaged families during the holiday season, as well as, the Foundation to ensure its success in the upcoming year.

Officer Randal D. Simmons, affectionately known as Randy, who was tragically killed in the line of duty on February 7, 2008. was a devoted husband and father, a dedicated police officer, a committed servant of the community, a minister, a mentor, a loyal friend and a faithful man of God. He worked tirelessly to help improve the lives of others. He spent countless hours interacting with inner-city children and building trust and long-lasting relationships with their families. The children often referred to him as their godfather or uncle. Randy believed that if enough people volunteered just a little of their time to help the less fortunate and disadvantaged, we could stop the cycle of violence and poverty that plagued them and change their behavior, attitudes and outlook on life. His life will forever be a testimony of love, hope, commitment and faith.

Randy is no longer with us, but he will be remembered for many years to come because of the impact he had in our communities and the legacy he has left behind. In an effort to continue to fulfill Randy’s passion and dream of a better tomorrow for children throughout the world, the Randal D. Simmons Outreach Foundation was established. Our primary goals are to empower the community by providing support in the areas of Economic Development, Education, Health and Wellness and Global Outreach.

If you have any questions or would like to sponsor or attend this event, please contact Lisa Greene at (310) 462-8814 (events@randalsimmons.org) or Denise Beaudoin at (212) 654-8428 (cdbeaudoin@gmail.com). Deadline for sponsoring this event is November 1, 2008. www.randalsimmons.org

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A park’s play area is named for the LAPD officer who was shot to death during a February raid in the area. It is hoped to rename the entire park after him.

By Jean-Paul Renaud, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
1:39 PM PDT, July 26, 2008

Several hundred police police officers, San Fernando Valley residents and dignitaries gathered this morning at West Valley Park in Reseda to rename the children’s play area in honor slain SWAT Officer Randal D. Simmons, who was killed in the line of duty and has been hailed as hero for his police work and community service.

Councilman Dennis Zine, who unveiled a plaque as the fallen officer’s wife and children looked on, is behind a movement to rename the entire park in honor of Simmons, who was shot to death during a SWAT raid in February at a Winnetka house.

“He loved kids, he always loved children, he was a SWAT guy with a huge heart,” Zine said. “This was a perfect connection.”

The plaque describes Simmons as a “leading light to his friends and family. He will be sorely missed by all.”

Besides his police work, Simmons volunteered on the streets of inner-city neighborhoods where he ministered to children on weekends as part of a church group he founded called Glory Kids Ministries, which steers children away from gangs and toward Christianity.

“It was just a way to show continuing respect for Randy and his unique part in helping kids,” Zine said. “That’s why the park was a perfect location.”

Zine said he will introduce a motion Tuesday at the Los Angeles City Council to rename the park.

jp.renaud@latimes.com

Watch the video by clicking the link below

abc7 News Video

Los Angeles, July 16 2008 - Memorial billboards posted in honor of LAPD Officer Randal Simmons will be installed this week around Southern California.

The 20 billboards for the slain officer thank the community for their many expressions of caring and support. “Our family wanted to find a visible way to express our sincere appreciation for the outpouring of love, support and prayers that we have received from everyone around the world. The cards, flowers and words of condolences are too numerous to count,” said Lisa Simmons, wife of Randal Simmons

The first billboard went up today in Los Angeles at Florence Avenue, just west of 5^th Avenue, on Clear Channel Outdoor location #2533.

“Partnering with the Los Angeles Police Protective League, we wanted to recognize Officer Simmons’ service to Los Angeles and to the nation with these billboards,” said Layne Lawson, Public Affairs Director for Clear Channel Outdoor. The posting of the billboards was donated by Clear Channel Outdoor.

Officer Simmons was shot and killed as he and other members of the Los Angeles SWAT Team made entry into a home on February 7, 2008. The team had been deployed to the home after a suspect inside called 911 and claimed to have murdered three family members. As the team entered, the suspect opened fire, striking Officer Simmons and a second officer. The suspect was later shot and killed by another member of the SWAT team as the standoff continued.

Officer Simmons had served with the Los Angeles Police Department for 27 years. He is survived by his wife Lisa, two children, parents, and two sisters.

Her kind of comfort food

BY LEILONI DE GRUY, Staff Writer 19.JUN.08
By opening the restaurant that was his dream, the widow of slain officer Randal Simmons finds another way to carry on his legacy. The grand opening of Leimert Park’s newest restaurant, New Orleans Vieux Carré Creole Cuisine, was originally scheduled for early February. But those plans took a tragic turn when its co-owner, Los Angeles Police Department SWAT officer Randal “Randy” Simmons, was killed in the line of duty.

Now, more than four months later, the restaurant is preparing for its Saturday debut as Simmons’ wife, Lisa, revisits that fateful day, sharing how she picked up the pieces, raises two children and runs a business — all while trying to fulfill her husband’s legacy.

“One of the very first memories that I have of you is waking up in the middle of the night when I was about six or seven and seeing you kneeling at the foot of my bed praying over me. My very last memory of you was leading our family in prayer on the night that you passed away,” says Simmons, as she thinks back on their daughter Gabrielle’s words.

On that fateful night, Simmons and her daughter suffered from a terrible cold. A spiritual man, Randy gathered the family for prayer. Around 10 o’clock, Simmons says she headed to bed. “Then I woke up at 12 o’clock and I just jumped up, it was weird, I jumped up and I was patting the bed and I was feeling for him, thinking, ‘Where is he?’”

So often, she said, he would get up in the middle of the night to go downstairs and pray. It had not crossed her mind that he left to go on assignment, because she, a light sleeper, would wake him up when the call came in and in the event he received the call before her, he would wake her before he left and would leave by kissing her good-bye. That night was different, she hadn’t heard the call nor did she feel his sign of affection.

“There was no doubt in my mind that he was at home somewhere in the house but when the phone rang I thought it was him calling to say that he had to leave quickly for a call up.”

It wasn’t Randy, it was the Los Angeles Police Department. They informed her that he had been shot and that squad cars would be there shortly to pick her up. Still she did not know the extent of his injuries, Randy had been shot before in the leg and had his teeth knocked out after running into a fence while in pursuit of a criminal.

“I ran downstairs, I ran into every room in my house to see if someone was playing a joke and then I realized it was serious. No sooner than I went to change my clothes, they were knocking on my door … they told me we were going to fly there by helicopter over to Northridge Hospital and I felt that if it wasn’t that serious, I could have driven. … Still, I thought he might have been in surgery but then they told me that I should contact my pastor.”

When Lisa arrived at the hospital, several people, officers and family, were waiting for her. Entering the elevator, no one made eye contact nor did they make a sound, she recalled. Instead of heading up, where patient care is, they headed down to the basement, where the morgue is stationed. It was this moment, that she finally knew he was gone.

“I just lost it … I felt like my soul had been ripped out,” she said.

Following his death, Simmons reflected on signs leading up to the event. Eerily, she now believes that Randy subconsciously knew his time was coming to an end and that God was preparing her to deal with it.

Randy, according to Simmons, would always say that if he got shot in the head and passed as a result, he would be content because his relationship with God was so strong. “Ironically, that’s how he died, he was shot in the face … the bullet went through and severed his spine.”

On Feb. 7, Randy and his partner, James Veenstra, received a call from the station informing them that a man who they believed to be mentally ill shot three of his family members. Randy and his partner rushed in to the San Fernando Valley home, where they were both met with gunfire. Veenstra survived, though he underwent several cosmetic surgeries. Randy did not.

In over 27 years, no SWAT officer had been killed in the line of duty, until that day. “It could have happened to anybody, but it had to be him … I just remember Gabrielle saying ‘No, no, not my dad.’”

The day before Randy’s death, Simmons was in the bathroom brushing her teeth when an infomercial came on. One line kept playing in her mind, “time is a silent thief.” She was so rattled by it that she voiced her concerns to her mother and Randy.

“It was true, it was like he had been taken like a thief in the night,” she says of not hearing him leave their home that night.

Then, days later, Simmons walked into her room and noticed their son, Matthew, 16, sitting down with a letter and tears streaming from his face. The letter had been written by Randy prior to his death and in it were all the guidelines he would need to continue his football career, from plays to footwork.

As much as Simmons wanted to break down, she knew she had to be strong for their children; Randy’s main concern had always been their welfare.

So, she decided to pick up the pieces and move on with the support of the LAPD, people he has helped through outreach, her church, and children, otherwise, “I’d be up on the third floor [of a mental hospital] somewhere, talking to myself.”

Just weeks after the funeral, Simmons opened the doors to Vieux Carré. She says, “It’s what he would have wanted; he would have wanted me to keep going.”

Some of her first customers and still frequent customers are police officers and family friends.

On June 22, however, she plans to give the restaurant its proper introduction with a grand opening. Simmons says to expect authentic Creole dishes and live entertainment. The street where the restaurant is located, Degnan Boulevard, will be blocked off for the event from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

With roots in New Orleans, Simmons is one of several co-owners of the restaurant, the others include her sisters Sharon Sumlin and Melinda Harleaux and their husbands, Wilfred Sumlin and Dwayne Harleaux, the restaurant’s head chef and a New Orleans native. Her mother Veronica Hunter manages the restaurant while she, her sisters and Sumlin maintain other careers.

Randy, who was also a co-owner, may not be present for the grand opening, but Simmons plans to continue his legacy. Part of the proceeds will go to the Randal D. Simmons Outreach Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on quality of life, world outreach, education, and health and wellness.

“My husband was a very passionate man. … He would see an old lady with no shoes on and say ‘Lisa, pull up to that Payless real quick’ and I wouldn’t know what for, then he would run in and get some shoes and say I want to give that lady some shoes. That was just his heart.”

- Photo by Gary McCarthy

Click to View Full Size

Sheriff Baca Honors Fallen Officers
Thursday, 29 May 2008

Three names added to fallen sheriff’s memorial wall

Sheriff Lee Baca presided over the 39th Annual Los Angeles County Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony on Wednesday, May 28, to commemorate the lives of those peace officers who died in the line of duty while serving the residents of Los Angeles County.

Attending the memorial ceremony were numerous federal, state, and local dignitaries, in addition to family members, friends, and co-workers of the fallen officers. Held in the beautiful Memorial Park at the Sheriff’s Training Academy and Regional Services (STARS) Center in Whittier, the ceremony included musical performances by members of law enforcement and the release of white doves on behalf of the fallen officers.

Regrettably, the following memorial plaques were added to the Memorial Wall:

Deputy Raul V. Gama, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Major Crimes Bureau, died on May 1, 2007.
Officer Randal D. Simmons, Los Angeles Police Department, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team, died on February 7, 2008.

In addition, historical research determined that the following peace officer, previously killed in the line of duty, was deserving of his place on the Memorial Wall:
Deputy City Marshal Perman C. Calderwood, Los Angeles City Municipal Court, died on December 22, 1930.

Bronze plaques with the names of all three officers now join the other 469 law enforcement officers whose names are inscribed on the Memorial Wall to honor their dedication to duty and the ultimate sacrifice they made.

As part of the ceremony, Sheriff Baca accepted a torch delivered by members of various law enforcement agencies following a three-day Memorial Torch Relay Run totaling 339 miles. The relay run commenced at the Sherman Block Sheriff’s Headquarters Building and traveled to each mainland Sheriff’s Station. The Memorial Flame at the Los Angeles County Peace Officers’ Memorial Wall was ignited in tribute to the fallen officers.

In concluding the memorial ceremony, the Sheriff added, “We recognize the heroism of those who have died, and we have gathered to reinforce our individual memories of those who have been lost and to show their families and friends that their deep sense of loss is shared.”

Motor4toys Charitable Foundation Presents:

The S.W.A.T. Support Charity Car Show and Memorial Drive.

The purpose of this event will be to Honor and Support Los Angeles Police Department S.W.A.T. Members:

Randal Simmons and James Veenstra and their families.

100% of the proceeds go to the Families!

Calling all cars: Exotics, Hot Rods, Muscle Cars, Tuners, Rat-Rods, Bikes, Imports, Race Cars….PLEASE HELP SUPPORT THIS EVENT!

To participate in the 13 mile Memorial Drive and the car show we are suggesting a $20.00 dollar donation. We will have a full L.A.P.D. Motorcade, Full L.A.P.D. support.

At the event:
S.W.A.T. Team
L.A.P.D. Helicopter and auctioning 2 Helicopter ride alongs
L.A.P.D. Amphibious Team with Boat
L.A.P.D. Canine Units
L.A.P.D. Equestrian Team

Sponsored by:
www.drivenworld.com
World Famous Village Coffee Roaster
YOUR NAME HERE, WE NEED SPONSORS

When: April 27th

Where: Pierce College- Enter on the Victory and Mason Entrance, then go to the donation/registration tables.

Time: 7am-1pm- If you are going to participate in the Memorial Drive, you MUST sign a waiver and please be fill your tanks. This will be a MEMORIAL DRIVE, YOU MUST OBSERVE ALL RULES OF THE ROAD! (Waiver will be available on the www.motor4toys.com site later this week.)

The Drive will be leaving at 8:30 am sharp with support from a FULL L.A.P.D. MOTORCADE!

For more information, updates and to chat about this event,
Please go to www.drivenworld.com
Register and click this link: http://drivenworld.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=182

By Dennis McCarthy, Columnist

Article Last Updated: 04/09/2008 11:24:43 PM PDT

Los Angeles’ big three sat under an arch of decorative balloons at Reseda High School on Wednesday morning reading numbers they couldn’t quite believe.

Had to be some kind of mistake, the mayor, police chief and school superintendent agreed. Nobody gets these kinds of numbers today.

A 100 percent graduation rate, with 97 percent of the 168 students standing in front of them headed for college.

Forget it. Can’t be done. Not in public schools where the dropout rate continues to rise.

Well, it is being done, and for the third year in a row at the Reseda High Police Academy Magnet.

“This is one of those programs you want to model and put in a bottle,” LAUSD Superintendent David Brewer III said as a dozen proud mothers stood off to the side, beaming at their children.

Their husbands would have been there, too, they said. But they had to work.

“Nothing in life is ever 100 percent, but you guys are 100 percent,” said LAPD Chief William Bratton. “You are this city’s success story.”

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa walked through rows of students, shaking their hands and calling them an inspiration.

“This city is proud of you,” the mayor said, wishing Roberta Weintraub - former LAUSD school board president, who was ill Wednesday - could be there to see what her idea of nurturing home-grown, future LAPD officers in magnet schools had produced.

A 100 percent high school graduation rate of boys and girls who think hard work, discipline and respect are something to strive for, not avoid.”My mother wanted to be a police officer when she was young, but she couldn’t,” said 17-year-old cadet Nicole Jovel. “She became a nurse instead. I’m going to be a police officer, an LAPD detective some day.”

None of these kids was pushed into this program. It wasn’t their parents’ or teachers’ idea, they say. It’s something they’ve wanted since they were students together at Mulholland Middle School - Reseda High’s feeder school, which has a police magnet program.

They say they’re proud being the kids on campus wearing a cadet uniform one day a week for drills, proud of having their own special academic and physical exercise curriculum to prepare them for a career in law enforcement, which about 75 percent of them achieve.

Sure, some of the other kids on campus give them a little lip sometimes when they walk by, but not many.

“Some kids are disrespectful, but the majority are respectful,” Nicole said. “All of us have friends who wish they had joined with us when they were younger, but now they’re too old as juniors and seniors.”

There are police academy magnet programs at five high schools in Los Angeles, including Monroe High in North Hills. More than half the students are girls.

“Girl power,” said Lisa Simmons, widow of LAPD SWAT Officer Randal Simmons, who was shot and killed in February during a standoff in Winnetka.

She made a special trip to the school to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the program and to meet these kids who wanted to follow in her husband’s footsteps in this city.

“Randy was the best of the best, and we expect you to be the best of the best,” she said to heavy applause. “Go out into our community and make us proud.”

That’s exactly what they plan to do, the kids say - when they get old enough. All of the graduating seniors are still too young to become police officers.

“You have to be at least 20<MD+,%30,%55,%70>1/<MD-,%0,%55,%70>2 to join the department, and most of us are only 17,” said Hector Lobos, a cadet sergeant. “I’m going to CSUN, and after I graduate I plan on becoming an LAPD officer.”

L.A.’s big three smiled. The numbers didn’t lie. Some things in life are 100 percent.

Dennis McCarthy’s column appears Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. dennis.mccarthy@dailynews.com, 818-713-3749

March 25, 2008The Police Commission unanimously signed off Tuesday on a plan to name the LAPD’s new SWAT headquarters for Officer Randy Simmons, who last month became the department’s first SWAT officer to die in the line of duty.

The Metropolitan Division and SWAT are expected to move into the old Rampart Division station, located at 2710 W. Temple St., within the next six months.

The naming proposal must still be approved by the Los Angeles City Council.

Simmons, 51, was shot and killed Feb. 7 in a standoff with a young man who killed his father and two brothers inside a Winnetka home before he was shot by police.

There are currently no LAPD facilities named after individuals who were not chiefs of the department.

Anaheim Ducks to honor SWAT’s Simmons

From wire reports

Article Launched: 03/26/2008 06:51:57 AM PDT

Randall Simmons

ANAHEIM - The Anaheim Ducks will pay tribute to slain Los Angeles Police Department SWAT Officer Randal Simmons and his partner James Veenstra at tonight’s game at Honda Center against the Los Angeles Kings.

A moment of silence will be held for Simmons and a video presentation celebrating his life and service will be shown. Veenstra will drop the ceremonial first puck.

Several season ticket holders donated their tickets and Golden State Foods donated its suite so Simmons and Veenstra’s fellow officers could attend the sold-out game, according to Alex Gilchrist, the Ducks’ director of media & communications.

More than two dozen officers are expected to be in attendance to pay tribute to Simmons, the first SWAT officer to die in the line of duty, Gilchrist said.

Officer Rob Melchior, a SWAT member, helped organize the tribute.

“It is important for the public to know the sacrifices we make as police officers and Randy made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Melchior, a longtime Ducks fan. “Our whole team has been severely affected by this tragedy.”

Simmons, 51, was shot and killed Feb. 7 in a standoff with a young man who had killed his father and two brothers inside a Winnetka home. The man was killed by other officers.

Veenstra was struck in the face by a bullet.

“The men and women of law enforcement spend countless hours on the job each day to assure the safety of our communities,” said Tim Ryan, the Ducks’ executive vice president and chief operating officer and president and chief executive officer of Honda Cent

“It will be our pleasure to recognize specifically the efforts of officers Veenstra and Simmons this Wednesday night.”

The Police Commission unanimously approved a proposal yesterday to name the LAPD’s new SWAT headquarters for Simmons.

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The Los Angeles Police Foundation and TalkRadio 790
KABC announced today the establishment of the Officer Randal Simmons Memorial
Scholarship Fund in honor of the fallen SWAT officer.
The scholarships will be awarded to graduating seniors of the Los Angeles Police Academy Magnet School Program who are planning careers in law enforcement.    “The Los Angeles Police Foundation is pleased to have KABC as our partner,” said Karen Wagener, president of the Los Angeles Police Foundation.    “It is a privilege to honor the memory of Randy Simmons with scholarships that will enable young people to follow in his footsteps as police officers, serving our great community. We encourage your listeners to give generously.”

Donations made be made online at www.KABC.com. Checks may also be made payable to the Los Angeles Police Foundation and mailed to TalkRadio 790 KABC Community Relations, P.O. Box 790, Los Angeles, CA 90016.    Simmons died Feb. 7 during a standoff in Winnetka. He is the first LAPD SWAT officer to die in the line of duty.

Today, the staff of LAPD’s Southwest Division, presented Capt. James Craig, Commanding Officer, Southwest Area. (best man at Randy Simmons wedding) a special plaque honoring the memory of Randy Simmons and their friendship.

LAPD Centurions Retire #17 Randy Simmons Jersey - Click to view video

The LAPD Centurion Football Team Dedicates the 2008 Season, Our 30th Year of “playing football for kids”,to Fallen Alumni Officer III+I Randal Simmons:

As the LAPD Centurions prepare for their 30 th season of playing football for kids they morn the recent death of Centurion Alumni, Police Officer III+I Randal Simmons. Officer Simmons played for the Centurions for over 10 years in the 1980s and early 1990s. The Centurions are dedicating the 2008 season to Officer Simmons. The team will be wearing his number, “17”, on their helmets and striving to win the Championship title in his name.

SWAT Officers Running in memory of Randy Simmons

A group of about 30 SWAT officers from the Los Angeles Police Department were running as part of a memorial dedicated to Officer Randal Simmons, who died in the line of duty last month.

Some of the officers ran the race as a relay, carrying a torch that was handed off every three miles until it was finally passed to Simmons’ teenage son, Matthew, who carried the flame from mile 25 to the finish line.

“It was an honor and a privilege to run for my father,” Matthew said. “I’m sure he’s looking down and is pleased.”

View Video coverage

SWAT team passes the torch for fallen comrade

By Jill Painter Staff Writer _ Los Angeles Protective League

With about 30 LAPD SWAT members around him, Matt Simmons took a torch and ran the final mile of the Los Angeles Marathon.

Matt is a sprinter, not a distance runner, but he was pushed through the streets of downtown by cheers, inspirational messages like “keep your head up” and well wishes.

He ran the final leg of a relay celebrating his dad’s life with 30 men he calls uncles.

Matt is the 15-year-old son of LAPD officer Randal Simmons, who was shot and killed by a gunman in Winnetka last month.

Simmons’ colleagues honored him by lighting the torch at the start of the marathon and passing it between the hands of 30 members of the SWAT team, culminating with Matt.

“It meant a lot to honor him,” Matt said. “It was a privilege. I’m sure my father would’ve been very happy.”

Randall, 51, once did the L.A. Marathon by pushing a quadriplegic in a wheelchair all 26.2 miles. He didn’t like to run much, Matt said, but he did it to stay healthy.

Matt, a sophomore at Bishop Montgomery High in Torrance, spent the morning at a football combine at the HomeDepot Center before he anchored the marathon relay.

Randal’s wife, Lisa, and daughter, Gabrielle, were at the finish line. Afterward, Gabrielle held a framed shadow box with a picture of Simmons and a medal for completing the marathon.

“I know a lot of people cared,” Gabrielle said.

Members of the Simmons family, friends and relay runners wore white T-shirts which had a picture of him on the back.

Every mile, a new officer took the torch to honor Simmons. Simmons’ mother, Constance, called her son her “Gentle Giant,” a nickname she gave him after his death. His wife said he’s become an icon. To others, he was friend, mentor and LAPD partner.

SWAT team officer James Hart lit the torch and started the race in front of photographers at the start line. He was awed by the reception from people lining the streets and honking their horns.

“It was very emotional,” Hart said. “When we made our way downtown, the accolades were overwhelming. We appreciate the citizens and good people of this city.”

SWAT officer James Veenstra, who was shot in the jaw by the same gunman that killed Simmons, thanked everyone for cards, encouragement and prayers.

His wife, LAPD captain Michelle Veenstra, stood by his side as he made a statement.

“The healing process couldn’t happen without it,” Veenstra said. “I’ll try to send out thank yous, but I’ll probably miss some folks. To those who bolstered us up in a hard time, we appreciate it, and we’re indebted to them.”

The LAPD Centurion Football Team Dedicates the 2008 Season, Our 30th Year of “playing football for kids”,to Fallen Alumni Officer III+I Randal Simmons:

As the LAPD Centurions prepare for their 30 th season of playing football for kids they morn the recent death of Centurion Alumni, Police Officer III+I Randal Simmons. Officer Simmons played for the Centurions for over 10 years in the 1980s and early 1990s. The Centurions are dedicating the 2008 season to Officer Simmons. The team will be wearing his number, “17”, on their helmets and striving to win the Championship title in his name.

On February 23, 2008, at 2:00 PM, in Colton, California the Centurions went up against the Inland Empire Enforcers. The Enforcers donated $2500 to the Simmon’s family from the proceeds of the game. Please join us at the Centurions’ first home game on March 8, 2008, where the proceeds will also be donated to the Simmon’s family. There will be a special half-time to honor Randy and his family with a ceremony to retire his jersey.

LAPD Centurion Website

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–March 1, 2001

On your mark, get set, go! Those are the words that echo through the ears of thousands of runners who complete the Los Angeles Marathon annually. To them, feeling the thrill of competition and the exhilaration of running across the finish line is unparalleled. Johnny Garcia, age 15, thought he would never know the feeling of running across a finish line, because he was born with cerebral palsy, a disorder that affects muscle control, resulting in poor coordination and balance or abnormal movement patterns.

After 18 surgeries at Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital on Johnny’s feet, legs, back, and ankle, he is able to walk with a walker and take part in activities previously thought impossible. Now, on March 4th, Johnny will be able to pursue his dream of participating in the Los Angeles Marathon, with the help of his friends on the LAPD SWAT Team, who will push him in a wheelchair during the race.

“I’m excited to be able to participate in the Marathon,” exclaimed Johnny Garcia. “And with LAPD SWAT Team helping me, it’s really unbelievable. I like those guys and maybe someday I can be on the SWAT Team,” he said. Johnny’s mother, Carmen Garcia, added, “Orthopaedic Hospital and the therapy department have been very good to Johnny. Everyone at the Hospital really cares about the patients.”

Twenty-six SWAT Team officers will take turns pushing Johnny in a special lightweight, sports wheelchair as they run 26.2 miles in the world’s fourth largest marathon. This experience allows youngsters, like Johnny, to participate in an event of such magnitude.

“We are truly grateful to the LAPD SWAT Team for being such strong supporters of Orthopaedic Hospital, and for giving Johnny this once in a lifetime opportunity to complete the LA Marathon,” said Eloise Helwig, President of Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital Foundation. “SWAT’s ongoing support of the Hospital is greatly appreciated, and it truly brightens the lives of our children who get to meet these real life heroes,” she added.

Many Orthopaedic Hospital pediatric and adult patients have serious medical conditions that prohibit them from running or walking. Orthopaedic Hospital has been dedicated to treating underinsured children with crippling disorders, without regard to their family’s ability to pay. For many years, LAPD SWAT has been supportive of Orthopaedic Hospital’s efforts and gives hope and inspiration to hospitalized children. A variety of events, including an annual Holiday parade and toy drive, as well as the Los Angeles Marathon, have further strengthened the bond between the two organizations.

“Helping Johnny achieve his wish of completing a marathon is something that motivates all of us, and provides us with a perspective on life,” said Lt. Mike Albanese of the LAPD SWAT Team. “It’s the children who are treated at Orthopaedic Hospital who are our real heroes,” he added.

Since 1967, the Los Angeles Police Department’s Special Weapons And Tactics Team (SWAT) has provided a ready response to situations that were beyond the capabilities of normally equipped and trained Department personnel. Since its inception, LAPD SWAT Team members have effected the safe rescue of numerous hostages, arrested scores of violent suspects and earned hundreds of commendations and citations, including several Medals of Valor, the Department’s highest award for heroism in the line of duty. Today, the LAPD SWAT Team is known worldwide as one of the foremost police tactical units in contemporary law enforcement.

Located in the heart of Los Angeles, Orthopaedic Hospital is a recognized world leader in research, teaching and patient care in orthopaedic medicine, resulting in an improved quality of life for children and adults with crippling diseases. For over 88 years, Orthopaedic Hospital has been helping children afflicted with crippling conditions receive the finest care in the world and lead healthy, active lives without regard to the family’s ability to pay. The Orthopaedic Hospital Foundation supports the Hospital through a variety of fund-raising activities, including the annual Paul Runyan Golf Tournament, which provides monetary support for the Hospital to help countless children. For more information about Orthopaedic Hospital Foundation, please visit the website at www.orthohospital.org, or call (213) 742-1500.

Wounded LAPD officer thanks public for support

The Associated Press

Article Launched: 03/02/2008 01:47:26 PM PST

LOS ANGELES—A police officer who was wounded last month in a San Fernando Valley shootout that killed his colleague is offering thanks for the support he and his family have received.James Veenstra spoke Sunday after about 30 officers ran a torch relay in the Los Angeles Marathon in memory of Randal Simmons, the city’s first SWAT officer slain in the line of duty.

Veenstra is recovering after being shot in the jaw. He and the officers wore shirts with a picture of Simmons that read “Pass the Torch.”

Veenstra says he’s grateful for the outpouring of sympathy he received after being injured in the line of duty.

The 51-year-old says “The healing process wouldn’t have begun without it.”

Outpouring of respect, donations continues for Simmons, his family
Slain SWAT officer prized as Fairfax grad

Angelenos on Saturday honored slain Los Angeles Police Department Officer Randal Simmons, with high schoolers from his alma mater dedicating a baseball season to him while others washed cars to raise money for his family.Fairfax High School’s baseball team dedicated its 2008 season to the officer in a midmorning ceremony. Simmons, a SWAT team member who was killed during a shootout with an armed man in Winnetka last month, graduated from the school in 1974.

With a smile, Lisa Simmons accepted a glass plaque in her late husband’s honor, telling the assembled baseball players, fans and families about his fondness for the campus.

“This was my husband’s school. He loved Fairfax,” she said, clutching the plaque. “I know he’s looking down, smiling.”

The widow of the former cop, who doubled as a minister, said her husband would have told the kids to stay in school and stay off drugs.

“God wants you to have a good life,” she said. “That’s what you were designed for.”

She grinned and called out the school’s pregame battle cry: “Fairfax, you ready?”

The players responded: “You know!”

As they left the field to the sound of applause, Simmons’ 15-year-old son, Matthew, said his father had come back to visit Fairfax High School about a year ago.

“He said it’s beautiful now,” Matthew Simmons said. “He would be happy.”

At Reseda High School, about 80 kids in the Police Academy Magnet program braved
the cool, cloudy weather and hosed down hundreds of cars, collecting money that would go to help the family Simmons left behind.The magnet program puts students on track for careers in law enforcement. Several of the kids who were there washing and vacuuming cars - for $5 to $7 a pop - had attended Simmons’ funeral.

“I cried. It was a very gloomy day,” said Amanda Lillard, a 17-year-old senior. “When you hear that - someone risking their life to save another - you want to go. … His legacy will live on forever. He’s a hero.”

Simmons and his partner, Officer James Veenstra, were shot Feb. 7 during a gunbattle that ended an 11-hour standoff. It began after 20-year-old Edwin Garcia killed three family members and told police to “come get me.”

Simmons was the first LAPD Special Weapons and Tactics officer killed in the line of duty. Veenstra was seriously wounded but was released from the hospital to attend his partner’s funeral.

An LAPD sniper killed Garcia as he fled from his family’s house, which caught fire after police fired flash-bang grenades inside to smoke him out.

On Saturday, several other groups also put on fundraising events to benefit the officers. The San Fernando Valley Jaycees held a pizza benefit at California Pizza Kitchen.

Niko’s Pizzeria in San Pedro said it would donate 50 percent of the restaurant’s Saturday sales proceeds to Simmons’ widow and two children. Two weeks ago, owners of a Burger King near downtown Los Angeles raised $75,000 for the family.

And today, 30 LAPD officers will run in the Los Angeles Marathon in honor of Simmons.

“It’s comforting, having all the outpouring of love,” Lisa Simmons said. “We can’t mourn his death. We have to celebrate his 51 years of life.”

SWAT officers to run L.A. Marathon in tribute to Simmons
A team of 30 will conduct a torch relay during Sunday’s race to salute SWAT officer killed in Feb. 7 shootout.
March 1, 2008

A team of 30 SWAT officers will run a torch relay during Sunday’s Los Angeles Marathon in tribute to Randal Simmons, the SWAT officer killed Feb. 7 in a shootout in Winnetka.

Simmons’ 15-year-old son, Matt, will run the final 1.2 miles with the officers.

They hope to raise money to fund Matt’s education and that of his 12-year-old sister, Gabrielle, who will stand at the finish line with Simmons’ widow, Lisa.

“Every single road that we’re running on, Randy worked as a uniformed officer or he worked there as a SWAT officer,” Sgt. Charles Buttitta, Simmons’ supervisor, said Friday.

“So he provided protection for all the people that live on those roads, the businesses that operate on those roads. This is a way for us to honor that.”

Race organizers set a head start of 19 minutes 38 seconds for the elite women’s field. The first person across the finish line will earn a $100,000 bonus, with an additional $20,000 for the men’s and women’s divisions.

The rest of the field will start at 8:15 a.m. at Universal Studios, preceded by the wheelchair division start at 7:55. The bike tour will start at 5:45 at Figueroa Street, near the Coliseum.

Fundraising Dinner to Benefit LAPD SWAT Officers

Join the San Fernando Valley Jaycees at California Pizza Kitchen for a flavorsome fundraising event. On Saturday, March 1 from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., proceeds from meals at California Pizza Kitchen at Topanga Plaza Mall - upon presentation of the coupon below - will benefit the families of LAPD SWAT Officers Randall Simmons and James Veenstra.

Officers Simmons was the first SWAT Officer killed in the line of duty, when he was with the SWAT team that responded to a hostage situation in the West Valley. Officer Veenstra was also shot and critically injured that day.

Saturday, March 1, 2008, 11:00 am - 11:00 pm
California Pizza Kitchen, Westfield Topanga Plaza, 6600 Topanga Cyn. Blvd., Canoga Park

Pizzeria To Hold Fundraiser For Family Of Slain SWAT Officer
Simmons, 51, Killed In Line Of Duty Earlier This Month
February 29, 2008

LOS ANGELES — A fundraiser was set to be held in San Pedro Saturday to benefit the family of slain SWAT Officer Randy Simmons, City News Service reported.Niko Tsouloufas, owner of Niko’s Pizzeria, 399 W. Sixth St., will donate 50 percent of the restaurant’s sales proceeds, collected from 10 a.m. to midnight, to the Los Angeles Police Department officer’s widow and two children.”Randy Simmons was truly an amazing person,” said city councilwoman Janice Hahn, who is scheduled to attend the event. “`He was an exemplary officer and a great husband and father. He was a member of our Harbor area community, but he touched lives all over the city. This fundraiser gives us the opportunity to thank his family for sharing him with us for all of these years.”

Two weeks ago the owners of a Burger King restaurant near downtown Los Angeles raised $75,000 for the family.Simmons, 51, became the first SWAT officer to die in the line of duty when he was killed in a Feb. 7 gun battle with a young man who killed his father and two brothers inside a Winnetka home before turning his sights on police. The 20-year-old man was shot and killed by officers.Copyright 2008 by KNBC.com and KNBC (NBC4 Los Angeles)

Teens given seats of honor
By Larry Altman, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 02/16/2008 12:15:28 AM PST

El Segundo Youth Football League Coach Dean Pliaconis gathered his former players and the league’s cheerleaders around him Friday morning and began the day with a different kind of pep talk.

“I just love you all,” he told the group. “This will probably be the biggest funeral in Los Angeles history. You guys are a part of history. You knew this man and know how lucky you were.”

And with Pliaconis’ words, about 100 teenage boys and girls from throughout the South Bay and South Los Angeles boarded two school buses in El Segundo and traveled as special guests to the funeral of Officer Randal Simmons.

The police officer from Rancho Palos Verdes, killed last week in a gunbattle in the San Fernando Valley, might have been one of the Los Angeles Police Department’s top cops, but to the teenagers he was simply a coach and mentor in their football league, and a father to their friends, Matthew and Gabrielle.

After a brief stop at the LAPD’s 77th Division station, the buses fell in behind eight vans carrying Simmons’ family members to the church. Simmons’ wife and children requested that the young people sit close to them because they were so important to him.

Following the family in a motorcade along Los Angeles streets added to the special treatment.

“It’s something big,” said Sean DeFrancesco, 15, of El Segundo High School.

“It shows how much Randy loved all of us. It’s a big honor.”

During his tenure, Simmons, 51, coached about 60 teenage boys in the program, reaching out to them on and off the field. His son, Matthew, joined first as a player about five years ago, but soon his father - a former Washington State cornerback - made his presence felt in the coaching ranks.His daughter signed up for the cheerleading team.

Matthew, 15, has moved on to play at Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance, but Gabrielle, 13, remains a cheerleader whose father poked his head into a practice just two days before his death.

“I think he was an amazing man,” said 17-year-old Aryelle Tomlinson, an El Segundo High School student.

Although the jerseys they once wore as middle-school-

age players didn’t quite fit over their high-school bodies, the boys pulled their old uniforms over their dress shirts and ties and wore them into the Crenshaw Christian Church Faith Dome, a 10,000-seat chapel in the round.

Sitting in a section just rows behind the Simmons family, they watched the service an aisle over from Simmons’ other favorite teens, the ones known as Randy’s Kids.

Each weekend with the church members of Glory Christian Fellowship International Church of Carson, Simmons drove through some tough streets of Los Angeles and other communities, ministering to disadvantaged and troubled teens.

He chose to put his son in the El Segundo football league because Pliaconis signed up players from outside the South Bay city, bringing teens that otherwise wouldn’t get a chance to play football in South Los Angeles to the more affluent area.

Together, the multiracial group learned to play together and became a successful team at home and on the road.

Simmons quickly began picking up the teenagers from the inner city, mentoring them as he drove.

One of those teens, David Mai of Los Angeles, called Simmons a “father figure,” mentor and inspiration, a man he sometimes accompanied to church.

“He taught me how to care for people,” the 16-year-old Fremont High School student said. “He was a big impact on my life.”

Mai said Simmons “would chew me up” if he got into trouble or received poor grades.

“I’m like real hurt,” Mai said. “He was such a good person. You wouldn’t think that would happen to him.”

Inside the church, the teens watched police officers from throughout California and the United States arrive, reading the city names on their patches out loud.

“Schwarzenegger’s here?” one teen asked when the governor took his place.

“Oh, I see him. I see him.”

The teens sat quietly, few fidgeting, few leaving for restroom breaks even as the service inched toward 2 hours. Some wiped tears from their eyes as Simmons’ family members and friends eulogized him. They sat at attention when Matthew Simmons took the microphone and acknowledged his former teammates with a gesture before telling the audience how much he loved his father.

“He waved to his El Segundo team,” said Dana O’Keefe, who joined her son, Danny. “Matt, he was such a fine young man up there. He was Randy’s son - good for him.”

Many of the teens continued on to Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, riding in the procession along Los Angeles’ streets.

Several teens said they had not been able to speak with Simmons’ children following their father’s death, but attended the service to lend their support.

“The thing he taught us the most was staying together as a family,” said Stephen Pliaconis, 16, of El Segundo. “He taught us different life lessons every day.”

larry.altman@dailybreeze.com

Mayor: Honor fallen officer
Article Launched: 02/22/2008 11:52:25 PM PST

When the Los Angeles Police Department opens its new SWAT headquarters later this year, it should be named for slain Officer Randal Simmons, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Friday.

Simmons, a Rancho Palos Verdes resident and father of two, became the first SWAT officer to die in the line of duty during a standoff earlier this month in Winnetka.

In a letter to the Police Commission, Villaraigosa said, “It would be a fitting tribute to the life of Officer Simmons to rename the new home of the Metropolitan Division and SWAT team after this remarkable SWAT team officer and dedicated member of the community.”

The Metropolitan Division and SWAT are expected to move into the old Rampart Division station, located at 2710 W. Temple St., within the next six months.

Simmons, 51, was shot and killed Feb. 7 in a gunbattle with a man who killed his father and two brothers inside the family’s home. Last Friday, more than 10,000 people attended his funeral, the most ever to attend services for a fallen LAPD officer.

There are currently no LAPD facilities named after individuals who were not chiefs of the department, according to Officer Jason Lee.

Simmons spent more than 20 years on the LAPD SWAT team and was active in the community.

He was lauded as minister of children’s outreach services at Glory Christian Fellowship Church in Carson, as a coach in the El Segundo Youth Football League and as mentor for at-risk young people in South Los Angeles .

The officer’s death hits a nerve. Residents line streets, and TV stations carry his funeral.

By Joel Rubin and Paloma Esquivel, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
February 16, 2008

The police officers arrived by the thousands — members of a family bound not by blood, but by a uniform and a badge.

Photograph by Genaro Molina - LA Times

They were joined by countless other mourners Friday, inside a cavernous South Los Angeles church and throughout the region, to honor slain Los Angeles Police Officer Randal Simmons. The 51-year-old officer was remembered as a deeply religious man, devoted husband, caring father and model cop in a tearful three-hour funeral service.

Simmons was shot and killed last week during a tense standoff with a San Fernando Valley gunman who already had killed three members of his family. He is the first member of the city’s elite Special Weapons and Tactics unit to be killed in the line of fire since its start nearly 40 years ago.

Ten thousand people — most of them police and other law enforcement officers — filled the Crenshaw Christian Center’s Faith Dome on Vermont Avenue. The funeral, attended by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other elected and civic officials, was the largest in the history of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Simmons’ death reverberated throughout Southern California. Television stations carried the funeral live and uninterrupted for hours. Thousands of people lined closed city streets to watch as the hearse traveled to the Culver City cemetery where Simmons would be buried. At Slauson Avenue near Angeles Vista Boulevard, several hundred people, including the elderly and preschool students holding their parents’ hands, remained long after the hearse had passed. Some applauded. Others held “Thank You” signs.

Villaraigosa, whose children Simmons had once guarded, acknowledged to mourners that the death had hit the community hard.

“It touches a particular nerve way deep in our souls, and it hurts,” Villaraigosa said. “I’ve thought a lot over the last few days about why that is, and I think it has something to do with the fact that the entire city community loses when we lose a police officer.”

A video montage played at the service highlighted the many aspects of Simmons’ life, from childhood through fatherhood, including his work on the streets of inner-city neighborhoods where he ministered to children on weekends. Images of an intimidating, chiseled officer carrying heavy weapons in the midst of missions were set off by others that hinted of a man at ease and with a sense of humor. In one, he was seen hamming for the camera as he and his longtime partner, Officer James Veenstra, playfully put handcuffs on Santa Claus.

Speaker after speaker recounted memories of the man known at the LAPD as “The Rock.”

” ‘I’ll take care of it, I’ll take care of it,’ ” his sister Gina Davis recalled her brother saying time after time.

“I’m going to miss those words,” she said. “He walked with the confidence of knowing he was capable of protecting you.”

Sharon “Cookie” Sumlin , one of Simmons’ sisters-in-law, said she took comfort in knowing “he is now patrolling the streets of heaven.”

In one of the many wrenching moments, Basil Kimbrew — Simmons’ roommate at Washington State University, where both men played football — walked off the stage at the center of the sanctuary-in-the-round to give an old framed photograph of Simmons to Veenstra, whose face was still swollen from the bullet he took to the jaw in the attack that killed his partner.

“That’s how Randy was,” said Kimbrew, emotion overwhelming him. “Randy always gave, he would always give before he gave to himself.”

LAPD Police Chief William J. Bratton told the SWAT officers sitting in the front pews to “console yourselves knowing that he spent his last moments in the company of you, his police family.”

The chief then turned to Simmons’ family. “Thank you,” he said. “Thank you for sharing him with us all those days and nights that he was away from you.”

Simmons’ son, Matthew, bearing a striking resemblance to his father, recalled praying as a family for his father’s safety moments before Simmons left on the night he was killed.

“He’s the best father any child could possibly have,” Matthew said in brief remarks that drew a standing ovation from the mourners.

A 27-year veteran of the LAPD and a 20-year veteran of SWAT, which specializes in hostage situations and other high-risk confrontations, Simmons was shot in the early morning of Feb. 7. He was among the SWAT unit members who broke through the front door of a mentally troubled man’s San Fernando Valley home, believing that hostages might still be alive inside. He was struck in the neck by a round of bullets that lodged in his brain stem.

The shooter, Edwin Rivera, 20, was killed by a police sniper as he shot at officers and tried to flee his home — which had caught fire, presumably after tear-gas canisters were launched to force him out — more than 10 hours after the standoff began.

Simmons’ death shattered an aura of invincibility that had grown around SWAT.

“They all hit you in the stomach,” said Assistant Police Chief Jim McDonnell, referring to the death of a police officer. “But this one . . . it’s the first SWAT officer we’ve had. When officers get in trouble, they call SWAT.”

The solemn day of remembrance started about 8:30 a.m, hours before the ceremony, as a white hearse carrying Simmons’ body pulled up to the church entrance. SWAT officers took turns standing guard at each corner of the vehicle.

By 9 a.m., the front of the church was a sea of blue as hundreds of officers arrived. Three officers from Jackson, N.J., in their light-blue jackets and hats, stood out from the dark shade of the LAPD uniforms. Many embraced and clasped hands, others dipped into a large envelope being passed around to grab small, laminated photos of Simmons that they clipped onto their uniforms.

In a show of solidarity that was extraordinary even in the tightly knit police community, members of SWAT teams and regular police officers from Alaska, New York, Massachusetts and other states, as well as Canada, melded in with the thousands of LAPD officers. Many said Simmons, a renowned tactician, had trained them. Others had never met him, but came nonetheless.

“Its just important for us to be here — to show support,” said Sgt. A.J. DeAndrea, a SWAT member from Arvada, Colo. “You lose one, you feel it all across the country. I need to show my respect. He would have done the same if it were me.”

Moments before they were summoned, SWAT members serving as pallbearers, their hands cloaked in white gloves, received quiet instruction on something they had never had to do before: carry the coffin of a comrade. As their commander spoke, one stared sadly off into the crisp, cool morning air, his hand clenching and unclenching.

A bagpiper played. Simmons’ wife, Lisa, his two teenage children and other family members fell in behind the deep red, wooden coffin draped with an American flag. Children who had been counseled by Simmons through his youth ministry followed.

As dusk fell at Holy Cross cemetery, the goodbye to Simmons came to an end. Overhead, a helicopter peeled away from three others in the formation that signals a man is missing. On the ground, a trumpeter played taps after a gun salute. Bratton dropped to one knee in front of Simmons’ son and handed him the tightly folded flag from his father’s coffin.

joel.rubin@latimes.com

paloma.esquivel@ latimes.com

Times staff writers Francisco Vara-Orta, Hector Becerra , Gary Friedman and David Pierson contributed to this report.

Slain SWAT officer was hero to children
Vans of the Glory Kids Ministries make the rounds without the group’s founder, SWAT officer Randal Simmons, killed in a standoff.

By Paul Pringle, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
February 10, 2008

To many children who have so little, Officer Randy meant so much.

He brought them bicycles at Christmas. He took them to Dodgers games and McDonald’s. He got them new shoes for school. He invited them to day camp for a swim and slipped their parents money for groceries.

Nearly every weekend he visited lower income neighborhoods from Carson to Watts to South-Central, as part of a church group he founded — Glory Kids Ministries — to steer youngsters from gangs and toward the gospels.

He helped a mom weather her battle with cancer, and his influence on children often rubbed off on the unruly adults in their lives.

And now he was gone.

For the first time, the Glory Kids vans made their Saturday pilgrimages without Los Angeles Police Officer Randal Simmons, 51, who was shot to death Thursday during a SWAT raid in the San Fernando Valley.

The Glory Kids volunteers tried to explain to the likes of Machealle Corswell, 12, how it could be that Simmons would no longer dress up as Santa for their holiday celebration, or shoot baskets with them on the playground, or treat them to the USC-UCLA football game.

“He was like an uncle to me,” said Machealle, who could not stop crying. She was among three dozen children the Glory Kids crew met with at Scottsdale Townhouses in Carson. “When I heard about it on the news, I didn’t want to talk to anybody,” Machealle said, echoing the anger and confusion expressed by other children who had been in Simmons’ orbit.

“It’s not fair,” said Tommy Newsome, 12, who stared watery-eyed across the Scottsdale basketball court. “I called him my hero. He was going to take us to the skate park next week.”

The Glory Kids team Saturday set up loudspeakers at Scottsdale, played a quick round of Jesus-themed “Simon Says” with the children, gave them balloons and said it was OK to cry. More than anything, they stressed that Simmons would not want them to lose faith.

“Where’s Randy right now?” asked Greg Parra, a church minister.

“In heaven!” the children shouted in unison.

They cheered as they released the balloons into the sky, as a way of letting go of their sorrow.

But still they struggled.

Eleven-year-old Julian Johnson said he was “mad” about Simmons’ killing.

“He always came here to tell us about God,” said Julian, who was straddling his bike. “That’s how all the kids here know about God.”

Barbara Sabo, 18, burst into tears when her sister told her about Simmons’ death, and has since been trying to comfort the younger ones at Scottsdale.

“They’re asking questions like, ‘Why did he have to go?’ ” she said. “They know it’s not going to be the same.”

Simmons, who had two teenagers with his wife, Lisa, could have stepped out of an LAPD recruitment poster. He played football for Washington State University, remained powerfully built into his 50s, and passed up promotion opportunities to serve as the “rock” of SWAT, the elite corps of first-through-the-door risk-takers.

But it took his death for many to realize how well he filled out the picture of a role model, and how deeply his presence was felt in neighborhoods that knew him off-duty.

Worshipers at Glory Christian Fellowship International in Carson said Simmons routinely devoted at least part of three days each week to the church, mainly for children but also for their parents.

He started Glory Kids 11 years ago, donating his own money and raising more from church members and corporate benefactors to pay for the two vans, food, clothes and toys. It now serves about 1,000 children a month, said church spokeswoman Melissa Franklin.

“We’ve gotten calls from all these communities, and they’re really hurting now,” Franklin said, referring to Simmons’ death.

She was in the church parking lot, preparing for stops at Scottsdale and Hacienda Village in Watts.

Simmons rarely spoke about his job, Franklin said: “The only thing he’d comment on was the pain that was out there on the streets.”

At Scottsdale, which has had its share of such pain over the years, Simmons’ sway with children, their older siblings — and, by extension, their parents — was a salve, said Cyd Balque, who heads an association of the community of 600 town houses.

“He made a connection with the children,” she said. “I grew up here, and I never saw the kids so excited. They’d say, ‘Is Randy coming?’ That had an effect on their parents. It created an atmosphere of peace.”

Simmons was killed when he burst into a San Fernando Valley house where a 20-year-old man holed up after telling police dispatchers that he had shot his father and two of his brothers. Another SWAT officer, James Veenstra, was wounded, and a police sharpshooter later killed the gunman, Edwin Rivera. The bodies of the father and brothers were found in the Winnetka-area house.

“When my grandma called me and said he died, I said, ‘That’s not true,’ ” related LaTierra Barnes, 13, who joined the Glory Kids gathering at Hacienda Village. “Then I saw it on the news, and I started crying.”

She and two young friends the bike raffles Simmons held in the courtyard, and the outings to Dodger Stadium and the Coliseum. “He treated us like we were his own kids,” said LaTierra.

Standing by the Glory Kids van was Mimi Fennell, 49, who said Simmons was there for her children when a bout with cancer left her broke.

“The cancer was so bad, they said I could go any day, but he said, ‘No way, babe, you’re not going anywhere,’ ” Fennell recalled. “He told me not to be afraid of death. When you were with him, you felt alive. . . .

“Now he’s at peace, but he’s leaving his love here.”

paul.pringle@latimes.com

Slain officer was ‘truly a hero in every sense of the word’
February 16, 2008

Funeral services were held Friday for Officer Randal Simmons, 51, of the Los Angeles Police Department’s SWAT team, who was fatally shot Feb. 7 during a standoff at a Winnetka house, where a gunman killed three family members. A police sniper killed the gunman. The Times’ Homicide Report blog and message boards have received more than 600 comments from readers expressing their feelings about Simmons’ death. Here is a sampling:

“Randy Simmons was a classmate of mine at [Washington State University]. He was a football hero there, and he is truly a hero in every sense of the word. This city is a tough one to reach, but I can sense through all of the articles and messages posted on L.A. media websites that Randy has truly touched this community. I only saw Randy in person on one occasion since we both graduated from WSU in 1978, and that was New Year’s Eve before the WSU-Michigan Rose Bowl game on 1-1-98. It is one of the moments I most cherish from our Rose Bowl experience that year. My thoughts and prayers will always be with his family. Thank you, Randy, for your service to all of us and may God bless you always.”

– Don

“I know the Simmons family, and my heart breaks for their loss. The senselessness of killing that runs rampant throughout our cities needs to stop. This man knew every day that he put his life on the line to create a safer place for all of us. His job was to help us, as communities, be safe.”

– Mitchie

“My prayers go out to the family. Find comfort in knowing that he knew the Lord, and had his business in order. Remember his dedication to the Lord, law enforcement and his family. [It’s] a shame that we live in a world where law enforcement is not respected, and at the end of the day those that responded to protect and serve get shot down. God bless you. Psalms 121: ‘Look to the hills from whence comes your help’!”

– Tracy

“I have the honor of saying Randy Simmons was my teammate at Fairfax High. I’ve spoken to some players and we are not at all surprised that it was Randy who decided to step through that door Thursday morning to help someone in need. Randy is a hero, not a statistic.”

– BPY

“Randy visited us on two occasions to train our [St. Louis] SWAT team in the 1990s. He was one of the nicest men I had the pleasure of meeting. A true, gentle giant. On behalf of all of the men and women you befriended in St. Louis, our sympathies are with his family.”

– Bob

“I am one of the many young people whose life was strongly impacted by Randy. I am also a longtime member of Glory Christian Fellowship, and this is a very hard loss for me to deal with. When I was a part of the teen ministry, Randy was always there and always around. He was a beautiful person and was like one of my uncles.”

– D’Andra

“Thank you for protecting us.”

More information: latimes.com/homicidereport or latimes.com/california.

South Pasadena’s police chief pays tribute to Los Angeles’ fallen SWAT officer.

By Dan Watson
February 11, 2008

I retired from the Los Angeles Police Department after more than 28 years to become the Chief of Police in South Pasadena, where I’ve served for six years. Along with the rest of the law enforcement community, I grieve for the loss of LAPD SWAT Officer Randy Simmons.

Like most LAPD officers, I never worked SWAT. No doubt I didn’t have what it takes - very few do. But I had the opportunity on many occasions to observe them in action. In the ranks of the LAPD, SWAT is iconic. Under routine circumstances, SWAT cops can be aloof. The best in any profession usually are. They work out on duty when others can’t. They train continuously when others can’t. This can breed envy. And yet all LAPD officers admire SWAT officers for being the best. They’re the best because of their training and discipline. And, when you need them, there’s no one in the world who’s better at what they do.

I’ve been the incident commander at barricaded suspect scenes when we needed them. The scene is chaotic. Highly motivated, but not highly trained, patrol officers have secured a perimeter with an armed suspect holed up inside a building. You pray that SWAT gets there and takes over before your officers have to engage the suspect. SWAT arrives and they set up. They are the professionals you need - and when the last patrol officer on the inner perimeter is relieved by a SWAT officer, you can sit back and relax a bit. The show is about to begin.

The SWAT officers are methodical, professional, unemotional and totally committed to their mission. The SWAT leader comes to you with a plan that you have to approve as incident commander. It makes sense, contingencies have been addressed - in a word, it’s brilliant. You give the green light to implement the plan, and the operation is about to begin. Watching a SWAT team in action is pure artistry in the midst of chaos. And they almost always get their man (or woman) without injury to anyone.

In today’s world, where overpaid athletes and rock stars who donate large sums to charity are considered heroes, we are missing the true meaning of what a hero really is. These guys who knowingly risk their lives to save someone intent on killing himself or others are the definition of heroes.

I barely knew Randy Simmons and Jim Veenstra, but they are my heroes. All SWAT officers are heroes. Appreciate them. Thank them. Love them for who they are and what they do.

Dan Watson is chief of police for the South Pasadena Police Department.