The California Army National Guard and the Los Angeles Riot, April and May 1992

This study examines the factors that led to the federalization of the California Army National Guard and the use of federal troops to restore law and order to Los Angeles, CA, the second largest city in the United States. This study has immediate relevancy, as was pointed out recently, April 5-7, 1993, at The Police Foundation conference in Washington D.C. which delt exclusively with the subject of civil disorder. Civil disturbance, absent from the domestic scene in California since 1967--well over a generation--came to the fore with a bang on April 29, 1992 in Los Angeles, CA. Historically, the preferred approach to handle civil disturbance is to let civilian law enforcement handle the situation by using a measured force starting at the lowest level, i.e., local police, backed-up by the county sheriff, and, if necessary, the state police. If additional forces are required, the governor of the state may call-up the state National Guard, in a State Active Duty SAD status to assist law enforcement in restoring order.