INTERVIEW WITH LSPD GND COMMANDER ROWLAND
BY Patricia Asaro | October 18, 2020
Lieutenant Jason Rowland
The San Andreas Network team conducted an interview with LSPD Gang and Narcotics Division Commander Jason Rowland. The written version of the interview can be seen below.
Reporter Patricia Asaro: Who is Lieutenant Rowland privately? Do you have a hobby to relax, after long hours at work?
Lieutenant Jason Rowland: Outside of my police career I find it very important to unwind. It's really important not to take my work life home with me, given the high stress levels this job brings. I find sport is a rather good way to unwind. I share a common interest with the Chief of Police which is golf, so when I'm not in the office or out in the field you'll often find me playing golf with a few fellow officers. I moved here away from my family, so it's important I surround myself with friends.
Reporter Patricia Asaro: Golf? Senator Mondale stated that he met Chief Tillman while golfing and apparently no one can beat Chief Tillman in golf. Is that true? (Chuckles.)
Lieutenant Jason Rowland: I've played with the Senator a few times alongside Chief Tillman. Tillman isn't the best golfer in the group, that's for sure. I'd personally rank the Senator above Chief Tillman in his golfing ability. (Smiles.)
Reporter Patricia Asaro: It is no secret that your job is a very responsible and a hard job. So it is only natural to ask, was your current position your goal that you've been aiming for since the beginning? When you started your career as a police officer, how did it go? What made you choose the Gang and Narcotics Division?
Lieutenant Jason Rowland: Working gangs in the city is very demanding that's correct, and it's often something that you decide you want to from the very early stages of your career, since you have to be a particular type of person to work gangs. My biggest role model when I first joined the department was my previous Captain, Frank Gaines. I've spent the majority of my career working gangs, in fact I'm coming up to twelve years of service, ten of which have served in the Gang and Narcotics Division.
Reporter Patricia Asaro: What are your thoughts on punishment versus rehabilitation for young suspects? Do you think that a young individual who gets arrested for a gang related crime has a chance to get on the right path, or you'd rather see all the young suspects behind bars, with no chances for rehabilitation?
Lieutenant Jason Rowland: That's a very difficult question to answer, if I'm completely honest. It's obviously completely situational, it goes without saying that I'd rather see any gang member whether they are a youth or not, turn their life around. However, it completely depends on the crime comitted. There is a certain level of discression that Gang Officers can use when dealing with gang members. Obviously if the suspect was sixteen and committed murder then there is little we can do other than charge them. Obviously if the crime was something a lot smaller then we can use our discression and apply lesser punishments.
Reporter Patricia Asaro: Taking into account your long experience as a part of the Gang and Narcotics Division, in your opinion, what are the reasons that one young individual takes the said path? What are the officers facing daily in the gang parts of the city? How will the Division prevent attacks on officers in these areas?
Lieutenant Jason Rowland: So the most common reason I find the young people join a gang is simply due to their upbringing. Most lack a authoritive figure in their life, or have been brought up around gangs and for them it's the natural path. The recent stabbing of one of my officers is obviously something very saddening to me and something I take very seriously. In terms of the plans for the division to combat the reason spike in incidents between gangs and officers, there's really only one way to combat it and that is with a high police presence in the areas where such crime is taking place. I regularly meet with the Chiefs to discuss our plan of attack and the high crime areas in compstat meetings etc.
Reporter Patricia Asaro: Apart from being the head of the Division, you are also a part of the Command team within the Department. When you sit down on a meeting with the Chief, the Assistant Chief, the Deputy Chiefs and the rest of the Division Commanders, what is it that you discuss on the said meetings, when it comes to internal matters within the Department? Is there some change that you've proposed on said meetings, that you'd like to see in the LSPD?
Lieutenant Jason Rowland: So I can't really disclose much in terms of the details of the meetings since they're highly confidential. However, we meet for various different reasons. We have regular compstat meetings, which is where the team sit down together and discuss the current crime rates in the city and put in plans to deal with the areas that are seeing a rise. There's also regular divisional command meetings where I sit down with the officers who I command and we discuss the internal changes and the plans for the upcoming weeks within the Gang and Narcotics Division.
Reporter Patricia Asaro: Do you consider yourself easily approachable, if a problem arises within your Division?
Lieutenant Jason Rowland: I'd like to think so, the best people to answer that question are the officers who serve under me. I believe in leading from the front to a degree, you know I wouldn't ask my officers to do anything I am not willing to do myself.
Reporter Patricia Asaro: Thank you for being a guest in our studio, Lieutenant Rowland! It was a pleasure to have you here.
Lieutenant Jason Rowland: The pleasure is mine, thank you for having me.
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