Thomas Reddin | |
|---|---|
 Reddin in 1967 | |
| Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department | |
| In office 1967–1969 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 25, 1916 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 4, 2004 (aged 88) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Other political affiliations | Independent (1973) |
Thomas Reddin (June 25, 1916 – December 4, 2004) was a Los Angeles Police Department chief from 1967 to 1969. He left May 6, 1969, to become a news commentator. He also owned a Los Angeles–based private security company, which was named for him.
Reddin helped modernize the department and introduced the community policing concept,[1] which "perceives the community as an agent and partner in promoting security rather than as a passive audience."[2] During his tenure, he allowed his department to give technical advice for the first three seasons of the revived version of the Jack Webb-created detective drama Dragnet (He even made an appearance at the end of the Season Two finale, "The Big Problem", in a plea for improved community relations between the department and the city) and during the first season (1968–1969) of the police drama Adam-12.
