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I was a white Classmate of Oscars Class of 10/26/1964 and grew up in Pasadena with a number of black friends! So Oscar and I became friends in the Academy and he was my training partner. One of our training Officers was Robert "Bob" Smitson. After our first assignments, Oscar to Wilshire Division and I to Highland Park Division we decided to go to Traffic together, so we would know how to take a traffic report when returning to Patrol. We were assigned to 77th traffic car 12T14 I believe and at that time Traffic Division was in Parker Center, so after roll-call we would drive to 77th Division via Central Avenue, many nights we would have our first DUI arrest before reaching Slauson Ave. We were lucky to work under Lt. Bob Vernon at Traffic, what a gentleman Bob was. After Traffic we both transferred to University Division, because that is where Sgt Smitson went when he made Sgt. Together we work night watch with Officer Alan Pennington and our car was 3A21. We all had fun working together and I remember many good times and great pastrami's at odd hours from the stand on Adams Blvd and a lot of good rib dinners! Oscar decided to go back to night school and went to day watch and was working a report unit the day he was killed! We always checked out shotguns when working together, but that day when Oscar went to get a shotgun they were all checked out or in for repair. To this day I believe if Oscar would have had a shotgun on the suspects the one that shot Oscar would not have attempted to do so! I agree with the gentleman who saw Oscar in the morgue, Oscar was not shot in the face, that was Officer Ian Campbell of the Onion Field killing, Oscar was behind a car on the street and got hit in the leg first which made him rise up and the fatal shot was in the chest, but he went down shooting like the true Hero he was! I remember going to his funeral was one of the hardest days of my life, because I had never had a young friend killed before. After Oscar's death LAPD lost it appeal to me and when I got the call from LAFD I left happily to a career with the Fire Dept. In 1994 I was back east and went to the National Police Officers Memorial and to their Office in the AARP building and discovered that there was not picture of Oscar in their history file. I notified the Police Protective League and the Oscar Joel Bryant Foundation and someone sent a picture to the National Memorial to Honor Oscar as he deserved. I brought home tracings of Oscar's name from the memorial wall to be given to his family. If you have never been to the National Police Officers Memorial I urge you to do so if near Washington DC. It is in Judiciary Square by the DC Courts and it is above a subway stop. It is like a small Vietnam Wall and will take your breath away! It is every Law Enforcement Officer ever killed since we became a Nation! Oscar I think of you often! Rest in Peace! Your partner and good friend, William (Bill) L. Riechel LAPD Serial #12172
Police Officer/Fftr William L. Riechel
LAPD #12172 & LAFD Retired
March 15, 2012
