Sherman Block (July 19, 1924 – October 28, 1998) was the 29th
Sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
of
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...
from January 1982 until his death. He was preceded by
Peter Pitchess and succeeded by
Lee Baca
Leroy David Baca (born May 27, 1942) is a convicted criminal and former American law enforcement officer who served as the 30th Sheriff of Los Angeles County, California from 1998 to 2014. In 2017, he was convicted of felony obstruction of justi ...
.
Biography
Block was born to a
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
family and grew up in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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.
He was the grandson of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. His grandfather had been a
chazzan
A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' ( he, חַזָּן , plural ; Yiddish ''khazn''; Ladino ''Hasan'') is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer
Prayer is an in ...
in
Vilna
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional u ...
.
Block was raised in an
Orthodox Jewish
Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...
home. He served in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
for 3 years during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
in Europe and the
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
. During the war, Block's father and uncle had purchased a deli, where he worked after the war before establishing his own business, Block's Kosher Kitchen, on Chicago's South Side. Although initially successful, he expanded it too fast and was ultimately forced to close it. Block then moved west. He studied at
Washington University
Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
in
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
, where he majored in engineering, before he moved to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. He was at first employed as a counterman at a kosher deli there.
In 1956, Block joined the
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), officially the County of Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, is a law enforcement agency serving Los Angeles County, California. LASD is the largest sheriff's department in the United States a ...
as a deputy sheriff, becoming the first deputy in the department to work his way through every rank to the top.
In 1962, Block arrested comedian
Lenny Bruce
Leonard Alfred Schneider (October 13, 1925 – August 3, 1966), known professionally as Lenny Bruce, was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, and satirist. He was renowned for his open, free-wheeling, and critical style of comedy which ...
for obscenity, namely using the term "schmuck" during a comedy routine. Block had been sent to one of Bruce's performances by his superiors because he spoke
Yiddish
Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...
and thus could follow Bruce's act, which was peppered with the language.
During his tenure he became the highest paid elected official in the United States.
In the
Live Action Video for Kids/Real Wheels video, "There Goes A Police Car", Block appeared at the end of the video to tell the viewers the purposes of police officers and deputy sheriffs. He also encouraged the viewers to visit a police or sheriff's station and practice using the 911 system for emergencies.
He was held liable for indemnifications by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in a civil rights class action 42 USC §1983 for punitive damages and the violation of constitutional rights.
He died during his campaign for re-election, which he was expected to win. He still obtained about one third of the vote, as Lee Baca's opponents wanted the County Supervisors to appoint his successor. Block's death broke the tradition of the incumbent Sheriff selecting his successor.
The Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute (SBSLI) was created in 1988. This is a program designed to stimulate personal growth and leadership, and ethical decision-making in California law enforcement front-line supervisors.
California Law Enforcement Officers who hold the rank of Sergeant are the individuals who get to attend this program.
His cousin is movie producer
Berle Adams.
References
Los Angeles County Sheriffs Past to Present*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Block, Sherman
1924 births
1998 deaths
Los Angeles County, California sheriffs
McKelvey School of Engineering alumni
People from Chicago
Jewish American military personnel
United States Army personnel of World War II
20th-century American politicians
United States Army soldiers