Thaddeus Franklin Brown (December 7, 1902 - October 9, 1970) was the

police chief The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

of the

Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...

from July 18, 1966 to February 17, 1967. Brown, who was the LAPD's Chief of Detectives, was appointed police chief on July 18, 1966, following Chief William H. Parker's death on July 16, 1966. Brown was succeeded by

Thomas Reddin Thomas Reddin (June 25, 1916 – December 4, 2004) was a Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angel ...

on February 17, 1967. His brother, Finis Brown, was also on the LAPD, and was one of the noteworthy police officers who investigated the Elizabeth Short murder, also known as the Black Dahlia murder.

Early life

Thad F. Brown was born in Missouri and lived there until his early twenties. At 15, he quit school to work for 17 1/2 cents an hour in the

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

and

zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...

mines near Joplin, Missouri. Four years later, now a married man, he moved to California. Brown soon applied for the LAPD and became an officer on January 11, 1926. Brown's badge number is 869.

Police career

Brown investigated many high profile cases and their suspects, including L. Ewing Scott, Albert Dyer, William Edward "The Fox" Hickman, as well as Elizabeth Short's murder.

Portrayal in media

*In James Ellroy's 2014 novel, '' Perfidia'', a fictionalized version of Thad Brown is portrayed as a supporting character. *Brown's name was frequently mentioned on '' Dragnet'' in the early years, especially on the

radio program A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio networ ...

: Detective Joe Friday's self-introduction would include "the boss is Thad Brown, chief of detectives." Brown also makes an uncredited cameo as himself in the 1954 film. In season one episode 1 of Dragnet aired in December 1951, Thad Brown was portrayed by Raymond Burr. *With Brown’s approval, this speech was put into his mouth by Dragnet creator

Jack Webb John Randolph Webb (April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, Television director, director, and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Joe Friday, Sgt. Joe Friday in the Dragnet (franchise) ...

for an episode of the show that dealt with police corruption. It was often reprinted in newspapers, and read at police academies at the time:

External links

*http://www.lmharnisch.com/thad_brown.html retrieved November 20, 2014 * retrieved November 20, 2014 *

Early life

Police career

Portrayal in media

External links

Further reading