Generational Legacy: Captain Rudy De Leon

I never met LAPD Commander Rudy De Leon and you likely have never heard of him but you would not be reading this without him. In fact, myself and countless others would have likely never entered the law enforcement profession without him.

This is the power of legacy.

Rudy De Leon entered the LAPD Police Academy in 1947 and was one of only three minority students in a class of 135. He later became the first Latino Commanding Officer, the first president of the Police Historical Society, the first president of the Latin American Law Enforcement Association and the first Latino to have an LAPD police station named in his honor.

Before the well deserved accolades, he was a LAPD supervisor that mentored my father and many others. My dad went to school with Rudy’s daughter and he and his friends would always find their way to a conversation with Rudy.

Why would a bunch of teenagers hang out with an authority figure and a much older De Leon? LAPD Detective (ret.) Stan Nelson said that Rudy “was so charismatic that people who worked for him couldn’t help but strive for a higher level of professionalism.”

That charisma mattered as my dad told me, “we couldn’t get enough of being around Rudy. We all wanted to be cops like him.”

The “we” were my dad, his friends, and countless others. The “we” became the men that mentored and influenced me.

Those fireside chats never stopped for Rudy. In 1973, while my dad and many others had just become cops because of Rudy, he started a boxing club to help curb gang activity and today, the program is credited for helping thousands of at-risk kids breaking the cycle of violence and crime. Paul Gonzalez was one of those kids and he later won a gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Generational Legacy

My father was a Marine, Vietnam Veteran and a police officer for over 30 years. Like most from his generation, he doesn’t talk much about the past and to my disappointment, he refuses to come on my leadership podcast to discuss the wealth of knowledge he has but with the recent death of former LAPD Sergeant and author Joseph Wambaugh, I got a small glimpse of what generational legacy looks like as my dad talked about Rudy De Leon.

I grew up with Wambaugh books around me and heard my dad talk about Rudy as a kid but I never knew the connection or just how influential De Leon was until this week. Joseph Wambaugh wrote his first three books while at LAPD and he worked for then Lt. Rudy De Leon. It should be no surprise that cowards existed then and LAPD administrators came down on Wambaugh for having the audacity of being a best selling author (off duty).

When they came after Wambaugh, Rudy told them where to go. De Leon was a WWII veteran and was at The Battle of Iwo Jima so I doubt he hesitated to do the right thing then and throughout his career.

The Power of One

You may never know the lives you are touching and Rudy De Leon likely had no idea the full impact he had on others this side of eternity.

My father went into law enforcement and I ultimately went into law enforcement.

My father’s best friend in high school was Robert Espinoza. He was so enamored by the fireside chats, he took criminal justice college classes that Rudy taught. Robert went to LAPD and retired and then retired as a district attorney investigator. His sons, Robert Jr. and Anthony are still with LAPD. Rudy’s son spent 37 years at LAPD.

And I could continue but you get the point.

The impact that one leader can have is immeasurable and could never be described in writing. Like my father a generation before, LAPD Captain Anthony Espinoza grew up around Rudy and his family.

Describing Rudy as a “larger than life figure,” Anthony tells me that Rudy impacted so many because “he was a man of integrity and took the time to authentically invest in others. Rudy’s legacy has lived on through those that were influenced by him. I know this because I still use the leadership lessons and interpersonal skills he taught me.”

Would the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of kids through multiple generations be different today if Rudy De Leon decided to not pour his energy into them?

Of course they would.

Would my dad be the dad I know today or would I be what I am today? Would I even be writing this?

Those answers aren’t for us to know for certain but I have a pretty good idea that Rudy De Leon had an impact on a bunch of young kids in Torrance that went on to become Vietnam Veterans, career cops, and family men. Men, that “wanted to be just like Rudy,” and influenced other kids to give back to their communities and their families.

Leading From The Heart

This is why leadership has nothing to do with rank or status but about the heart. Your core beliefs, including integrity, compassion, empathy, and passion pour from the heart.

Rudy De Leon poured into everyone he could and I, along with so many others are grateful for him.

Rudy De Leon left earth in 2009 but his legacy will live on for generations. In 2010, the Hollenbeck Police Station, where Rudy served was renamed the "Rudy De Leon Hollenbeck Police Station.”

If you are ever in the area, stop by the station and pay respects to a leader that should be emulated by all.

We can learn a lot from Rudy and by doing so, his legacy grows even wider.

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Dr. Travis Yates retired as a commander with a large municipal police department after 30 years of service. He is the author of “The Courageous Police Leader: A Survival Guide for Combating Cowards, Chaos & Lies.” His risk management and leadership seminars have been taught to thousands of professionals across the world. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy with a Doctorate Degree in Strategic Leadership and the CEO of the Courageous Police Leadership Alliance.