Daryl Gates
The controversial LAPD chief who pioneered militarized police units like SWAT but whose rigid leadership fractured community trust in the city's darkest hours.
1926–2010 (age 84)·American police chief·Birthday: August 30·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Daryl Gates rose through the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department in the shadow of Chief William Parker, whose model of professionalized, crime-fighting policing he deeply admired. Appointed chief in 1978, he was an innovator in tactical law enforcement, having helped develop the first Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) team in the 1960s. His tenure championed aggressive drug enforcement, most visibly through the D.A.R.E. program he co-founded. Yet Gates presided over the LAPD during a period of escalating tension. His blunt, unapologetic rhetoric and unwavering support for his officers, even in controversial use-of-force incidents, increasingly cast him as an out-of-touch symbol of a besieged police fortress. The 1991 beating of Rodney King and the subsequent riots in 1992, which erupted after the acquittal of the involved officers, occurred squarely under his command. The city's trauma became a national referendum on police brutality and race, leading to his resignation and the end of an era for the LAPD.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Daryl was born in 1926, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Daryl Was Born
The biggest hits of 1926
#1 Movie
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
Daryl's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1926Born
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1931Started school
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1939Became a teenager
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1942Could drive
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1944Could vote
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1947Turned 21
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1956Turned 30
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1966Turned 40
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1976Turned 50
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 60
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 70
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 80
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2010Died at 84
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
Key Achievements
- Helped create the concept of the first police SWAT team in the United States in the late 1960s.
- Co-founded the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program in 1983.
- Served as Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department for 14 years, from 1978 to 1992.
- Oversaw the LAPD's security operations for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Did You Know?
He was a close protégé of former LAPD Chief William H. Parker.
During the 1984 Olympics, he commanded a security force of over 17,000 personnel.
He authored a 1992 autobiography titled 'Chief: My Life in the LAPD.'
After retirement, he hosted a conservative talk radio show in Los Angeles.
“We're the thin blue line that's holding this country together.”
