KTLA News: "LAPD lieutenant discusses impact of obscenity decision" (1973)

We feel that uh in opposition to some opinion that the standard of obscinity here in this city is more conservative than most people would think. You can go into Hollywood and see what appears to be blatant obscinity. However, the community as a large opposes it. And now with these new rulings, if we interpret them correctly at this time, we'll be able to do more about it and do it with more efficiency. >> Particular impress other American pilots who were in North Vietnam have said >> initial reaction is that it's an extremely favorable decision for law enforcement in prosecuting obscinity. >> Generally, are the obscinity standards in Los Angeles, let us say, more local standards more strict than in the rest of the country? Well, one of the decisions has to do with matter being utterly without social redeeming importance. Uh, that was one of the three elements of obscenity. And in order to prove that, it was extremely difficult. We would have to get psychologists, psychiatrists, marriage counselors to testify to every obscene item that was uh under trial. Now, we apparently will not have to do that to that extent. Uh the decision has to do now with showing that the concerned matter does not have serious literary, artistic, scientific or political value and that's considerably different from utterly without social redeeming importance. >> How do you know the community as a whole is supposed to obscenate? >> We have taken surveys for the last 5 years. We have sent officers throughout the state including this county and surveyed people personally and the results of that survey indicates to us that majority of the population is anti-obscinity. >> Lieutenant, have you ever uh had any difficulty getting a local jury to convict people on? >> No, we've had extremely good luck with juries. We most always get convictions by a jury. Where we had difficulty was on appeals. the appellet courts would overturn the convictions that the juries gave us. >> What one area, if any, do you think needs the most attention? We talking about films, books, magazines. >> I wouldn't single out one area. It's the whole range of obscenity. The theaters, the adult bookstores, so-called, the bars, they're all of equal importance to us. Will this decision change the operation of the vice squad in any way in terms of maybe stepping up uh enforcement or do you see it more as just uh the same type of police operation but more of a chance for success in the course? >> I see your uh latter conclusion as being more realistic. Uh we have the tools and we have been assigned strictly to obscinity and we will with them continue under these new guidelines. You don't any change in your enforcement practices like pretty uh pretty much alone out the corner that uh the law most of the problems with interpretation what you said earlier is utterly about regaining value. >> Well, I would say that uh we are not as liberal here as Oregon has become the last year or two. Portland is a serious problem. We believe that San Francisco is more wide open than here. I'm proud of the majority of the people's attitudes in this city as it applies to obscinity >> tablet anticipating >> exploiting commercial obscinity bookstores theaters hiring kids and I mean as young as six and seven years old we've recently come up with to pose for obscene publications that's on.