KTLA News: "Rise of organized crime in California" (1977)

Mr. Glavis, you this is your the commission has focused in on what is generally considered mafia, although that's an overused word. It is syndicated crime in the sense that we have associated certain individuals over a period of years with other individuals who commonly are in what we refer to as syndicated crime. Uh they're in um investments. Uh real estate for example is uh one very outstanding example. uh they're in uh various other types of legitimate investment. Uh it's hard to to name even one or two that are uh predominant >> fourth meeting. >> Yes, it is. you you must have drawn some conclusions, had some suspicions confirmed from the previous three. Uh could you give us a little uh insight as to what this January report that you're going to issue is going to be about? >> Well, number one, I'm not certain that there will be a report in January. Uh the commission realizes the size of the problem and the uh need for uh considerable study. So, it may be that the report uh promised in January may be uh somewhat optimistic. >> Are you saying that the problem is even worse than you suspected and uh or maybe worse isn't the word? It's uh uh there is more organized crime in the state than you originally envisioned and and it's going to take even longer to get the report out. >> No, I'm not saying anything of that nature. What I am saying is that the need for in-depth study of the problem is still here. Uh as has been said by by others, there seems to be a good deal of movement of organized crime figures into California. Uh there seems to be a good deal of infiltration of what is been commonly referred to as white collar crime. uh in California. Um a great deal of this is what uh the average person would categorize as legitimate entry into uh a business. Uh however, the long-term implications of uh of mob figures into even legitimate business is something that is of concern uh to the commission. And that is why I am saying what I said a few moments ago that the need for additional study is is becoming more and more apparent. >> There's always some question chief about what you're talking about when you're talking about organized crime. Are we talking about what uh people would commonly refer to as the mafia or just uh you know small groups of people who are organized say a car theft ring a crime figure in the state of California? >> I would prefer not to answer that question. Chief, you mentioned legitimate businesses. Could you mention some of the areas you're finding these members uh in a great many of bingo is going to have on on organized crime? >> Uh I really have no comment on that. Uh I uh I think there's been a big press for uh some legalized gambling that will benefit charities. Uh I think we have to see over a period of time how well it's uh it's handled by the law enforcement people and then perhaps make uh some uh judgment. >> Chief, when these uh people go into these legitimate businesses, what do they do to the legitimate businessman who is operating uh in those fields? >> Well, there's several modes of operation and of course it depends upon the mobster's intent at the time they move into the business. We uh we have seen um the mob uh figures move into legitimate business, spend the business into bankruptcy, take its resources and uh and leave. Uh on the other hand, we have seen them operate uh uh for a profit uh very legitimately in numbers of businesses. >> What will your commission do, you know, when you recognize when you identify these organized crime figures? What if what if uh Joe Banano, a a noted organized crime figure, was was to move into Palm Springs from the Tucson area? What would the commission do? What would you be able to do? >> Well, we we do not hope to directly do anything as a commission. We are not a law enforcement agency. We're not empowered to take direct action against mob figures and we're not amassing evidence for the purposes of prosecution. What we are doing is hoping that we will make an assessment of several factors in this field. Number one, the adequacy of the tools that law enforcement presently have, the degree of coordination and cooperation that exists between the various agencies. And I think we all realize that there's a proliferation of agencies interested in this field. the Internal Revenue Service, the Franchise Tax Board, ordinary law enforcement agencies like the Los Angeles Police Department, the LA Sheriff's Office. >> Problem does organize