(continued)
As of early 1947, the fundamental techniques of Dianetics were in place. That which we now know as the ultimate source of human aberration, criminal or otherwise, was very nearly in sight, and the procedures for the restoration of sanity, happiness and the alleviation of psychosomatic ills were at hand. Also by now established was what he described as the inherent goodness of the basic personality. In other words – and this from LRH himself – however deranged the behavior, the core personality was found to be "strong, hardy and constructively good."
The ramifications of that statement were, of course, immense, particularly in light of a pervasive psychological theory that held man to be the product of his evolutionary heritage, i.e., the upright and thinking killer. Then too, Ron was not speaking in any theoretical sense. But rather, having utilized early Dianetics techniques on some several hundred cases he had ultimately found that even beneath the so-called hardened criminal lay "a sincere, intelligent being with ambition and cooperativeness." Or more simply: "Man was basically good. Social nature was inherent." There still remained, however, that question of what precipitated criminal behavior, what comprised its common denominator as LRH phrased it -- and to resolve that matter, he commenced an examination of the criminal realm as a Special Officer for the Los Angeles Police Department.
Ron’s credentials as a Los Angeles Police Special Officer included
the above identification card and cap below.
An outgrowth of the greater urban sprawl, leaving the city with roughly half the officers per capita as New York or Chicago, the Los Angeles Special Officer had become a fairly common sight as of 1948. In all, some forty-five private patrols were then active across Los Angeles, most enlisted by business communities through larger detective agencies. Their primary duties were of two kinds: The guarding of particular properties, e.g., banks and warehouses, and the patrolling of a general neighborhood on behalf of local merchants. In the latter, the Special Officer’s duties were virtually the same as the regular officer, although he had no powers of arrest beyond the "citizen’s arrest." He was, however, uniformed – slate gray but otherwise indistinguishable from LAPD blues – and he was armed.
