Add Your Comment · Apr 10, 2009 - 3:36 pm

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Curtis Woodle, the department gang liaison supervisor at LAPD detective headquarters and a board member of A Better LA, spoke with ABLA Volunteer Callie Schweitzer about his hero, Pete Carroll, and how he’s changed since meeting the man behind A Better LA.

The first meeting:

Woodle said he was initially skeptical of Carroll and his motives. He wondered if Carroll was in it for personal gain, press or “Lifetime kinda stuff.” ‚Ä®‚Ä®

“When I first met him, I thought it was a joke, to be honest,” he said. “I’ve never seen anybody with that type of respect and success in the sports world actually reach out with passion to try and fix areas that were really not his concern.” ‚Ä®‚Ä®

Carroll’s effect on Woodle:

Prior to meeting Carroll, Woodle, who has been a police officer for 45 years, said he had given up trying to fix the gang problem in L.A. 



“I was just going through the motions, trying to do my job as a police officer,” Woodle said. “He really helped me rethink the process of trying to help communities, especially in the gang-infested areas.”‚Ä®‚Ä®

Woodle said Carroll “rejuvenated” him and taught him how to “get deep inside the community and fix the real wounds, as opposed to putting a Band-Aid on them.”‚Ä®‚Ä®

Woodle said working with Carroll has helped him refocus his gang-suppression efforts. 



Changes Woodle’s seen:

Woodle said he has personally seen change in the areas Carroll has touched. 



“I know for a fact that change has come in small increments,” he said. “And it’s starting to move to other areas; it’s a really good sign.”‚Ä®‚Ä®

Woodle said he’s seen “change in how people see themselves,” and believes Carroll is “really helping them take the negative stuff out of there and work with the positive.” ‚Ä®‚Ä®

Carroll, the hero:

Woodle said he considers Carroll one of his heroes.



“He’s quiet and he doesn’t want acknowledgment,” Woodle said. “He just wants to get the job done. He doesn’t have to do it, he’s doing it out of his heart and out of his passion. It’s not a gimmick, and I’ve seen so many of those.” ‚Ä®‚Ä®