Earl C. Paysinger, a pillar of the Los Angeles Police Department and a respected leader in South L.A. who was credited with driving down crime by focusing on community partnerships, died Monday. He was 64.
Paysinger was with his family at a hospital when he died from lung cancer, according to LAPD Cmdr. Al Labrada.
Chief Michel Moore, who visited Paysinger on Monday morning at the hospital, praised his former colleague in a statement as “a man with a tireless work ethic who knew cops count. Who cared deeply for our community’s youth. A professional and family man I respected for his dedication to his family, beliefs and convictions.”
During 41 years with the LAPD, Paysinger rose through the ranks from patrol officer to first assistant chief, the second-highest-ranking post in the department. He was instrumental in Chief William J. Bratton’s success in reducing violence, first as deputy chief of the South Bureau and later as head of operations. Inside the department he could be a stern task master, delivering incisive lines of questioning that startled captains.
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