Eighth in a series

Re “‘Purely by Chance,’ Azran Says of Culver City”

Allen Azran was acting assistant chief of the Police Dept. when he retired during the winter, and he exhaled before answering a question about how a career in law enforcement impacts home life.

Seated behind the desk in his second-floor former office, he pushed back in his seat, and then he was ready.

“It’s hard to assess the toll it takes,” said the 29-year veteran. “I, personally, have kind of figured out how this job takes a toll on people.

“Aside from the physical dangers, from getting hurt, which has happened to me – I have been kicked in the face by a suspect while trying to arrest somebody else, had my nose broken, I have fallen and scraped myself off, I have been in car accidents – we, as police officers, take in so much negativity throughout our careers.”

Obviously articulate, Mr. Azran speaks with uncommon precision about life and pressure on the inside.

“Many of the calls we handle, we are taking in family problems, business problems, financial problems, people who have mental health issues, people who are criminals because of drug addiction, people from broken homes.”

His voice elevated.

“All of us, we are taking all of this in. We are the filters. We are trying to solve these little problems.”

As excitement and heat dually expanded, Mr. Azran declared his next point:

“Tell me how that doesn’t take a toll on someone,” he asked, rhetorically, underscoring each word.

“Day in, day out, you are ingesting all of this negativity and other people’s problems.”

Yes, Mr. Azran said, “it can make you more jaded. It can do a lot to you.”

(To be continued)