{"id":814,"date":"2018-04-19T17:51:39","date_gmt":"2018-04-20T00:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/?p=64737"},"modified":"2018-04-19T17:51:39","modified_gmt":"2018-04-20T00:51:39","slug":"long-beach-woman-once-caught-in-a-cycle-of-drugs-and-jail-reunites-with-policeman-credited-with-encouraging-her-to-do-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/long-beach-woman-once-caught-in-a-cycle-of-drugs-and-jail-reunites-with-policeman-credited-with-encouraging-her-to-do-better","title":{"rendered":"Long Beach Woman Once Caught in a Cycle of Drugs and Jail Reunites with Policeman Credited with Encouraging Her \u2018To Do Better\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>LBPD Lt. Jim Foster holds up a graduation invitation he received from Long Beach resident Tiffany Hall. Photo by Stephanie Rivera.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It had been nearly a decade since police Lt. Jim Foster had seen Tiffany Hall, who was suffering from substance abuse throughout their many encounters in the streets of Long Beach, but on Wednesday morning the two were able to cross paths once again\u2014this time under much happier circumstances. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI\u2019m here because I want to thank Lt. Foster for his respect and his compassion and the empathy that he showed to me and anyone he came in contact with,\u201d Hall, a Long Beach resident, said during a press conference at the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) headquarters downtown.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hall said each time she encountered the officer of over 17 years he would always encourage her to turn her life around, telling her she could do better, to try to go to school, to stop what she was doing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI would listen to him and I would pay attention to what he was saying but the substance abuse had more power over me than what he was saying, but what he was saying to me was right,\u201d Hall said. \u201cSo in 2009, when I got arrested the last time, I was in a cell and I thought about everything Lt. Foster used to say to me and I made a decision right then and there and I surrendered. And when I surrendered I didn\u2019t look back, I kept moving forward.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now Hall is scheduled to graduate with a bachelor\u2019s degree from Cal State Dominguez Hills next month\u2014and surprised Foster with an invitation to attend. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI wouldn\u2019t miss it for the world,\u201d Foster said.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">He said yes!&#8230; to attend her college graduation years after she was continuously arrested by him in the streets of Long Beach. Now Lt. Foster\u2019s encouragement has paid off for Tiffany Hall. Story to come. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BDmWj8QcHN\">pic.twitter.com\/BDmWj8QcHN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Stephanie Rivera (@StephRivera88) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/StephRivera88\/status\/986644081878036480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 18, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The third generation Long Beach policeman said he remembered Hall as full of sass and energy and with a larger-than-life personality. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI met Tiffany in some of the toughest parts of this city, areas at the time that were having problems with drugs and gangs and all the things that seem to plague big cities, but she was a unique spirit,\u201d Hall said. \u201cA lot of personality, a lot of humor, not afraid to come up to you and tell it like it is. What I learned quickly about Tiffany was that she had a tough outer shell but a very soft inner person.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Being a seasoned officer and having experienced many interactions with people in similar positions, Foster also knew she had potential. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cOver time and experience you get a good feel for those who want help, have a future, understand a path and those who just have no interest whatsoever,\u201d Hall said. \u201cTiffany from day one was someone who wanted to engage, have communication with police, but it took time to get her to a position where she can see it herself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now Hall, who once was a product of her drug infested environment, plans to go to grad school and become a social worker to help others the way she was helped. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI was shown compassion and empathy and most of all respect,\u201d Hall said. \u201cHe showed me respect, all the while I was doing what I was doing, he showed me respect. He treated me like I was human and not like I was nobody and I thank you for that and I got a lot of respect for you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Foster said the stories his father told at the dinner table helped guide him as an officer, including to be tough on crime but kind to people\u2014which could be seen in one particular encounter with Hall that she remembered.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hall said one of her run-ins with Foster was on her birthday and after going around the corner passing her the first time he appeared before her once again. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cHe came back and I was standing out there and he got out of the car and he was doing his little dance, [singing] happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you,\u2019\u201d Hall recounted. \u201cAnd he said, \u2018and tomorrow I\u2019ll be back to get you\u2019. The next day, he was right there to get me. But one thing I want to tell you Lt. Foster is I really appreciate the encouragement that you gave me. I never forgot it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While Hall said she could never understand then why Foster kept taking her to jail, she said she understands now. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI obey all laws today. You can\u2019t even get me to jaywalk,\u201d Hall said. \u201cAnd I respect the law today because I understand you can\u2019t keep breaking the law and doing things illegally and expect a different outcome. It doesn&#8217;t work like that. You have to obey the law of the land.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hall said now she tells herself to never look back and to keep moving forward.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIf you keep looking behind you, you\u2019ll never be able to see what\u2019s in front of you,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Today we reunited <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LongBeachCity?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@LongBeachCity<\/a> resident Tiffany Hall, who suffered from substance abuse, with <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LBPD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@LBPD<\/a> Lieutenant Foster who helped turn her life around! He will be honored to attend her college graduation &amp; wishes Tiffany continued success \ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udf93 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/GoLongBeach?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#GoLongBeach<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LBPDCares?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#LBPDCares<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hcbtTDK1Ui\">pic.twitter.com\/hcbtTDK1Ui<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Long Beach PD (CA) (@LBPD) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LBPD\/status\/986784879844114432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 19, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI couldn&#8217;t be prouder of the fact that Tiffany has pulled herself out of some very tough circumstances,\u201d Foster said of Hall\u2019s accomplishments. \u201cThe biggest joy of my professional career is, from time to time, having contact with people who have found their way out of horrible circumstances and into life\u2019s success\u2014things a lot of us just take for granted.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hall and Foster\u2019s reunion was made possible through the city\u2019s justice lab, launched in January to provide new tools to first responders to divert residents in need out of the criminal justice system and toward much needed resources, said Tracy Colunga, director of the city\u2019s Innovation Team which partnered with other city departments and community groups to develop the lab.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"8TaVp1Ri1a\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/news\/city\/city-launches-justice-lab-to-provide-resources-to-repeat-offenders\">City Launches \u2018Justice Lab\u2019 to Provide Resources to Repeat Offenders<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;City Launches \u2018Justice Lab\u2019 to Provide Resources to Repeat Offenders&#8221; &#8212; Long Beach Post News\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/news\/city\/city-launches-justice-lab-to-provide-resources-to-repeat-offenders\/embed\/#?secret=fHLdiA10Dg#?secret=8TaVp1Ri1a\" data-secret=\"8TaVp1Ri1a\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Colunga said after analyzing over 100,000 offenses in the city during a five-year time period, the i-team determined that 85 percent of repeat offenses aren\u2019t serious crimes but rather misdemeanors. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The team also conducted 26 in-depth interviews with individuals who had been booked or cited 11 or more times.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cOne of those amazing people we interviewed was Tiffany Hall which is how we found this story,\u201d Colunga said. \u201cThis is one of countless stories where police officers like Lt. Foster do the right thing and treat people with dignity and respect.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Colunga said the justice lab is helping first responders like police officers, firefighters and homeless outreach teams receive new tools to break the cycle of incarceration. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMy hope is that this is the first of many stories that we uncover together about how the justice lab in Long Beach is taking new approaches toward diverting individuals from the criminal justice system.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It had been nearly a decade since police Lt. Jim Foster had seen Tiffany Hall, who was suffering from substance abuse throughout their many encounters in the streets of Long Beach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":155,"featured_media":66320,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[451],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hi-lo","tag-criminal-justice","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/155"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=814"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/814\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=814"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=814"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}