Louis D. Oaks served as the Chief of Police of the Los Angeles Police Department from April 22, 1922 to August 1, 1923. He succeeded James W. Everington and was succeeded by ex-Berkeley, California Police Chief August Vollmer, a prominent criminologist. During his short term as chief, Oaks frequently clashed with Los Angeles City Council member Ralph Luther Criswell. In 1922, Criswell claimed that "members of the police department have been levying thousands of dollars in protection money." Subsequently, for several weeks, he blocked Oaks' request for 1,500 badges for his police officers and 50 Dodge automobiles for the L.A.P.D. Upton Sinclair Incident In 1923, Oaks also clashed with Upton Sinclair, a prominent writer and socialist politician, when one of the L.A.P.D.'s Red Squads virtually kidnapped the writer at a rally in San Pedro. The San Pedro rally was held in support of the free speech rights of Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). As Sinclair began to read from the Bill of Rights, he was promptly arrested by officers of the L.A.P.D. The arresting officer proclaimed that "we'll have none of that Constitution stuff." Sinclair was arrested despite the fact that his appearance at the rally was already cleared by the office of Los Angeles Mayor George E. Cryer, which had declared it would allow him to exercise his free speech rights as long as he did not make an incitement to violence. Chief Oaks, a member of the KKK, who claimed that Sinclair was "more dangerous than 4,000 I.W.W.", had one of his police officers swear out a complaint on which Sinclair was arrested. The complaint charged Sinclair with the offense of "discussing, arguing, orating and debating certain thoughts and theories, which... were detrimental and in opposition to the orderly conduct of affairs of business, affecting the rights of private property...." Hundreds of other rally attendees also were arrested by the L.A.P.D., but Sinclair was given "special" treatment as part of a plan by Oaks to silence him, not just at the rally, but for years to come. Oaks had issued a public statement, declaring, "I will prosecute Sinclair with all the vigor at my command, and upon his conviction I will demand a jail sentence with hard labor." Police officers drove him from station to station, but failed to lodge charges against him. In all, he was held incommunicado for 22 hours. Chief Davis had planned to