7 June 2013
HISTORY: A Poly student’s history day project not only qualified for the state round in the competition, but also earned its way onto your television screen.
By Kira Roybal, Staff writer
On the evening of April 2, 1971, Riverside police officer Leonard Christiansen and his partner Paul Teel responded to a burglary call. As their vehicle pulled into the driveway, hot bullets exploding from steel barrels shot out from the darkness. Boom, boom.
This fatal shooting was the basis of Courtney Christiansen’s (11) history day project, which is the history version of a science fair project. She explained that her grandfather, Leonard Christiansen, was shot from behind; after he was injured, he managed to call 911 for help, but died on the way to the hospital.
Christiansen got the idea for her project when her history teacher began to discuss times of social unrest during the 1960s and 1970s in class. “[My grandfather] was killed during a time when police officers weren’t very well liked in the community,” she explained. Riverside, which now seems like a relatively safe city, was no stranger to violence during the twentieth century. Christiansen’s grandfather and his partner were not shot on accident. The burglary call turned out to be a hoax aimed at punishing officers in general for supposed police brutality that took place during the era throughout the country.
Christiansen explained that the fatal shooting was not just a tragedy, but also a catalyst that prompted a change in police training and safety throughout the nation, which meshes perfectly with the history day competition theme: turning points in American history. “I never knew the impact that this case had on the nation until I did the research. [My grandfather] didn’t die in vain,” she said. Today, officers are trained to not park in drive ways, as Leonard Christiansen and his partner had done in 1971, for their own safety.
Christiansen started researching the case in late November of 2012 and finished in April. This process, however, was not as simple as just “Googling” information. She interviewed numerous individuals involved with the investigation and members/officers of the Riverside Police Department, including the head investigator of the 1971 case. She later tied together her findings in a near-10-minute documentary entitled “Ambush Murders Change a City and its Country: A Turning Point in Police Training” that was seconds away from exceeding the time limit.
As Christiansen moved from the district to the county to the state competition, she received critiques from judges on how to improve her project. Though she usually took the judges’ advice into account, Christiansen had a different objective at the state competition. After proceeding so far into the competition, she decided that she no longer wanted to change and revise a project that was so close to her heart; she would be satisfied with her accomplishment even if she did not move on. “By the time I got to state, I was frustrated that people kept telling me what to do with my project. I finally just decided I’m going to do what I want to do with it.”
Unfortunately, Christiansen did not progress to the next level. On the bright side, her documentary was recognized by the Riverside community as a moving testament to and a historical account of the progression of police safety. Mayor Bailey used her video to kick off Police Memorial Month, which was originally only celebrated among police officers.
Christiansen’s video was also spotted by KCAL2/9 television news. Reporters and a camera crew visited the Christiansen household and spent an hour and 30 minutes interviewing the family and making sure that everyone was television-ready. Christiansen and her award-winning project were later featured on the news channel. She stated that she waited until 10:30 p.m. to watch the interview on the evening it was released.
Christiansen explained that her grandfather’s death has had a constant impact on her family – an impact that is mixed with tears for a loss and gratitude for a contribution to society. Her family observed the 40th anniversary of Leonard Christiansen’s death with a ceremony at the Mission Inn. Courtney Christiansen’s father, who is also a Riverside police officer, gave a speech and her grandfather’s unit car number was called over the police dispatch radio. Though no one answered the call, her grandfather’s presence was still felt by the change in police training that his death prompted.
“I have heard that my grandpa was a jokester. He loved to make people laugh. I wonder what my life would be like if he was still here with my family,” Christiansen said.