LA WATCHDOG-The Los Angeles Police Commission is considering whether to reappoint Chief Charlie Beck to a second five year term.
While Chief Beck’s reappointment appeared to be a no brainer in June, concerns have surfaced over favoritism, lax and inconsistent discipline, and related party dealings, all of which will need to be reviewed and analyzed by the politically appointed Board of Police Commissioners.
The Commissioners will also need to investigate Chief Beck’s role as the leading proponent for Proposition A, the March 2013 ballot measure for the half cent increase in our sales tax. Chief Beck will claim that he was acting as private citizen. But that distinction was lost on the media as reporters and editorial boards identified “Chief Charlie Beck” as a “staunch supporter” of this regressive tax increase.
Chief Beck also failed to make that distinction in a number of interviews with the press. And that distinction between private citizen and top cop was certainly lost on the public when he said the failure to pass Proposition A would result in “debilitating cuts to our City’s public safety programs” that could lead to “a dramatic increase in crime.”
The Commissioners must also investigate whether Chief Beck violated civil service rules and policies by using his office and official position to support Proposition A, the Neighborhood Public Safety and City Services Funding and Accountability Measure.
What was particularly galling was that shortly after 55% of the voters rejected the half cent increase in our sales tax, Mayor Villaraigosa announced that the City had “found” $375 million ($325 million in new revenue and $50 million in pension savings), an amount almost double the proposed tax increase.
Needless to say, this attempted fleecing of Angelenos by misleading the voters about the financial condition of the City did not help the reputation of Chief Charlie Beck.
Unfortunately, Chief Beck has done little to win the public’s trust, confidence, and respect.
Chief Beck has failed to reach out to the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition and other civic organizations despite repeated attempts by these organizations to arrange times for him to address their organizations. This is sharp contrast to former Chief Bill Bratton who looked forward to addressing local organizations and enlisting their support to make Los Angeles a safer city.
There is another controversy brewing over the LAPD’s conflicting statistics involving the rate at which murder cases are solved within the City. As a result, the Police Department brass has been stonewalling Daily News Investigative Reporter Mick Reicher in his quest for the underlying case information, data, and reports. And despite repeated requests, Chief Beck has refused to be interviewed, a very telling indicator, especially now that he is up for a second term.
While the Los Angeles Times has endorsed Chief Beck for second term, the Police Commission, Eric Garcetti, and the City Council need to realize that the Chief of Police is one of the most important and visible positions in the City of Los Angeles. As such, they must do a thorough investigation of Chief Beck to determine whether he deserves our trust, confidence, and respect.
(Jack Humphreville writes LA Watchdog for CityWatch. He is the President of the DWP Advocacy Committee, The Ratepayer Advocate for the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council, and a Neighborhood Council Budget Advocate. Humphreville is the publisher of the Recycler Classifieds -- www.recycler.com. He can be reached at: [email protected]. Hear Jack every Tuesday morning at 6:20 on McIntyre in the Morning, KABC Radio 790.)
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 12 Issue 64
Pub: Aug 8, 2014