Imagine how much power the Chief of Police would have if he was appointed for life and kept secret dossiers on the lives of prominent people, including politicians and judges.
That's the way it was from William Parker to Daryl Gates -- the Chief was the most powerful and independent person in city government.
When Gates was toppled over his brashness, LAPD's use of excessive force against minorities which was exposed after the Rodney King videotaped beating and finally the riots, the Chief of Police was limited to two five-year terms.
There were warnings at the time of that Charter reform that that the imbalance of power in favor of the Chief would become an imbalance of power in favor of the politicians. The Chief would become a lackey of the politicians, a situation that would allow corruption to flourish.
That day has come.
Chief Charlie Beck showed just how much he is the lackey of the mayor and City Council by deciding Thursday to cancel a long-planned trip by four officers to the annual Airborne Law Enforcement Assn. conference in Arizona "to respect the council's boycott of Arizona."
"The Los Angeles Police Department is not a political entity and should not be seen as having a political position on the boycott," he said.
You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time but you're not fooling anybody this time, Charlie.
The council was supposed to take up the question of authorizing the trip on Tuesday but Janice Hahn, the boycott queen who thought she was ready to be a heartbeat away from the governor's mansion, protested. The trip to a five-day conference hosted by the U.S. Border Patrol was the first test of the Council's boycott of Arizona over its crackdown on illegal immigration and sending the officers to it would have shown just how toothless and meaningless it is.
"Janice Hahn was going to make a big stink," said Councilman Greig Smith who sponsored the motion to send the officers. "I was willing to fight it out, but then the department said it was going to try to work this out."
Beck worked it out alright. He bowed to the Council majority and took them off the hook by killing the trip he had approved before the boycott issue came up.
Good boy, Charlie. They love you for helping them save face and avoid being the laughing stock of the town but don't kid yourself, they don't respect you.
Neither does the police union or the rank-and-file cops under your command.
"I think it's a huge mistake," said Paul Weber, head of the Police Protective League. "When the department decided a few months ago to send these officers to this training, they obviously saw the value in it. Public safety shouldn't be sacrificed just because Arizona's become a political football."
The PPL hasn't taken a position on Arizona's SB 1070 but took a clear stand on what it thinks of Beck's kowtowing to the politicians in this statement:
"Apparently, the LAPD command staff decided that it should spare the City Council the embarrassment of voting on this issue.
"By placing political correctness above public safety, the Department did itself no favors. Clearly the training, considered to be one of the premier trainings for air support policing, was important enough for the Department to approve sending them in the first place - despite the budgetary constraints and long before the City Council enacted its boycott.
"The decision to boycott Arizona was a political one by the City Council. The LAPD did their officers and the residents of Los Angeles a great disservice by jumping into the political arena to try to spare council members from addressing a consequence of their prior vote."
We know how Parker and Gates would have handled this situation since the Council were afraid to get in their way. And we know how former LAPD Chief Bernard Parks would have handled it, he co-sponsored Smith's motion.
And now we know, if there ever were any doubt, who Charlie Beck is from the way he has handled this situation. He's the politicians' boy.
The Smith motion is still on the Council continuation agenda for today, Item 31. Here it is:
ITEM NO. (31) 10-0991 CONTINUED CONSIDERATION OF MOTION (SMITH - PARKS) relative to Council authorizing a one-time exemption to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) to attend the annual Airborne Law Enforcement Association Conference in Tucson, Arizona from July 12 through July 17, 2010. Recommendation for Council action: AUTHORIZE a one-time exemption to the LAPD to enable four officers to attend the annual Airborne Law Enforcement Association Conference in Tucson, Arizona from July 12 through July 17, 2010. (Continued from Council meeting of June 15, 2010)
On May 25, 2010, Council suspended City travel to the State of Arizona" unless special circumstances demonstrated to the Council that the failure to authorize such travel would seriously harm City interests."
Several months prior to this Council action, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) registered four Air Support Division (ASD) sworn personnel to attend the annual Airborne Law Enforcement Association (ALEA) Conference. The ALEA holds its Conference at a different location every year. This year, the Conference is hosted by the United States Border Patrol and will be held in Tucson, Arizona from July 12 through July 17, 2010.
The ALEA is the premiere international organization of law enforcement aviation units, with its primary mission "To support, promote and advance the safe and effective utilization of aircraft by law enforcement agencies in support of law enforcement missions through training, networking, advocacy, and educational programs." The annual Conference provides an opportunity to review innovative products, and offers a broad range of courses/seminars to enhance the training of law enforcement aviation crew members and supervisorypersonneL
This year, the courses include:
Tactical Flight Officer Selection and Training
Case Studies in Aviation Accidents - A Study in Crew Resource Management
Aeronautical Decision-making
High Rise Emergencies
Commander's Forum (Unit Managers)
Aircraft Positioning
Helicopter Patrol Tactics
Legal Update
There is particular significance to each LAPD officer scheduled to attend this year's Conference:
• Lt. Phillip Smith, Assistant Commanding Officer, ASD - Received a scholarship to the Conferenceincluding tuition to attend the "Commander's Forum (Unit Managers)" course.
• Sgt. Michelle Blackstone, Assistant Watch Commander, ASD - Scheduled to attend severalcourses/seminars; a candidate for the ALEA Western Region Board of Directors and must be present for the election.
• Officer Jack Schonely, Instructor Pilot, ASD - Scheduled as a Conference Instructor for two courses ("Tactical Flight Officer Selection and Training" and "Helicopter Patrol Tactics").
• Sgt. Jorge Gonzalez, Officer-in-Charge, Support Section, ASD - Responsible for oversight of ASD's Maintenance Section, Training Operations and Contract! Acquisition Team.
The Conference will provide the opportunity to learn the latest research
I THEREFORE MOVE that Council authorize a one-time exemption to the Los Angeles Police Department to enable four officers to attend the annual Airborne Law Enforcement Association Conference in Tucson, Arizona from July 12 through July 17,2010.
