2UrbanGirls
  • Home
  • Local
    • Compton
    • Education
    • Inglewood
    • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Crime and Public Safety
  • Opinion
  • About
    • Advertise
    • Mediakit

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

What's Hot
June 24, 2022

CA Attorney General Throws Lifeline to Indicted LA Councilman

June 24, 2022

Compton Unified to Place Another School Bond Before Voters in November

June 24, 2022

Former Charter High School Student Sues Over 2018 Off-Campus Shooting

Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • CA Attorney General Throws Lifeline to Indicted LA Councilman
  • Compton Unified to Place Another School Bond Before Voters in November
  • Former Charter High School Student Sues Over 2018 Off-Campus Shooting
  • Authorities ID Man Killed in 710 Freeway Crash
  • OC Probation Officer Convicted of Stealing On the Job
  • LA County Fire Chief Announces Retirement
  • Authorities Arrest Man in Shooting Death in Hollywood
  • Authorities ID Man Killed By Train
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest RSS
2UrbanGirls
  • Home
  • Local
    1. Compton
    2. Education
    3. Inglewood
    4. Sports
    5. View All

    Compton Unified to Place Another School Bond Before Voters in November

    June 24, 2022

    Mistrial Declared in Wrongful Death Suit Against Suge Knight

    June 22, 2022

    Compton City Council Addresses Illegal Street Takeover Issues Impacting Residents

    June 17, 2022

    Compton Sheriff’s Department Says Fatal Accident Wasn’t Caused by Street Takeover

    June 17, 2022

    Las Vegas Raiders Owner Donates to Uvalde School District to Make Their Campuses Safer

    June 16, 2022

    Inglewood Unified County Administrator Out on Medical Leave

    June 14, 2022

    Former Dean From East Los Angeles College Pleads No Contest in Theft Case

    June 10, 2022

    Initiative to Increase School Arts and Music Funding Qualifies For Ballot

    June 9, 2022

    BNLA Opinion Editorial Re: Inglewood’s Proposed Short-Term Rental Regulations

    June 23, 2022

    Inglewood Releases Partial Police Agreement with Hollywood Park

    June 23, 2022

    Inglewood Assemblymember Tackles Housing in First Legislative Bill

    June 22, 2022

    City of Inglewood: A Democracy Interrupted

    June 19, 2022

    Sandy Koufax Statue Unveiled at Dodger Stadium

    June 18, 2022

    Ole, Ole, Ole FIFA 2026 World Cup headed to Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium

    June 16, 2022

    Los Angeles Chargers to Texas? Not Over Jerry Jones Dead Body!

    June 16, 2022

    Phantom Labs Sues Antonio Brown for Unpaid Bill

    June 8, 2022

    CA Attorney General Throws Lifeline to Indicted LA Councilman

    June 24, 2022

    Former Charter High School Student Sues Over 2018 Off-Campus Shooting

    June 24, 2022

    Study Shows Long Beach as One of Worst Run Cities

    June 23, 2022

    Deputy: Man Charged in Nipsey Hussle Killing Surrendered Without Incident

    June 22, 2022
  • Entertainment
  • Crime and Public Safety
  • Opinion
  • About
    • Advertise
    • Mediakit
2UrbanGirls
You are at:Home»Has Chief Beck Become a Detriment and Liability to the LAPD?

Has Chief Beck Become a Detriment and Liability to the LAPD?

2
By 2UrbanGirls on August 11, 2014 Uncategorized

Concerns about nepotism, favoritism, and the unfair treatment of some employees have been a silent topic of discussion among LAPD employees of all ranks ever since Chief Charlie Beck was appointed in 2009. Those silent discussions were elevated to a collective cry for help by LAPD officers over the past two weeks. The fear however, is that the officers’ message may have gotten lost among the salacious headlines, the slicing and dicing tactics of “cover and concealment” by the Chief, and the many rumors in social media.

 

The specific details of the recent headlined events are not relevant at this time. The critical issue for the commissioners must be the character of Chief Beck: Has he compromised his credibility to such an extent that now makes him a liability to the department? Has he lost the trust and respect of his employees? Has he abused his authority as Chief of Police, and if so, should the commissioners consider the concept of “Negligent Retention?” Can Chief Beck be trusted to be fair and impartial in adjudicating complaints involving honesty and integrity? To answer these questions, and to ensure that the critical facts are not confused, overlooked, or suppressed, here are the relevant issues that the commissioners must address:

 

In the reported matter of the sergeant who had inappropriate relations with his subordinate employees: Did the Chief, implicitly or otherwise, influence the outcome of that case? In the case of Officer Hillman, what message did the Chief send to minority communities when he reduced the penalty of an officer who made false statements and racist remarks? Did the Chief consider all the facts in that case, when he publicly refused to watch the video of the incident? Like Officer Hillman, who may no longer testify in a court of law, the Chief’s credibility is so damaged that the public will now view everything he says with skepticism.

 

On the matter of the Chief’s daughter selling her horse to the LAPD Mounted Unit, why was the Chief so adamant in the denial of his involvement? Would he have voluntarily admitted to his involvement, had it not been reported in the press? What message will the commission send to the officers if they accept the Chief’s explanation that he made a mistake? Is it reasonable for anyone, including the Chief, not to have seen the conflict of interest in this transaction from the inception? Based upon his now admitted role in the matter, the Chief has raised serious concerns about his own ethical conduct. This was not merely a serious lapse in judgment; it was a betrayal of trust at the highest level. LAPD employees are prohibited from accepting gratuity to avoid even the appearance of conflict of interest. The Chief sets the tone for the department, and the officers are expected to model his behavior; the Chief cannot be held to a lower standard than his officers.

 

The Chief recently declared, “I will continue to work with the commissioners to increase the department’s transparency.” The problem with this declaration is that this has been his commitment from day one. From the inception of his appointment in 2009, as reported in the press, he vowed to focus on “more transparency as LAPD Chief.” Although he did not “provide specifics about how he would improve transparency, he said it was a goal.”

 

Instead of a goal, this commitment to transparency has been reduced to a mere catch phrase, more talk than action. The Chief has repeated his so-called commitment to transparency several times between his appointment and the latest incident. Based upon his failures in the past, the Police Commission should be very skeptical about the sincerity of his pledge to be more transparent in the future.

 

In making his case, the Chief appears to be appealing for understanding, if not empathy, from the all of us who are parents because of what he perceived to be an attack on his family, who he felt did not deserve the level of scrutiny that is expected of him. This response from the Chief is particularly troubling, because it discloses the Chief’s inability to separate his “daughter” from “an LAPD employee,” who has engaged in questionable conduct. It is true that “anyone can make a mistake.” However, if the Police Commission accepts the Chief’s misrepresentation of his involvement in the horse incident as a mere mistake, it runs the risk of defending civil claims from hundreds of employees who have been terminated for making similar “mistakes.”

 

It is well appreciated that this is a very difficult decision for the Police Commission. The fact that Chief Beck is a “good guy,” and has a charming and charismatic personality makes it even that more difficult. However, among the many attributes of an effective leader, honesty and integrity trumps charisma. By his conduct, Chief Beck has betrayed the trust of his employees, he has compromised the credibility of the disciplinary system, and based upon his conduct, he may have now become a detriment and a liability to the Los Angeles Police Department.

 

As reported in the Los Angeles Times on November 6, 2009, during a Q&A with theTimes Editorial Board, Chief Beck said, “A leader can never become more important than the organization,” and “If I ever become a detriment to this department because of my personality, because of something I did, then I’m gone.”

 

I think the majority of LAPD employees would say that we are now at that place and time, and it would be in the best interest of the department for Chief Beck to keep his promise.

 

Captain Peter Whittingham is a 26-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department.

 

Related

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
2UrbanGirls
  • Website
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

2UrbanGirls has been cited in Daily Breeze, Daily News, Inglewood Today, Intersections South LA, KCRW, KPCC, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Wave, LA Weekly, LA Watts Times, Mercury News, New York Times, Orange County Register, Sports Illustrated, The Atlantic, and Washington Post. 2UrbanGirls has a recurring column, South of the 10, on CityWatchLA.

2 Comments

  1. Pingback: Has Chief Beck Become a Detriment and Liability to the LAPD? |

  2. Pingback: Has Chief Beck Become a Detriment and Liability to the LAPD? | The Car Share Directory

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Elections
June 24, 2022

Compton Unified to Place Another School Bond Before Voters in November

June 22, 2022

Inglewood City Clerk Announces Dates for Filing Papers for November Election

June 20, 2022

Tina McKinnor Sworn in as Inglewood Assemblymember

June 16, 2022

Republican Increases Lead in Insurance Commissioner Race

Social Media
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • TikTok
Most Read
National
June 9, 20227

Federal Indictments rock St. Louis City Hall

ST. LOUIS – Two current and one former St. Louis aldermen, including board President Lewis…

June 11, 2022

Man Pleads Guilty in ‘Sweetie Pie’s’ Murder for Hire

June 9, 2022

Authorities Announce Reward For Info on Man Suspected of Killing 14-Year-Old

June 18, 2022

Judge Rules Man is Potentially An Heir to Charles Manson

Entertainment
June 22, 2022

Matlin, Reitman Among Newly Elected Motion Picture Academy Governors

June 20, 2022

Chyna, Rob Kardashian Settle Her Revenge Porn Claim

June 19, 2022

`Jurassic World Dominion’ Makes $58.6M to Lead Box Office Again

June 17, 2022

Los Angeles Philharmonic Association Names Arsenio Hall as Host for 2022 Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival

Transportation
June 15, 2022

Lawmakers Seek Federal Funds For Transportation Projects Ahead of 2028 Olympics

June 14, 2022

Bicyclist Hit by Vehicle and Killed in Exposition Park Area

June 7, 2022

Pedestrian Killed in Collision with Metro Train in Hawthorne Area

June 3, 2022

Sudden Strike Strands Antelope Valley Commuters

Sports
June 18, 2022

Sandy Koufax Statue Unveiled at Dodger Stadium

June 16, 2022

Ole, Ole, Ole FIFA 2026 World Cup headed to Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium

June 16, 2022

Los Angeles Chargers to Texas? Not Over Jerry Jones Dead Body!

June 8, 2022

Phantom Labs Sues Antonio Brown for Unpaid Bill

Archives
Categories

Subscribe to Updates

Keep up with the latest on 2UrbanGirls.com

Subscribe

* indicates required

About

We're based in Inglewood, CA! We amplify community voices, share information, and investigate systems.

Recent Posts
  • CA Attorney General Throws Lifeline to Indicted LA Councilman
  • Compton Unified to Place Another School Bond Before Voters in November
  • Former Charter High School Student Sues Over 2018 Off-Campus Shooting
  • Authorities ID Man Killed in 710 Freeway Crash
  • OC Probation Officer Convicted of Stealing On the Job
Recent Comments
  • Susan on Compton Unified to Place Another School Bond Before Voters in November
  • Don’t forget who is paying the bill to keep election flyers in your mail box on City of Inglewood: A Democracy Interrupted
  • Silvia Delgado on Compton Man Killed in Two-Vehicle Crash in Long Beach
Copyright © 2011-2022 2UrbanGirls. Powered by I-WOOD.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.