Today a multi-car accident occurred near the entrance to USC. ABC7 reported an LAPD motorcycle officer was transported to an area hospital and so was a mother and child. They failed to report whether the driver was in an SUV registered to the Inglewood Police Department.
Inglewood residents regularly see Mayor James Butts driving around in a brand-new SUV that it is allegedly registered to the Inglewood Police Department (IPD).
ABC 7 confirmed residents’ fears that the vehicle in today’s crash was registered to IPD.
Multiple Inglewood residents have contacted this blog to share that the Mayor was scheduled to speak at USC today but it was announced he was in the accident. Regular viewers of the weekly city council meetings found that it didn’t air today either.
Mayor Butts is by all accounts a CIVILIAN and NOT an employee of IPD. He has apparently bestowed city-owned vehicles on Office of Emergency Services Manager Brian Walker, Butts’ bodyguard Emory Ward, and whomever else Butts wants the city to be held liable for if they are involved in an accident.
This should cause grave concern to Inglewood residents, especially those in the Mayor’s crosshairs as he is for all intents and purposes impersonating a police officer if he was in fact the driver of this vehicle during this crash.
Related: Inglewood mayor accused of telling activist ‘go choke yourself,’ but video evidence disappears
A review of the city’s annual budget details Mayor Butts is allocated an auto allowance and according to a public records request asking for copies of payments to him, under that allowance, revealed he does not take it. For many years his Black BMW sat idly under City Hall in a section for Inglewood elected officials marked “Mayor Butts” and was neither moved nor washed.
Questions this author has is why is our $500,000 a year Police Chief Mark Fronterrota allowing a civilian to drive a registered police car, does IPD provide the Mayor a personal driver, does this vehicle come equipped with emergency lights, and most importantly, who is gonna pay for this accident?
3 Comments
I know that cops are allowed to register their vehicles to their department address.That’s for their safety in case someone who’ve they’ve had an interaction with catches them driving their personal vehicle. They don’t want them finding out their home address. The other side of this is that if a cop ever runs their plates, it’ll show that the car is registered to a police department. Cops are expected to let each other go if this happens. I believe that this courtesy is extended to vehicles that belong to other members of the household.
I don’t know if this courtesy is extended during retirement or to other city officials. Either way, the vehicle is not supposed to be registered to the department. I’ve know a few in my life who had cars still registered in their names. They just used the department address. I actually register my cars to my P.O. Box.
If he is in fact allowed to drive a city vehicle that’s registered to the department then I hope that all parties sue him and the city. I hope that he gets sued either way
He’s doing a lot more than this. His actual title should be Chief Butts. Since when does a Mayor make public statements for a chief at a press conference? Keep going… You’re on the right track …
He was the driver and he ran a red light. Stand by for more