Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck is calling it a career. After 40 years with the Los Angeles Police Department, Beck recently announced he is retiring in June.
Beck joined the LAPD in 1975 as a reserve officer, became a full-time police officer in 1977 and was appointed chief in 2009.
In April 2014, on a 4-1 vote, Beck was given a second five-year term as police chief by the Los Angeles Police Commission, a civilian oversight board. Then Police Commission President Steve Soboroff said: “the positives far outweigh the negatives and the current problems and perceptions of problems.”
You see, there were many challenges facing Beck’s consideration for a second term as chief. Beck had been accused of unfair disciplinary practices by the Los Angeles Police Protective League. He also angered the Police Commission when it was discovered that he had falsified crime stats and hidden the fact that some officers had disabled video recording devices.
Commissioner Robert M. Saltzman was critical of Beck, saying “the department would be served best by new leadership” and “the chief has fallen short of our expectations.” Nevertheless, a second term was granted.
Saltzman further expressed concerns similar to the protective league in that, “The most important of these problem areas are showing fairness and consistency in discipline and transparency and respect for civilian oversight.”
Saltzman went on to state he was troubled by “a number of cases in which officer discipline appeared too lenient or inconsistent with similar cases. “
So, let’s review Beck’s disciplinary record. You be the judge.
In 2009, Beck fired Christopher Dorner, a black LAPD officer who had been found guilty of giving false and misleading statements during an administrative hearing called a Board of Rights. Many of the readers may know the Dorner story and what happened in February 2013.
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