In October, the Urban Issues Breakfast Forum will be 16 years old. Its first guest back in 1999 was then LAPD Chief Bernard Parks. Last Friday’s guest was current LAPD Chief Charlie Beck.
No doubt, some of the same questions were posed 16 years ago.
“This time, we’re dealing with a militarized LAPD which has no regard for citizens, especially in our part of town,” forum host Anthony Samad said. “I’m 58, and I get stopped by the police twice a year. You can’t even ask the police why they’ve stopped you without causing a level of tension.”
Chief Beck asked that the audience empathize with police officers.
“They’re like everyone in this room; they want to be safe and at the end of the day they want to go home,” Beck said. “Try and put them at ease and then ask your question, because your question is legitimate.”
The chief explained that in the previous 48 hours prior to the Sept. 18 forum, there had been two officer-involved shootings. One involved a man who shot his wife with a rifle and the other involved a handgun.
When an officer stops a car, he typically doesn’t know what will happen. But Beck said he expects his officers to fully explain why they stop vehicles.
“I demand that they understand your point of view,” Beck said. “I would ask you to try to understand things from their point of view.”
Samad countered with his opinion that the community has a greater fear of the police than the police have of the community.
“We understand that law enforcement officers’ lives matter,” Samad said. “But they don’t police like that on the Westside or in the Valley. We know that.”
The chief agreed that the system isn’t perfect and that it isn’t geared toward rehabilitation as much as he wants it to be.
“We understand that many times a [young person’s] first arrest becomes their first exposure to criminals,” Beck said. “That can have a huge outcome in their growth.”
Throughout the morning, Beck referred to his department’s continual collaboration with local gang intervention workers; the LAPD’s nationally-recognized community policing efforts, where officers visit schools and become part of the fabric of the community; and how the department has made great strides in changing its policies since he was appointed in 2009.
The son of an LAPD officer and a graduate of CSU Long Beach, Beck started with the force in 1977. His patrol assignments have included the Rampart, Southeast, Pacific and Hollywood areas. Upon his promotion to Deputy Chief, he assumed command of Operations for South Bureau.
“I believe in this community,” Beck said. “I put the best people I have in this community because I truly believe this is where true relationships can happen.”
When one audience member questioned why only eight percent of the department is African American, Beck admitted that the percentage is almost—but not quite—representative of the city’s demographics.
“If you know anyone who is interested, they can go to LAPD online or they can go to any station,” he said. “It’s difficult to get African American candidates, and we need that to happen.”
