Council Makes It Official: Beck's the Guy
Former Deputy Chief Charlie Beck was sworn in Tuesday as LAPD Chief Charlie Beck.
Immediately after the council's vote, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa administered Beck's oath of office, and City Council President Eric Garcetti pinned the chief's badge on Beck's uniform.
Beck's wife, Cindy -- a retired sheriff's deputy -- pinned four stars on her husband's collar as Beck's father, George, a retired LAPD assistant chief, looked on. Beck's mother, Alma, touched his cheek.
"I believe that the police department can not only make this city safer, can not only make this city enjoy crime reductions, but can also be the glue that holds the city together," said Beck.
Villaraigosa chose the 32-year police veteran to replace former Chief William Bratton. Bratton left the department two weeks ago to work for a security firm in New York.
The 56-year-old Beck, currently LAPD's chief of detectives, said he wants to make the department "the most effective policing organization in the nation." Beck also said he wants to "decentralize" the LAPD and give commanders sufficient resources to "take ownership of problems" in their respective communities.
"For a number of reasons, we have managed from the top-down, which was very necessary in the early years of reform in the LAPD, but now we have to manage from the bottom up," Beck said. "We have to push resources down into the patrol divisions, into the areas so that they can address problems at the local level."
Beck stressed he plans to continue increasing the ranks of the LAPD, now near 10,000. He becomes the LAPD's 55th chief at a time of severe budget crisis.
The mayor and council members agreed recently to maintain the ranks of the LAPD at 9,963 officers, instead of continuing to bulk up the department. They also agreed to suspend enrollment at the Police Academy in November and December.
The opening of a state-of- the-art jail in downtown Los Angeles has been beset by delays because the LAPD cannot afford to hire enough jail wardens to staff it.
Last month, the police officers union -- the Los Angeles Police Protective League -- agreed to forgo salary increases for two years and convert overtime pay into time off in order to avoid widespread furloughs and layoffs.
Follow Robert Kovacik for updates.
