[img]1307|right|Meghan Sahli-Wells||no_popup[/img]Speaking from New York City where she is participating in panel discussions about climate change and small towns, Mayor Meghan Sahli-Wells said the tragedy of Ferguson “makes me think about how far we have come in Culver City.
“Especially,” she added, “in terms of diversity on our own police force.
“In the past, we had a police chief who was pretty notorious,” the mayor said of long-serving Ted Cooke (1976-2003), who retired 11 years ago this month. “Today we have a police force that actually is more diverse than the city itself.
“The chief talked to the City Council about all of the men and women on the force, and I compared that to the last census in 2010. That is how I knew the police force is more diverse than the city. We have come a long way.
“Something else I thought about relative to Ferguson: Our own most recent former police chief (Don Pedersen, who left last April) now is with the Inspector General, cleaning up the County Sheriff’s Dept., which certainly has had its problems.”
Ms. Sahli-Wells, one of Culver City’s youngest mayors in decades, said that “I was a kid” during the heart of Mr. Cooke’s legendary tenure. “What I know is what I have heard from other people. The real shocker for me was when Chief Cooke tried to hire one of the LAPD officers involved in the Rodney King beating. That was a terrible move.
“Incidents like these keep happening in other communities,” the mayor said. “I am confident in our police force. We are doing a lot better than most.
“Finally, I am very glad such an emphasis has been placed on community policing.”
(To be continued)
