‘Nobody Does It Better,” Says Chief Bixby

Dear Community Member, 

In light of recent events that have strained police-community relations across our nation, it is my intent with this message to inform Culver City residents, businesses and visitors that the Police Dept. is committed to earning and maintaining a reputation of professionalism, public trust and community-oriented policing.

The Culver City Police Dept. has a long and proud tradition of service. Its men and women are dedicated to their profession. They hold themselves to the highest ethical standards. We have earned the trust and support of our community and city leaders. We do not take that trust and support for granted. We understand that it must be earned and renewed on a daily basis.

Every organization must continually evaluate the service it provides and have clear, measurable and attainable goals. Our success is based on five goals that we call, “Measures of Effectiveness.” They include: The rapid response to calls for service, reducing and preventing crime, solving crime, efficient and effective traffic and parking programs, and the morale of and health of our organization.

The framework in which we strive to accomplish our goals is based on being pro-active, professional, proud, passionate and working in partnership with the community. Pro-active means that we don’t wait for crime to occur. We look to prevent crime before it happens with every tool available to us. The men and women of our organization maintain a level of professionalism worthy of the trust bestowed upon us. We are a very proud organization. That pride extends to the city we serve and the members of all departments within the city. I believe our profession is a calling. That calling does not exist without a true passion for the oath we take.

Furthermore, we continue to focus on diversity, training, accountability and transparency measures, and community-outreach programs and services to solidify and continue to build trust with our community.

Diversity

I firmly believe that the rich cultural and ethnic diversity within our organization helps build relationships, understanding and trust with our citizens in the true spirit of Community Policing. We focus on hiring and promoting the best and brightest. The following chart contains a breakdown of our personnel by race, which is reflective of the city we serve:

We continue our recruitment efforts to promote diversity within our organization by attending career events at local colleges such as National University, West Los Angeles College, Santa Monica College, El Camino College and the Black College Expo.

We have also focused on teen mentorship through our Explorer program as well as outreach events specifically targeting youth:

• Presentations at Culver City High School to cultivate a more diverse local group of youth who have interest in joining this honorable profession.
• Presentation to the King Drew Magnet School, in which we discussed the department’s structure, operations and the various career and mentorship opportunities.
• Participated as exhibitors at West L.A. College in one of the biggest single-day events in Los Angeles County celebrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math education (STEAM). Students from underserved communities participated in a free day of exciting shows, hands-on workshops, and exhibits designed to inspire children, to help youth see themselves as part of a national movement, and to ignite a passion in the future thinkers and creators.
• We have hosted participants from an internship program through Culver City High School. This has been expanded to a paid summer-student-worker program designed to help develop the next generation and introduce them to the rewards of working in local government.
• We have partnered with the YMCA and Boy Scouts of America. We work closely with them to support youth activities.

Formal Education and Training

One of our organizational strengths is in the collective intellectual and forward-thinking personnel that we recruit, hire and promote. We place a high value on formal education as a way to broaden our individual and organizational growth. Consequently, the majority of our staff is college educated.

Awareness within our organization regarding the issues of race, diversity, understanding, tolerance, and police-community relations have tremendously improved in the last several years. We have been very deliberate about including these topics in daily discussions in briefings before patrol shifts, as well as requiring personnel to attend formal-structured training, emphasizing the importance of treating everyone with dignity and respect. Additionally, several of our personnel are trained instructors who facilitate education for our department as well as for other law enforcement agencies on the subjects of racial profiling, cultural diversity, and Fair and Impartial Policing.

The following are a few examples of formal training our personnel recently attended:

• Fair and Impartial Policing: Dr. Lorie Fridell from the University of South Florida provided training on the social science of human bias and the implication for policing. This training course is supported by the U.S. Dept. of Justice and in conjunction with President Obama’s 21st Century Policing Strategy.
• Ethics and Leadership Training with Michael Josephson: Presented by the world-renowned champion of character education for ethical conduct in business, government and policing. He has worked extensively with the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training and is currently writing a book for the U.S. Dept. of Justice on the Exemplary Policing Organization.
• Tools for Tolerance for Law Enforcement: Ongoing training presented at the Los Angeles Museum of Tolerance and the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, which enables law enforcement officers to examine lessons from the Holocaust and the Civil Rights Movement in relation to professional and personal responsibilities we have in American society today.
• Leadership, Ethics and Early Warning Signs: Presented by retired Capt. Richard Meraz, who was the Rampart Division Commanding Officer. The presentation emphasized the importance of effective leadership/supervision in recognizing and addressing the early warning signs that led to the LAPD Rampart scandal.
• Mental Health Awareness Training: We have trained all of our line level field personnel (including Dispatchers, Jailers and Parking Enforcement Officers) on mental health awareness and provided them with tools to better serve the needs of persons with developmental disabilities and mental health related issues. The training focused on recognizing the symptoms of mental illness and de-escalating situations involving mentally ill subjects in crisis.
• Procedural Justice Training: In collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, we will be participating in a training session in August, sponsored by the United States Dept. of Justice that is part of President Obama’s 21st Century Policing Policies. The theme of the training is Organizational Change through Decision Making and Policy.

Transparency and Accountability

We foster a strong culture of self-accountability by our personnel. This is strengthened by the unwavering leadership and oversight of our line-level supervisors and management teams. We have many mechanisms in place for oversight and review of field incidents and contacts, as well as a robust policies and procedures manual that is updated on a regular basis to include best practices in law enforcement.

Our Professional Standards Unit is tasked with investigating all allegations of misconduct and citizen complaints, a duty that is extended to every supervisor in the organization. Every complaint is thoroughly investigated and documented.
Of approximately 50,000 contacts with the public in 2015, there were 12 citizen complaints (.00024 percent of total contacts), of which one complaint was sustained for rude and discourteous treatment to the public. In 2015, we had seven internal investigations for various minor policy violations such as punctuality. Four of the seven were sustained. Appropriate discipline was applied.

We conduct regular quality control audits of our citations, field interview contacts, crime reports and arrest reports to ensure that there is no disparate treatment. The following charts break down the data in each category of contact by race:

In 2015, we equipped all police patrol vehicles with Mobile Audio Video systems (MAV, or dash cams) to record field contacts and assist officers in the performance of their duties. Additionally, we are in the process of purchasing and equipping every field officer and supervisor with Body-Worn-Cameras (BWC) by the first quarter of 2017.

The use of the MAV and BWC systems is intended to accomplish the following:

1. Document events during contacts, arrests and critical incidents to clearly identify suspects and evidence.
2. Assist in criminal and civil court proceedings.
3. Assist in the investigation of personnel complaints, and for review purposes for quality control, to aid in officer training, and to ensure accountability and transparency for all parties involved.

Partnership and Community Outreach

Community outreach programs and events are the cornerstone for building transparency and trust with residents, businesses and visitors. The following represent our continuing efforts to enhance our partnership with our community at-large:

• Explorer Program: This youth program is designed to provide young men and women, between the ages of 14-19, with life skills, character education and leadership experience to become a productive member of society in addition to having the opportunity to start a future career in law enforcement.
• Citizens Police Academy: The Culver City Citizens Police Academy is a program designed to educate residents and local citizens on the various aspects of law enforcement functions and operations. The goal is to open the lines of communication and encourage interaction between our police officers and the community. Graduates of the Academy acquire a solid foundation of public safety information to share with others in the community. We have held eight classes and graduated 20-25 participants per class. We are in the process of putting on a similar program for teens between 14-19 years of age.
• Neighborhood Watch: We hold regular meetings with the various neighborhood watch groups, businesses associations, and homeowners associations to address quality of life issues, to reduce crime and improve our community.
• National Night Out: In partnership with community stakeholders, we organize this annual event that is part of a nationwide community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer and a better place to live. The event is held annually on the first Tuesday of August.
• Coffee with a Cop: The Culver City Police Dept. hosts the Coffee with a Cop events, a national initiative supported by the United States Dept. of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. This provides an opportunity for community members to ask questions and learn more about the department. Hosted at a local restaurant or café, providing an informal, comfortable setting to discuss community issues, build relationships, and to enjoy a cup of coffee.
• Police Dept. Open House: We host a bi-annual Culver City Police Facilities open house. All members of the community are invited to come and tour our Police Dept.. Festivities include exploring our jail, examining police vehicles and equipment, visiting with officers and CSI forensic specialists, and watching K-9 demonstrations.
• Station Tours and Ride-a-longs: We have hosted many community and youth groups who have toured our facilities, visited with our personnel, and had the opportunity to ride along with an officer in the field.
• Autism United: Members of the Police Dept. partnered with Autism United and participated in a “Be Safe” educational event. Be Safe is a collaborative prevention initiative that focuses on youth and the interconnected issues of mental health, sexual health, substance use, healthy relationships, and sexual violence.
• Special Olympics Torch Relay: Members of the Police Dept., including our Explorers, participate in the annual Special Olympics Torch Relay. The runners run three miles as part of a relay race that moves through different law enforcement jurisdictions.
• Bicycle Patrols: This year we have certified more officers to patrol various areas of the city on bicycle in an effort to build closer relationships with our community. Bicycle officers have patrolled the Downtown Business District, the Westfield Mall as well as other areas throughout the city. Additionally, bicycle officers patrolled the annual Culver City Car show, the 4th of July fireworks, Fiesta La Ballona, Ciclavia, and other community events.
• School Resource Officer: We have a dedicated police officer who works diligently with educators and the community in a collective effort to patrol and protect our schools.
• Safe Routes to School Program (on-going): Safe Routes to School programs were established to provide resources to cities, schools and communities to help them encourage more children to walk and bike to school more often and safely. Throughout the school year our officers participate in the Safe Routes to School program at the various Culver City schools.
• Charitable Holiday Events: We have participated in charitable gestures in the community such as providing food to homeless individuals on Thanksgiving Day and donating toys and clothes to displaced families at the Upward Bound house during the holidays.
• Partnerships with Community Stakeholders and Civic Groups: The department has developed partnerships with Culver City service groups (Rotary, Exchange, YMCA, Chamber of Commerce, and others) in which all department members are involved in service to our community.
• My Brother’s Keeper Initiative: We are working in partnership with other city departments and community stakeholders on a nation-wide initiative, “My Brother’s Keeper,” a collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach to build ladders of opportunity and unlock the full potential of our young people, including boys and young men of color.
• King Fahad Mosque: The department has built an excellent partnership with the leadership at the King Fahad Mosque. Throughout the year we have attended various inter-faith ceremonies in support of the mosque. Most recently we attended celebrations in honor of Ramadan.
• Culver City Mental Evaluation Team (CCMET): Makes use of a co-deployed Dept. of Mental Health clinician (Dr. Dan Richardson), who is assigned to the Police Dept. and specially trained patrol officers who respond to mental health-related calls. The goal is to provide the most clinically appropriate resolution to the crisis by linking people to the least restrictive level of care that is appropriate and to help prevent the unnecessary incarceration or hospitalization of those seen.
• Use of Social Media and Public Information Technologies: We are continually enhancing our application of technology and our presence on social media to effectively share information with our community through the use of Smart 911, Nixle, Facebook, Twitter, and our department’s web application. The department was the first in California to utilize Smart 911 to service our community. It can be used by 9-1-1 agencies to quickly send first responders to the location of an emergency with more information that can include details about all members of the household, all phone numbers (mobile, landline or VOIP) and all addresses including home, work and even vacation homes. Users can add details about medical conditions, medications, vehicles, pets and even emergency contacts. It is completely private.

I consider myself extremely fortunate to be a member of the Culver City Police Dept. I would like to thank all of the past and present members of this department whose dedication, ability and diligence have formed the reputation that our department enjoys today. I would also like to challenge future members to commit to the values and culture of this great organization. Our chosen profession can be difficult and challenging. But I firmly believe that nobody does it better than the members of the Culver City Police Dept.

Mr. Bixby, chief of the Police Dept., may be contacted at scott.bixby@culvercity.org