Seventh and last in a series
Re “A Closer Look at the Chief’s Style”
One of the underlying charges the police union has raised against Culver City Police Chief Don Pedersen this summer in gaining a onesided no-confidence vote was that he delays forever in rendering a decision.
Do you, Chief?
“My question is, what issue are they referring to?
“I have heard the phrase ‘death by committee.’
“First I don’t think we have overused the committee approach to anything. “My way is to attempt to get things done collaboratively. That is so we can come to the best solution.
“Before I make a decision, I have an obligation and a duty to make sure that the best decisions are made.
“I am not going to decide until I believe that to be the case. When I make decisions, I make sure they are well thought out and reasoned.
“Also, I like to make decisions based on fact. I think, perhaps, the police union has taken what they would perceive to be a lack of decision-making for not liking some decisions that have been made.
“I have never been accused of not being able to make a decision. “
Of the five charges that the Police Officers Assn. listed against you two weeks ago in its press release, did any of them surprise you?
“None of them surprised me with the exception of the misinformation about the investigation into the stolen police radio.
“These things are not based on fact.
“And then the one issue I haven’t heard up until now was the one dealing with one of the officers who said, basically, that I tried to talk her out of participating in the POA board.”
What can you do to give voice to your side of the charges?
“What I am going to do is go forward and comport myself the way I always have.
“However, one thing I believe I need to do is become more visible in the department to get my message out.
“I have a deep respect for the profession and for the people who work in this building. I need to demonstrate that to them.”
How do you make yourself more visible?
“I am going to spend more time going to briefings, for example. I will just be more visible inside the building.
“I have always had an open-door policy. Many people come to see me every day. It is not like I’m lost behind a door. That is not the case.
“People come to see me all the time,. But I need to get out there and become more visible.
“I will reach out at the current briefings and make myself available to talk about current events.
“Obviously we still have budget concerns in the city. There are a number of issues. I will give the officers a chance to talk to me about any questions they might have.
“I have done this in the past. But I am just going to do it more often.”
How do you respond to the accusation that you have been invisible in the department?
“I would just say I work a tremendous number of hours. I spend a lot of time in this city. I am not sure how to respond to that other than that I will, as I said, my intention is to become more visible in this department.”
