He Is Not Ashamed
The anonymous officers profile could be found in any journal of reputable policemen who have led exemplary lives, which makes the stain of being associated with corruption allegations even worse. I am mot ashamed to be a policeman, he said. This is all I ever wanted to do. And I certainly am not ashamed of where I work. But look at it this way. When you say police corruption, what image comes to mind? Chicago? New York? Some people think that way about Culver City, judging by the way they react. Sometimes they used to say, Oh, you work for Ted, meaning Ted Cooke, who served for 27 often colorful years as the Police Chief of Culver City.
Cooke and Allegations
Some of the most serious allegations of department corruption in a grand jury complaint filed last month by Culver City officers involve Mr. Cooke. Chief Cooke always did things his way, said the officer. Ill give you an example. When Steve Cooley became County District Attorney, all of the police chiefs in Los Angeles County agreed to forward to Cooleys office the pertinent information whenever there was an officer-involved shooting or an excessive-use-of-force case. Cooley was trying to prevent any possibility of criminal charges being brought against officers. All of the chiefs in the county signed the agreement. Except Cooke. See, he was the final authority in our department. The only authority. He determined who was guilty, who wasnt. He hired. He fired. No one else made those decisions. This is one of the reasons he was feared. If you went along with the program, then it didnt matter what you did, you were okay, even if you committed a crime. If you didnt go along with the program, you could commit a minor infraction and get fired. That is the way the department worked under Cooke.
