Jury Hardly Budged
He was on track to reach the pinnacle of his career before, he says, South Gate fired him without cause, explanation or timely notice. “I read about it in the L.A. Times,” he said. A jury believed Mr. Van Holt’s account this spring, awarding him one of the larger settlements in young Mr. Gage’s brilliant career. Jury foreman Gregory Gardner told thefrontpageonline.com that the jury believed Mr. Van Holt “all the way.” It appeared to have been just a question of how large the jury would compute the award to be. Collecting is, of course, a separate subject. In the likely event of appeals, it will be at least two or three years, possibly much longer, before the color of any money is placed in Mr. Van Holt’s hands. Perhaps the worst part to date for Mr. Van Holt is that his professional life has been shrunk to a postage stamp.
Who Would Believe Him?
He tells a story that many would say threatens credulity. He suggests that possibly half of the cops in South Gate have gone sour. His chilling account of a modern-day police department that reportedly terrorizes its own people is straight out of Edgar Allen Poe a century and a half later. Mr. Van Holt, a husky police officer who would inspire confidence in those he was protecting, made a remarkable observation. He said that South Gate has been turned into such a scary community by a huge segment of rogue cops in the police department that he would not dare walk the streets after dark. No one may doubt he could protect himself — but not when bad cops would outnumber and gang up on him.
Postscript
Now in his early 40s, with 20 years of law enforcement in his background, he could pass for the world’s tallest cherub. He looks like an altar boy stretched out. He grew up in a law-and-order home only wanting to be a police officer. His father spent 33 years with the Seal Beach Police Dept. Mr. Van Holt said his father at first did not believe the stories of foul cops that he told about his mere months-long attempt to help clean up the South Gate department. South Gate has forged one of the fiercest reputations in Southern California for resisting even the smallest drop of reform. Rangy and square-shouldered with a perfectly crafted crewcut to match, Mr. Van Holt was eager to talk openly about how he became disillusioned with law enforcement after being exposed to South Gate.
Next: Inside the South Gate Police Dept.
