Police Chief Scott Bixby still was digesting the massive anti-police ugliness roaring out of Baltimore – from City Hall as intensely as from the streets and gutters – even as he groped to restore perspective.
“It is sad that we (in law enforcement) are painted with such a broad brush all across the country,” he said.
“It just is not like that.
“No one know yet how (the arrested Baltimore suspect Freddie Gray) sustained his (fatal) injuries. But it really doesn’t matter (to the accusers). People are so angry.”
Three thousand miles away, how do Culver City police cope with virulent anti-police waves washing across the country, leaking into all small and large departments?
“How Freddie Gray doesn’t matter to people,” Chief Bixby said. “They are just really angry.
“To cope, the only thing we can do is…we are pretty much an open book.
“I brag about the diversity in our department. The diversity in our department is greater than the diversity in our city. When people seem surprised,” Mr. Bixby said, “I like that because I get to come back with ‘I am not surprised. We hire the very best we can get. It just so happens that they are diverse. It doesn’t surprise me. Why would it surprise anybody else?’”
Mr. Bixby is sharply taken aback – offended — by such attitudes in the community.
“It is almost as if people are expecting something different,” he said. “We get the best people we can get, and they happen to be a diverse group.
“The other thing we do a lot,” said the chief, “is community outreach. I have a ‘Coffee with a Cop’ today. Can’t do enough of that. We do the Citizens Police Academy, we have neighborhood watches, we have our social media, we have our Explorer program. I am involved in several different civic clubs in the city, like Rotary, the Exchange Club and the Chamber of Commerce.”
In the Police Dept.’s continuing bid for understanding and cooperation, Mr. Bixby says that “all we can do is to keep reaching out. Keep our doors open. Be open about everything that takes place. Hold ourselves accountable. Maintain our partnership with the community.
“I don’t know what else I can do,” Mr. Bixby said plaintively.