It has been more than thirty years since Culver City went out of town to name a police chief.

Some sources say that Mr. Davies is the sentimental and realistic choice. Hugely popular with his officers, he is getting his second swing at the position in two years after losing out to a longtime colleague.

            Every in-house candidate has his critics, too, as might be expected from a group of largely men who have been working closely together for years.

            “Davies is the only viable candidate, easily the most qualified we have,” one officer said.

            “Hank has become very businesslike, very chief-like,” another insider said. “He has been asking a lot of questions lately.”

            If an outsider were to be appointed police chief, he or she “would have to make a sharp adjustment,” a source told the newspaper. “The learning curve would be much longer than for an in-house candidate. The person would have to learn our culture and adapt to it. He would also need to observe our method of policing. It’ll be better if they choose someone from the inside.” 

 

            Mr. Black was enthusiastically recommended to the City Council by the retired chief, John Montanio.

            Even though — or because — Mr. Montanio served less than two years as chief, thefrontpageonline.com learned, his nominee was intended to be his central, most visible legacy.

            The highest ranking black officer in the history of the department, Mr. Black  celebrated his twenty-sixth anniversary with Culver City on Jan. 7.

            Despite the gesture by his old boss to give him an edge in the race, Mr. Black never was in the running. He said he never filed an application.

            He was, however, described by this newspaper as the leading candidate. It was reported that he probably had two of the three needed City Council votes already in his pocket.

            But according to Mr. Black, all of this was news to him.

            “I found out about the Montanio recommendation through your newspaper,” he said this morning.

            Mr. Black considered making a run. He said he declined to go forward for “personal reasons.”

            Since changing one’s mind is politically fashionable this season, he said he would not rule out a future bid for the chief’s chair. “I learned a long time ago to never say never,” he said.

 

            At the rate Culver City is chewing up police chiefs, Mr. Black may be confronted by another opening any edition.

            Ted Cooke was chief for so long, twenty-seven years, that they nearly built a lifesized statue around him. He was so deeply enmeshed in city lore that it was said he looked as if he came with the property.

            However, surgery incapacitated Mr. Cooke for the last half-year that he was on the job. The veteran Gary Martin stepped in as the interim chief.

            Not a candidate for the permanent position, Mr. Martin retired when the City Council unanimously voted in Mr. Montanioin March of ’04.

            When Mr. Montanio dashed for the door, and temporary retirement in December, long before a replacement could be named, Bill Burck, a former candidate himself, was appointed the interim chief. Mr. Burck briefly entertained a temptation to apply. He decided against it weeks before the Jan. 31 filing deadline, and he indicated he will retire once the next chief is selected by the City Council.

 
A Lieutenant Speaks up

 

            Lt. Williams will mark his twenty-fifth anniversary with the department in April.

            Job interviews make some people perspire and send others into the bathroom. Mr. Williams entered his interview “very confident, not nervous.

            “You never can know what the interviewer is looking for,” he said.

             “But I tried to make it clear that I don’t want the job because of my ego. I want it because I believe in what we are doing in the department. I know that I can bring excellence to the job.”

            Mr. Williams thinks it is crucial for the next chief “to speak two languages, as I do, that of an employee and that of a resident.” He lives in the neighborhood of the Duquesne Avenue Police Station.

            He spoke of the Police Dept. budget in relation to City Hall’s tightly pressing financial issues, which Chief Administrative Officer Jerry Fulwood recently laid out in detail for the community.

            “I have ideas,” Mr. Williams said, “for maintaining the excellent services that we provide in view of the diminishing revenues. I know where I would trim and I know how I would re-allocate resources.

            “You mend fences that need mending. And I would make sure internally that employees are satisfied with their managers.

            “You also need to hear what the community is saying. We need to be more accessible to the community.”

            Mr. Williams said he didn’t “want to sound esoteric” in illustrating a vision he carries for the department.

            “Coming to work today, I saw four women out walking their dogs,” he said. “When I go home tonight, I want to make sure they are safe, that they feel safe.”

            Mr. Williams said he was “especially concerned” about raw recruits leaving the department once Culver City has invested an estimated $50,000 in preparing them for career in law enforcement.”

            Why would such a person quit Culver City?

            “Perhaps we are geographically undesirable,” he said. “They like being close to home, and they don’t want a long drive every day.”

            Recruitment of women is a priority for the lieutenant.

            “Plenty of factors make our department a desirable place to work,” said Mr. Williams. “You can see the results of your hard work. We catch a lot of bad guys, and the citizens feel safe.

            “We feel very strongly that our corporate operation is truly successful.”