John Montanio, the short-term police chief, caught city leaders off-guard on Oct. 20 with the announcement that he would retire and leave town seven weeks later.
Not only that, he has attempted to shape the war for his job. Several weeks ago, he made a highly controversial move intended to shut down much debate about the selection of his successor. Seeking out the City Council members he was closest to, Mr. Montanio, in the strongest terms he could summon, recommended to them that they vote for Capt. Cerres Black.
Ironically, colleagues of the highest ranking black officer in department history told thefrontpageonline.com that virtually no one in the department regards Mr. Black as chief material. One cop called Mr. Montanio’s choice of candidates as “odd.”
Physically imposing, Mr. Black brings a tall, commanding presence to his candidacy, the portrait of what many people think a cop should look like.
Capt. Hank Davies, who made a hard run at the job the last time it came open, was the most predictable insider candidate.
Regarded as one of the “nicest” of Culver City’s hundred and twenty officers, Mr. Davies was eliminated prior to the final round two years ago when Mr. Cooke retired after twenty-seven years.
Friends say that Mr. Davies may pack a stronger thirst for the chief’s position than any of the hometown contenders.
Recognized by his gray crewcut, Mr. Davies hopes to capture the coveted prize he missed out on last year.
In contrast to Mr. Black, colleagues say that Mr. Davies enjoys wide and “definitely” more aggressive support from fellow officers. Some may remember that “aggressive support” by several of Mr. Davies’ most enthusiastic fellow officers was severely criticized after he was eliminated.
Lt. Dean Williams, pegged preliminarily as a longshot, presents himself as the best qualified candidate. “I would bring continuity to the department, and I am not a controversial figure,” he said. He further promised to unite a department plagued by nagging fissures.
All three contenders, Mr. Black, Mr. Davies and Mr. Williams, are members of the same class at the Police Dept., at or nearing their twenty-fifth anniversaries.
Officer Jim Raetz, outgoing president of the Police Officers Assn., is the fourth in-house contender. Mr. Raetz, outgoing in more ways than one, is a lawyer during his off-hours. He rates as a surprise challenger because he is the only one in the field without a rank attached to his name.
There is a possibility Interim Police Chief Bill Burck could become the fifth in-house candidate.
Capt. Jacqueline Seabrooks, the highest ranking black and woman officer in the history of the Santa Monica Police Dept., was said to be interested in the Culver City job. She was a finalist last year when Mr. Montanio won out.
Although she did not respond to thefrontpageonline.com, sources said that Ms. Seabrooks had two reasons for not runniung again. First, she would have to take a deep paycut, possibly $30,000 or more, and secondly, she is reported to be in line to succeed Santa Monica Chief James Butts.
When the plum Top Cop position came open for the first time in almost three decades, there was strong sentiment favoring the hiring of one of Mr. Cooke’s officers.
After the community had lived with Mr. Cooke’s muscular, unquestioned, some say intimidating rule for more than a generation, one argument was that one of the loyal, long-serving veterans who had grown up under the chief deserved a shot.
As the field was winnowed, following contentious campaigning by in-house candidates, Mr. Montanio emerged as one of three finalists.
In the decisive vote by the City Council, he faced off against two outsiders who were promptly eliminated.
Well-known and liked across the community and Downtown, Mr. Montanio not only had spent his entire career here, his arrival pre-dated Mr. Cooke.
Being police chief was a job he had coveted for years. When it came time for the City Council to vote in March of ’04, with Mayor Albert Vera leading the support campaign, no one had any reason to deny the Valley native.
Whether Mr. Montanio fulfilled the ambitious expectations of his supporters is a topic that will continue to be debated.
His honeymoon was truncated, if it ever started, in part because he was constantly being compared to his iconic, controversial predecessor.
(Observers say that Mr. Montanio’s successor will face the same litmus test. At least in the opening months, the next chief will constantly be compared to the deep imprints of Mr. Cooke rather than the brief, much lighter impressions left by Mr. Montanio.)
Barely five months after taking office, Mr. Montanio was struck in the face with a figurative bucket of cold water. One of his dearest friends became entangled in an incident with the Police Dept. Some of the chief’s critics say that event threw him off stride so harshly that he never regained his footing.
Mr. Montanio’s supporters say the bulk of the criticism was unfair, and sometimes felt like piling on.
In the spirit of leaders attempting to make one last mark before leaving office, Mr. Montanio ignited one final controversial spark on his way out the door.
In what critics called a legacy move, he elevated the newsmaking veteran Scott Bixby from lieutenant to captain. Mr. Bixby is the target of a lawsuit filed by a former co-worker.
Inside the department, where the most important grades may be given, non-partisan parties told thefrontpageonline. com that Mr. Montanio came up short in two areas:
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He failed to assert strong leadership over or command genuine respect from a sizable core of “independent” officers said to be in need of discipline.
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He did not demonstrate a stern, steady hand that department critics said was required after the lengthy Cooke regime that some characterized as dictatorial.
Asst. Chief Burck, who entertained chief aspirations of his own when Mr. Cooke retired, will serve (happily) as interim chief.
In anticipation of a long search —which may lead to the appointment of an outsider — the dapper Mr. Burck is expected to have ample time to warm the chief’s seat. The interim period also could allow Mr. Burck to grow his retirement pension to the maximum.
A buzz has been circulating about Mr. Burck ever since his selection. Officers who are particularly restless wonder what is in store for them during the caretaker period. Will the months be marked by low-visibility peace? Or might the rambunctiousness of in-house campaigning evolve into a distraction?
The waters of the Police Dept. regularly were roiled during the latter years of the departed Mr. Cooke. Critics say they did not become calmer during Mr. Montanio’s abbreviated term.
Moving stealthily last October and without delivering any prior warning to even his closest associates, Mr. Montanio, who is fifty-four years old, declared his intention to retire after a storm-tossed year and a half in office.
Where he goes from here, professionally, remains deliberately wreathed in mystery. He has gained a fulltime appointment to a highly secretive security position in a wide-open country he declined to identify.
Some said the outgoing chief’s vague description evoked overtones of a Mission Impossible future. In fact, Mr. Montanio will be under contract for two years to the U.S. Dept. of Justice, carrying out the kind of anti-terror, undercover work he has been performing the last three years on an occasional basis.
Why now? From a family standpoint, the chief said, the timing was “ideal.” His aging father presently is in favorable health, and he may not be a couple of years from now.
When Mr. Montanio and his wife, Chris (“who has lived all around the world”), leave the country, hardly anyone will know how to find them. They will be reachable by an email address that will not enjoy wide circulation.