Ferguson is not likely to ever occur in Culver City, at least for the reasons of racial bigotry that demonstrators charge.
For the Culver City Police Dept., it is sweetly ironic that in the Washington-led era of wildly hyped protests against law enforcement, Chief Scott Bixby commands one of the most diverse collection of officers in the country.
Whether the subject is the 101 sworn officers or the overall 148-member department, the ethnic and gender division of police-types would force a smile onto the faces of the angriest and loudest diversity-demanders.
For example:
- 44 percent of the department is white, against 60 percent of Culver City residents.
- 14 percent of the department is black, against 9.5 percent of residents.
- 30 percent of the department is Hispanic, against 23 percent of residents.
“Our department is even more diverse than the community itself,” said the low-key Chief Bixby, who will mark his first anniversary in charge next month. “We have better diversity than what the demographics of the city are.”
Chief Scott Bixby
While not just calls but gun-slinging demands for diversity echo across the country, Culver City quietly stands up as a poster boy for America.
Not by design, though.
Diversity happens, the chief said. It was not planned. “Quite by accident.”
Here is how the Police Dept. became ideally diverse:
“When we recruit, we try to find the best recruits we possibly can,” Chief Bixby said. “I am glad this has happened. Just turns out that it is a very diverse group. It is not surprising to me that the best available candidates happen to be very diverse.”
(To be continued)