Second in a series.
In these lately troubled, anti-police times, police departments – where cops are not shot at — talk so frequently of forging partnerships with community groups that walking hand-in-hand feels as natural as a family member.
Wasn’t this the historic norm?
Not quite. Even in Culver City, partnerships only have lately sprouted.
“You know we weren’t always that way,” said Asst. Chief Chris Gutierrez, hearkening back to the late century and earliest years of this century.
“I think we were behind the times, but we have gotten so much better.
“That is one of Chief (Scott) Bixby’s biggest points with our department, partnership with the community.”
Mr. Gutierrez, retiring at the end of July before returning to his native Colorado, said the recent spate of assassinations of police officers “is heartbreaking from a bunch of different standpoints.
“I never second-guess other departments or how they go about doing things,” he said, “but this is like being punched in the stomach.
“It takes the wind out of your sails for a little bit. Bottom line, in our organization, we all know what we are doing. We know the perspective that we have.
“You stay on course, and that is what Chief Bixby always has expressed to us.”
(To be continued)