Back-to-back-to-back-to-back fatal shootings, an astounding four in the last four months by members of the Inglewood Police Dept., suggest a leadership crisis, says a ranking former Culver City officer.
First-year Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks has been on the griddle in Inglewood for most of the summer. She has been criticized for her lack of visibility and for her persistent refusal to comment on any aspect of an investigation, of discipline or of crime-scene circumstances.
After the first or, at most, after the second shooting, a thorough and transparent investigation of the precise circumstances should have been conducted, preferably by an outside agency, according to Lt. Tom Gabor, who retired after 27 years.
“Not an internal investigation because then police chiefs can control what happens. In order to send a clear message to the community when there is such a disconnect as there is now,an external investigation, by an independent source, is called for.
“If you have nothing to hide, you invite people in — whether it is the FBI, the Attorney General or someone else. That shows you are an open department.
“I want to stress that I do not know any of the facts in the Inglewood case,” he said. “I do know Jackie Seabrooks, though. Really and truly, she is a good person. That is important.
“But I do question the strength of her leadership.”
Having served under the legendary Culver City Chief Ted Cooke, and having clashed with him on a number of occasions, the much-decorated Mr. Gabor has long experience with crisis situations.
Speaking from a distance, the controversial but sacred police concept of “a code of silence,” protecting brother officers against public criticism at all times and all costs, may be at play in Inglewood.
“Sometimes leaders misinterpret what they feel they need to do to protect their officers,” Mr. Gabor said.
A Time for Reassurance and Warning
“The impulsive response always is to try and protect the officers, the department and the city from lawsuits.
“But I am telling you, you have to send a signal (to officers) that there will be scrutiny, that there will be an investigation.
“You have to send a message that there is no coverup. You have to lay the real facts, whatever they are, on the table.”
In the wake of four police killings in four months, the Inglewood community “does not believe two words that are coming from the department. There’s a disconnect that obviously has to be corrected.
“The right thing to do is (for the police chief) to send a really clear message,” Mr. Gabor said.
“There will be an investigation of this department from top to bottom, and wrong will not be tolerated.
Instinct vs. What Is Right
“The nature of the beast is to protect the department and the city from a lawsuit. But it is better to pay out a little bit of money in the beginning. If you don’t, in the long run, the payout may be quite costly.”
Mr. Gabor, who teaches criminal justice at West Los Angeles College and is a nationally published author, was honored on five separate occasions during his nearly three decades with the Police Dept. He received every award available:
The Medal of Valor, Distinguished Service, Sustained Superiority, Special Recognition, and Suggestions & Innovations.