An internal memorandum dated February 10, 2021 from Culver City Acting Chief of Police Manny Cid to the officers of the CCPD notes that “a huge change in philosophy and policing approach” is “effective immediately.”
Calling the policy shift “Refocused Policing,” the memo directs officers to “move away from stopping community members based solely on minor equipment related traffic infractions such as tinted windows, malfunctioning vehicle lights, broken windshields, etc.”
The community meetings on public safety held online in June and August of 2020 not only heard from concerned residents of the city, but also presented CCPD data as a part of a UCLA study that showed the majority of Culver City’s police work involved citations and arrests over traffic misdemeanors, with a disproportionate amount of those stops involving minorities.
Emphasizing that “Uniformed officers will continue to remain proactive through high visibility patrol in our business and residential districts, expedited response times in response to calls for service, enforcement of hazardous traffic violations, and an increased effort to accurately and toughly investigate crime when it occurs, ” Cid frames the policy shift as “an important part of our Department’s responsiveness and ability to adapt,” keeping a professional and thoughtful perspective throughout the memo.
As continued pandemic conditions have significantly decreased traffic both moving both in and through the city, the data for traffic stops at the end of this calendar year can be expected to be significantly different from years past.
Cid graciously thanks his department for their “unwavering dedication…to the community that we serve.”
In a brief phone conversation with Culver City Crossroads on February 17, 2021, Cid stated that the timing on the change in policy was about “being responsive to our residents, and policing in a way that is respectful to meeting everyone’s needs.”
Judith Martin-Straw
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