Dear Editor:,
Years ago, I wrote about the Culver City Police Department’s efforts to own a Ballistic Armored Response Counter Attack Truck (BearCat). See, e.g.,” CCPD Wants to Purchase a ‘War Wagon'” (https://culvercitycrossroads.com/2019/08/22/dear-editor-ccpd/); “Community Meeting Sees Controversy Over BearCat” (https://culvercitycrossroads.com/2020/02/12/dear-editor-community-meeting-sees-controversy-over-bearcat-vehicle/); Culver City Fritters Away Taxpayers’ Money (https://culvercitycrossroads.com/2020/01/24/dear-editor-culver-city-government-fritters-away-taxpayers-money/). CCPD is back!
CCPD and its supporters are still using scare tactics. CCPD has not explained how we survived so well without a War Wagon, and why we will not continue to thrive without it.
The LA County Sheriff’s Department provides all the War Wagons and associated personnel that Culver City would ever need. We pay for it via our LA County real property taxes. Further, CCPD admitted that it had no beef with the service LASD provides.
CCPD claims that the cost to buy a War Wagon would come from seized assets, but ignores operating costs and the diversion of personnel time. Who will pay to train the SWAT-like force that rides in the War Wagon? Who will pay to fill out tons of state-mandated forms? We—taxpayers—will pay and/or CCPD will divert personnel from more productive services.
CCPD needs to control its territorial instincts. CCPD’s rationale to operate its own War Wagon has been that it knows Culver City’s residents much better than the LA County Sheriff does. Huh?
This is another example of Culver City’s government’s addiction to waste.
Les Greenberg, Esquire
Mr. Greenberg,
While this “extreme” of beefed up policing may be an example of CC’s “addiction to waste”, you truly must agree that the city has and continues to change in a less than positive manor. Everyday CCPD posts the newest crime committed in the city, many of them violent. Myself being a 3rd gen CC resident, I’ve seen the changes first hand.
So, surely you feel that while this equipment may not be needed, we do need to maintain and perhaps increase the PD’s numbers and visibility. Especially considering the the large influx of “new residents” that we will soon see with large structures being built in and around the city. For example, 11111 Jefferson – old Post Office, the massive and out of scale building frenzy in the “east end” of the city, the STILL mostly vacant “Steps” in downtown CC, less than occupied multi story buildings along Washington on the west end, and the other “still in the planning stages” 5 (and more if the city would let the builders have their way) story “retail on the bottom”, retail that no one can fill / afford / need. With all of this “growth” of course we’ll want more PD presence.
And… you want to talk about addiction to waste? Lets talk about the insane traffic cone / bus lane / painted lanes / built out wooden(?) ramps that are built over bike lanes, now flaking up “murals” painted on the streets…
But I’m sure agree.
Todd Young