Photo: FLLewis/Media City G --Burbank Police Chief Scott LaChasse
In light of the controversial shooting death of an alleged knife-wheeling suspect, Los Angeles Police Chief, Charlie Beck, made a promise to his community in an opinion piece he wrote that appeared on the Los Angeles Times website today. In the op-ed piece, Chief Beck says he’s “… committed to providing as much detail as I am able to release about the facts of the investigation, and to providing a sense of understanding of the law and our department policy.”
You might remember, a Guatemalan day laborer was shot to death by LAPD officers in the Westlake District of Los Angeles back on September 5, 2010. The shooting sparked violent protests and serious accusations against the LAPD. In the op-ed piece, Chief Beck writes “… A thorough and transparent investigation is necessary to build trust in the Police Department …” That is so true. Beck gets it — why doesn’t Burbank Police Chief Scott LaChasse who spent years in the ranks of the LAPD? LaChasse appears to have discarded quite a bit of what he learned in the LAPD and embraced “the city hall insiders’ philosophy” here in Burbank.
LaChasse needs to step up and make the same pledge to the Burbank community about his firing of some police officers, that officer-involved shooting at the Burbank Kmart Last July, as well as come clean about his department’s policy on releasing mug shots. As I’ve reported on this blog, there seems to be a racist policy in BPD that allows the mug shots of minorities to be released, but not those of white suspects.
No more hiding behind the Police Officers’ Bill of Rights. LaChasse needs to set the record straight. if LaChasse wants to send me an opinion piece, I’ll post it on this blog. So what will it be, Chief LaChasse?
