Suggestion to cut police department to stay solvent prompts political fight in Bell

The already fractured political landscape in scandal-plagued Bell is expected to worsen in the coming months as the city considers slashing spending to stay solvent.

Though many residents know the city's finances were bad, a draft audit by the L.A. County auditor-controller found that the city needed to make deep cuts in its budget, including possibly eliminating the Bell Police Department and contracting with the L.A. County Sheriff's Department. Cuts are also possible in other programs, including parks and recreation.

This weekend, the Bell Police Officers' Assn. came out fighting, suggesting that closing the police department would hurt public safety and disputing claims that the city would save money by bringing in the Sheriff's Department.

"There have already been cutbacks of police officers and public safety resources," said Gilbert Jara, the president of the Bell Police Officers’ Assn., in a statement. "We need more police officers on the streets to fight gangs, drug traffickers, domestic abusers and other criminals — not less.”

The specter of closing the police department was present at the annual food and toy giveaway held by officers Friday afternoon at the Bell Community Center.

Capt. Tony Miranda stood in front of dozens of families, with a microphone in hand, and addressed everyone: “We do this every year because we love doing this,” he says. “And we’ll continue to do this, God willingly.”

News that more cuts were coming was met with outrage from residents at the event. To many, it was the latest indignity after a series of blows that began with revelations that top city officials were earning huge salaries and continued when L.A. County prosecutors charged eight current and former leaders in a sweeping public corruption case.

“It makes me angry,” said Jeanette Cardona, 28. “Our city has gone through a lot.”

Some vowed to fight the possible closing of the police department. “You know, 9/11 was America’s wake up call, the drug cartels was Mexico’s wake up call and on the West Coast,” said Aflredo Vasquez, 46, “This is a wake up call for every little town like Bell.”

The auditor-controller's report found that Bell has been running a deficit totaling several million dollars over at least the last three years under former Chief Administrative Officer Robert Rizzo. The red ink is the result of hefty salaries and pensions for top Bell officials and extensive city-run programs, the review found. To cover part of the deficit, city officials took money raised by the sale of bonds for specific projects and diverted it to the general fund.

--Ruben Vives in Bell

Photo: Angry residents at a City Council meeting in Bell earlier this year. Credit: Los Angeles Times

Comments

[anonymous]

Cutting the police department and replacing them with sheriff deputies would mean less officers in the street because about only 3 squad cars are going to be patrolling the city and response time would tha forever...paying the sheriff and keeping the department would cost the similarly the same trust me I liv in bell...the council should choose what's best for the city and keep our department instead of disbanding it and replacing with fewer cops and less resources

[anonymous]

Replacing the police department with sheriff deputies would cause a big big problem in the city of bell and plus they would have less response time and fewer cops which would be a disaster for bell ..KEEP OUR DEPARTMENT THEY KEEP BELL SAFER THAN SHERIFFS NO OFFENSE

[Billybell]

Better for Bell to dismantle their police force and do like Maywood did their northern neighbor that dissolved their police force. So far the LA County Sheriffs are keeping Maywood with 9 patrol cars secure no officer involved shootings and no visible increase in crime. City of Bell will be broke keeping police officers who will then want to retire at 55 or younger. Do the research most cities with the LA sheriffs are safe and secure. I am not employed by LA County Sheriffs.

[upwinger]

Which police department polices Bell is less important than the fact that virtually all cities, and counties, in California are broke because we have rolled-over for the police unions. We know have the highest paid police officers in the entire world - doing incidentally an average job - and soon California taxpayers will be supporting more retired police officers than will actually be working. Police and fire department salaries, benefits and early retirements are the number one problem California taxpayers face.

[fedpvoter]

los angeles sheriff department is a leech. they sell you a great deal and then after a few years, they pull the resources and send them somewhere else. city of pomona voted down on the disbanding of their police force. compton is now on their journey using their own police department, rather than using the deputies. i live in a small city with our own police department and love it. remember you get what you pay for. city of bell, stick with your own police department. reform your council and demand accountability.

[maritza]

what i dont understand is why havent they taken away the posesion from all the people involved in the scam including their family assets, because we all know that they also benefited from them . not to mention that im sure money was transfer to their family . . instead they still live the same life as before . now bell has no momey to pay for safety . what a shame. good job to all the politician that take care of bell . to all the resident in bell ... think twice before you vote on the next election.

[Friend of Bell]

What the residents of Bell need to do is figure out a way to lawyer up and take back every penny those corrupt "politicians" took. Then use that money to clear up some of that deficit. Don't disband the Police Department, try and get them to take a cut in pay at least until the city gets back on track.

[Justthefacts]

I lived in a city for a time contracted by the LA Sheriff's Department and they were great. They were fast to respond, etc. Vivi en una ciudad patrullado por el Departamento de Sheriff de Los Angeles y eran buenisimo. Rapido de responder (y les llame 3 0 4 veces--tenia un disputo con un vecino). I'm sure there are great officers on the Bell Police Department and they want to save the Bell Police Dept; but the sad fact is that there is no money to continue a separate Bell Police Dept at this time.

[mike Hughes]

At what point will it dawn on anybody that having the LA County Sheriffs police the city of Bell would mean immediate disaster, not just for the city finances, but for the community itself? Having the Sheriffs Dept take over the city is definitely not the end-all, be-all answer in community-based policing. Sheriffs and Captains at LASO talk a good game at various city council meetings often with community activists present, in promising to deliver and clean up the crime problem.

Things have never been the same in that city since Sgt. James Corcoran was put on administrative leave for "insubordination." (Quotation marks definitely intended) It was an administrative cover-up. The only way for the Bell Police Department to fully recover from it's undeserved political scandal, is to make James Corcoran Chief of Police and bring "Mad-Dog" Reid out of retirement and make him the City's Mayor!

Mike Hughes

[chris]

Well the Bell Police Department was acting as a collection agency for Rizo, I think they all need to go to jail. The State or county needs to take over all city services and ALL city employees need to go and NEVER work in the public sector again.