Long Beach Police Department (California)

Last updated
Long Beach Police Department
Long Beach, CA Police.jpg
Long Beach PD Patch
Badge of the Long Beach Police Department.png
Long Beach PD Badge
Flag of Long Beach, California.png
Flag of Long Beach
AbbreviationLBPD
Agency overview
FormedJanuary 30, 1888;135 years ago (1888-01-30)
Employees1,164 (2020)
Annual budget$264 million (2020) [1]
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionLong Beach, California, United States
Size51.44 sq mi
Population467,353 (2018)
Operational structure
Headquarters400 W. Broadway Long Beach, CA 90802
Sworn Members624 (2024)
Professional Staffs389 (2022)
Agency executive
  • Wally Hebeish [2] , Chief of Police
Facilities
Stations4
Boats3
Helicopters2
Website
http://www.longbeach.gov/police/

The Long Beach Police Department provides law enforcement for the city of Long Beach, California.

Contents

History

The Long Beach Police Department was founded January 30, 1888, on the day twenty-four-year-old Horatio Davies was elected as the city's first city marshal.

From January 1888 to January 1908, the city elected eight different men to serve as city marshal until the city council adopted Ordinance Number 3, New Series, doing away with the office of city marshal and allowing for the appointment of a chief of police. Thomas W. Williams was the first Long Beach chief of police. [3]

Fanny Bixby Spencer was sworn in as a special police matron on January 1, 1908, making her one of the first women police officers in the country. [4] [5]

The Long Beach Police Officers Association (LBPOA) was established on June 24, 1940. [6] The Long Beach K-9 Officers Association (LBK9OA) was established in October 1982. [7] The Long Beach Police Historical Society was founded in 1995. The Senior Police Partners program began in 1995. [8] [9]

The current Chief of Police is Wally Hebeish [2] who replaced Robert Luna who served from 2014 to 2021. Luna resigned to run for Los Angeles County Sheriff, which he was elected in 2022.

Since the establishment of the Long Beach Police Department, 28 officers have died while on duty. [10] [11]

Corruption and misconduct

In November 1979, Thomas Lee Goldstein was convicted of murder after LBPD detectives pressured witnesses to provide false information. In August 2010, the Long Beach City Council agreed to pay Goldstein almost eight million dollars to settle the matter. He had served more than twenty years in prison. [12]

In January 2008, LAPD Officer William Ferguson and his younger brother LBPD Officer Joseph Ferguson were convicted of charges of raiding homes in the area under the cover of their authority as police officers to steal drugs and money. Joseph was convicted of three charges and William of eighteen. They seem to have conducted about 40 such crimes. [13]

In August, 2010, Officer Damian Ramos stole four firearms retained by the department. He later pleaded guilty. [14]

On 25 March 2011, Officer Eddie Sanchez pleaded guilty to DUI charges. He was found passed out at a traffic light with twice the legal limit of alcohol in his bloodstream. He was sentenced to community service and three years “informal probation.” [15]

On 11 August 2011, Detective Erik Alvarez was sentenced to two years in state prison for sexual contact with a female relative that began when she was fifteen years old. [16]

In late October, 2012, Officer Brandon Preciado was sentenced to twelve years in custody for eighteen crimes relating to beating his wife. [17]

On 23 February 2013, Officer Noe Yanez was sentenced to six years in custody for a number of charges including one count each of forcible rape, meeting a minor for lewd purposes, using a minor for sex acts, possession of child pornography, and two counts of false imprisonment by fraud or deceit. [18]

In April 2013, Officers Jeffrey Shurtleff and Victor Ortiz were found liable in the 2010 killing of 35-year-old Douglas Zerby. Zerby was sitting on step playing with a hose nozzle. The two officers mistook the device for a gun and opened fire without warning. The jury awarded damages of six and half million dollars. [19]

In December 2013, Detective Yvonne Robinson, a thirteen-year veteran of the department was fired when she was arrested for providing sensitive information on a murder investigation to the Baby Insane Gang. [20]

In mid-January 2014, the department agreed to pay $380,000 to a man who was attacked by five police officers . As a result of the agreement, the man, Perry Grays dropped a lawsuit that claimed that the officers, responding to a noise complaint, beat Grays when he asked them to provide their badge numbers. [21]

In October 2016, a Federal jury awarded $1.6 million to Miguel Contreras and Miguel Vazquez, (two cousins). On November 27, 2010, both Sergeant David Faris and Officer Michael Hynes were accused of beating Miguel Contreras and Miguel Vazquez with batons and broke one of their hands by stomping it without provocation. Miguel Contreras and Miguel Vazquez accused Long Beach police officers of using excessive force. [22]

In late July 2022, Miguel Vargas was released from prison after serving eleven years for assault. His conviction was called into question when officer Officer Dedier Reyes was found to have lied on other, unrelated official reports. [23]

Patrol divisions

North Patrol Division

The North Division has approximately 110 police officers and a dedicated civilian support staff. The current building was constructed in 2004. The building houses a rooftop 40-kilowatt solar power system and has the potential to supply 85% of needed power. The North Division business desk is staffed Tuesday through Friday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. and provides a variety of services.

Neighborhoods served include Bixby Knolls, California Heights, Los Cerritos and North Long Beach. [24]

South Patrol Division

The South Patrol Division encompasses the area of Anaheim Street to Harbor Scenic Drive and the Los Angeles River to Cherry Avenue. Area attractions include: Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach Arena, Queen Mary, Carnival Cruise Line Terminal, Shoreline Marina and a Downtown Entertainment District.

Neighborhoods served include Alamitos Beach, Downtown, East Village and Hellman. [24]

The South Patrol Division is located in the Public Safety Building at 400 West Broadway.

East Patrol Division

The East Division Station opened in February 2016 and houses the East Patrol Division and Juvenile Investigations Section operations. East Division police officers provide law enforcement services to approximately 170,000 residents. Measured at 24 square miles, the East Division is the largest geographical patrol division of the police department and comprises approximately 46 percent of the city. It is bounded by Del Amo Boulevard to the north; the Pacific Ocean shoreline to the south; Orange County to the east; and, Cherry Avenue and the City of Signal Hill to the west.

The East Division is home to 4th Street "Retro Row," Bixby Park, California State University, Long Beach, the East Anaheim Street Corridor, the Long Beach Airport, Marina Pacifica, Rancho Los Alamitos Historic Ranch and Gardens, and Towne Center.

Neighborhoods served include Alamitos Heights, Belmont Heights, Belmont Park, Belmont Shore, Bluff Heights, Bluff Park, Carroll Park, El Dorado Park, Lakewood Village, Los Altos, Naples, Plaza, Rose Park, and Zaferia. [24]

West Patrol Division

The West Patrol Division is almost 13 square miles and includes the Port of Long Beach, the area west of the 710 Freeway, and a large portion of Central Long Beach. The 136 sworn and three civilian employees serve almost 100,000 people. Officers respond to over 40,000 dispatches each year. The West Patrol Substation opened in late 1997. [25] The substation's presence in the area has improved community access to police. Each divisional station provides information and limited police reporting services.

Neighborhoods served include Sunrise, West Long Beach and Wrigley. [24]

Field support division

Field Support consists of over 200 sworn and civilian personnel. [26]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Beach, California</span> City in California, United States

Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the 43rd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California, and the second most populous city in Los Angeles County, after the city of Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Alamitos, California</span> City in California, United States

Los Alamitos is a city in Orange County, California. The city was incorporated in March 1960. The population was 11,780 at the 2020 census, up from 11,449 at the 2010 census. The adjacent unincorporated community of Rossmoor uses the same 90720 ZIP code in its mailing address, but is not part of the city. The Los Alamitos Race Course is named for the city, but lies in the neighboring city of Cypress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LAPD Rampart Division</span> Division of the Los Angeles Police Department

The Rampart Division of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) serves communities to the west of Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) including Silver Lake, Echo Park, Pico-Union and Westlake, all together designated as the Rampart patrol area. Its name is derived from Rampart Boulevard, one of the principal thoroughfares in its patrol area. The original station opened in 1966, located at 2710 West Temple Street. In 2008, the staff moved southeast to a newer facility located at 1401 West 6th Street. With 164,961 residents occupying a 5.4-square-mile (14 km2) area, Rampart is one of Los Angeles's most densely populated communities.

Bixby Knolls is a neighborhood in Long Beach, California, named after the Bixby family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisville Metro Police Department</span>

The Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) began operations on January 6, 2003, as part of the creation of the consolidated city-county government in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It was formed by the merger of the Jefferson County Police Department and the Louisville Division of Police. The Louisville Metro Police Department has been headed by Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel since January 2, 2023. LMPD divides Jefferson County into eight patrol divisions and operates a number of special investigative and support units. The LMPD is currently negotiating a consent decree with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) subsequent to a 2023 investigation by the DOJ that concluded that the LMPD engaged in a decades long pattern of civil rights abuses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suffolk County Police Department</span> Police agency in New York state

The Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) provides police services to 5 of the 10 Towns in Suffolk County, New York. It is one of the largest police agencies in the United States, with approximately 2500 sworn officers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Kathryn Johnston</span> 2006 police killing

Kathryn Johnston was an elderly woman from Atlanta, Georgia who was killed by undercover police officers in her home on Neal Street in northwest Atlanta on November 21, 2006, where she had lived for 17 years. Three officers had entered her home in what was later described as a 'botched' drug raid. Officers cut off burglar bars and broke down her door using a no-knock warrant. Police said Johnston fired at them and they fired in response; she fired one shot out the door over the officers' heads and they fired 39 shots, five or six of which hit her. None of the officers were injured by her gunfire, but Johnston was killed by the officers. Police injuries were later attributed to friendly fire from each other's weapons.

California Heights is a historic neighborhood of Long Beach, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of California police departments</span>

Police departments in the University of California system are charged with providing law enforcement to each of the system's campuses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California State University police departments</span>

The California State University police departments(CSUPD) (known within the California State University system as the Cal State Police or University Police) are the police departments of the California State University system. Their police officers are duly sworn peace officers of the State of California, as established by section 830.2(c) of the California Penal Code. There are a total of 23 campuses in the California State University system, each with their own police department. Each csu' police department has its own chain of command, however some of the policies are system-wide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rancho Los Alamitos</span> Historic house in California, United States

Rancho Los Alamitos takes its name from an 1834 Mexican partition of the 1784 Rancho Los Nietos, a Spanish concession, covering an area in present-day California's southwestern Los Angeles County and northwestern Orange County. Los Alamitos means the Little Cottonwoods or Poplars in Spanish, after the native Fremont Cottonwood trees there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alamitos Beach, Long Beach, California</span> Neighborhood of Long Beach in Los Angeles, California, United States

Alamitos Beach is a coastal neighborhood in the southern portion of the city of Long Beach, California. Although it was in unincorporated Los Angeles County when annexed by the City of Long Beach, it had been planned as its own community with a townsite.

Alamitos Heights is a neighborhood in the south-east portion of the city of Long Beach, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tucson Police Department</span>

The Tucson Police Department is the law enforcement agency responsible for the city of Tucson, Arizona.

The Los Gatos/Monte Sereno Police Department serves the cities of Los Gatos and Monte Sereno, located in Santa Clara County, California. The department is made up of 64 sworn officers and regular employees. The department is a full service organization. The department works with several other law enforcement agencies including the California Highway Patrol, Campbell Police Department, San Jose Police Department, and Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office. The cities of Los Gatos and Monte Sereno have very low crime rates, and the citizens directly support the department and its community programs through the Los Gatos/Monte Sereno Police Foundation. The current police chief for the Los Gatos/Monte Sereno police department is Peter Decena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bixby family</span> California real estate family

The Bixby family is an American family that was heavily involved in the development of California ranches and real estate in the 19th and 20th centuries. Through various companies, they controlled at one time or another large swathes of California real estate, much of it derived from Mexican land grants. Over several generations, their holdings included Rancho Los Cerritos and Rancho Los Alamitos, and parts of Rancho San Justo and Rancho Palos Verdes, totaling well over 100,000 acres. Parts of the towns of Long Beach, Bellflower, Paramount, Signal Hill, Lakewood, and Los Alamitos emerged from former Bixby-held lands. Within Long Beach, the neighborhoods Bixby Hill, Bixby Knolls, and Bixby Village are named after the family, as well as Bixby Park in the Alamitos Beach neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neighborhoods of Long Beach, California</span>

Long Beach, California, is composed of many different neighborhoods. Some neighborhoods are named after thoroughfares, while others are named for nearby parks, schools, or city features.

The killing of Douglas Zerby occurred on December 12, 2010 in Long Beach, California. Zerby, who was unarmed, was shot twelve times by two Long Beach Police Department officers while playing with a garden hose nozzle. They claimed that they mistook the hose nozzle for a gun and fired at Zerby, killing him, and did not make any verbal warnings or commands. It was later discovered through audio recordings of the officers radios that a house phone rang startling an officer causing him to shoot. The other officers fired once the first shooter did, blaming it on "contagious fire" proving the officers were not trained well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Downing (producer)</span> American film producer

Stephen Downing is an American screenwriter, producer, activist, and investigative journalist who began his screenwriting career in the 1960s while still working as a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer. Most of Downing's pre-1980 writing and producing credits appeared under pseudonyms to escape notice of the LAPD. Downing is active in the movement to end the international war on drugs and the militarization of police in America. In 2011, Downing became a board member of Law Enforcement Action Partnership, formerly known as Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), after years representing the group as a speaker. He left the board in 2019, but is still an advisory board member who gives speeches and writes op-ed pieces on behalf of the group. He also volunteers his time as an investigative journalist, with a focus on police corruption and reform, for a local print newspaper in Long Beach, California. As a television producer and screenwriter he is best known for the series Walking Tall, RoboCop: The Series, T. J. Hooker and MacGyver.

The Bixby land companies were a group of California-based land companies founded by various members of the Bixby and Flint families from Maine. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the firms of Flint, Bixby & Company, J. Bixby & Company, J. W. Bixby & Company, the Alamitos Land Company, and the Bixby Land Company controlled large swathes of California real estate, much of it derived from Mexican land grants. At various times their holdings included Rancho Los Cerritos, Rancho Los Alamitos, half of Rancho San Justo, and part of Rancho Palos Verdes together with other property in San Benito, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles counties. Parts of the towns of Long Beach, Bellflower, Paramount, Signal Hill, Lakewood, and Los Alamitos emerged from former Bixby-held lands.

References

  1. Sullivan, Carl; Baranauckas, Carla (June 26, 2020). "Here's how much money goes to police departments in largest cities across the U.S." USA Today . Archived from the original on July 14, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Chief of Police".
  3. LBPD 2006 Annual, page 18
  4. Harris, Marcia Lee. Fanny Bixby Spencer: Long Beach's Inspirational Firebrand.
  5. "Rancho Los Cerritos Historic Site".
  6. "The 51st Annual Police Awards Ceremony" (PDF). p. 17.
  7. "History". Long Beach K9 Officers Association.
  8. "Long Beach police seeking volunteers for Senior Police Partners". Press Telegram. 6 August 2017.
  9. Garcia, Sid (14 January 2020). "Long Beach retired veterans patrol streets like regular officers, integral part of police department". ABC7 Los Angeles.
  10. "Long Beach Police Department, California, Fallen Officers". The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP).
  11. "Long Beach Community College District Police Department, California, Fallen Officers". The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP).
  12. Long Beach settles murder conviction lawsuit for $7.95 million, by Paul Eakins, 10 August 2010, Press-Telegram
  13. Robbery Ring Disguised as Drug Raids Nets Convictions for Former LA Cops, 30 January 2008, Fox News.com, retrieved 23 January 2014
  14. Ex-Long Beach Officer Pleads Guilty To Embezzlement In Weapons Theft Case, by Ryan Zumallen, 10 February 2011, Long Beach Post
  15. Off-duty police officer pleads guilty to DUI. by Sean Emery , 21 March 2011, The Orange County Register
  16. Ex-officer sentenced for sex with underage relative, by Will Bigham, 15 August 2011, The Sun-News
  17. Ex-Long Beach officer gets 12 years for beating wife, 28 October 2012, San Gabriel Valley Tribune
  18. Long Beach police officer sentenced to 11 yrs for sex crimes w/ minors, 23 February 2013, KABC-TV
  19. Long Beach cops liable in 2010 shooting death of Douglas Zerby, by Greg Mellen, Staff Writer, April 3, 2013, Press-Telegram News
  20. Ex-Long Beach detective allegedly passed information to gang, by Ruben Vives and Kate Mather, 6 December 2013, Los Angeles Times
  21. Long Beach to pay $380,000 to man beaten and Tasered by police, By Christine Mai-Duc and Ruben Vives, 22 January 2014, Los Angeles Times,
  22. "2 Men Awarded $1.6M in Long Beach Police Beating". 12 October 2016.
  23. Puente, Kelly. "Man serving 39-year sentence to be freed after officer who testified against him is charged with lying". Long Beach Post News. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  24. 1 2 3 4 "Police Reporting Districts". City of Long Beach.
  25. "West Patrol Division". www.longbeach.gov.
  26. "Field Support Division". Long Beach Police Department. Retrieved 23 May 2016.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .