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Issue July 10, 2014 - July 16, 2014

briefs Board of Education shakes


up BHUSD school administration Page 3
briefs Government Affairs Committee
to host Allen and Fluke Page 5
cover stor|es pages 6-9
Straight talk with the
Congressional candidate in a
Weekly exclusive
BHPOA President Detective
David Williams discusses their
new board
Who is
Elan Carr? Rank and File
guest column Jonathan
Prince on the Board Page 5
Page 8 Beverly Hills Weekly
coverstory
RANK AND FILE
8hP0A Pres|deot 0etect|ve 0av|d w||||ams d|sc0sses
the oew board
By Nancy Yeang
What are you goals as BHPOA
President?
It might sound like a clich, but my goal
is to make the association the best associa-
tion [or even better] for an agency our size.
There are a lot of perceptions of our city
from outside the City of Beverly Hills, be
it from people from Los Angeles, Santa
Monica, [or] abroad. The law enforce-
ment community really holds us [in] high
regards. My goal is to make sure that
were not only meeting [those] positive
perceptions but that we do what we can to
exceed that.
Tell us more about the size of the
BHPD and the perceptions that you
mentioned.
Were a smaller agency. Were sur-
rounded by the Sheriffs Department and
by LAPD. LAPD [has] 10,000+ officers
and with the Sheriffs Department youre
talking somewhere around [10,000] or
less.
Some of the perceptions they have of us
are they think of the unity, camaraderie,
[and] our partnership with the community.
The fact that we have police and commu-
nity together on our cars is something we
truly mean [and] stand by. You have to
believe that. It cant be a simple thought,
it has to be a way of life. Every day when
you go out and work, you do the best that
you can to keep that police and community
together. We have to keep that slogan on
our cars true to light on a day-to-day basis.
The perceptions from agencies outside
of us are that we have a lot of community
support, that we take care of our citizens
here, and that we make sure that we keep
this city safe.
Ive worked for three different agencies
and in the police agencies that Ive worked
for [Beverly Hills is] unparalleled in terms
of the support we get from our community.
The other ones didnt even come close.
They were good agencies and we went out
there and we did the best that we could do.
But at the end of the day, I havent seen
anything like [the BHPDs] relationship
with our community.
The other thing that parallels what I said
would be community outreach. I know
what our agency were like 11 years ago
when I started here, and I want to make
sure that they always get better. At the end
of the year, we [should] say we really did
[well] this year, we really provided the
best service that we could provide, we kept
the city safe, we held people accountable
[who] come to this city and try to commit
crimes.
What are some of the changes youve
seen throughout your time with the
BHPD?
We had quite a few officers retire in the
last few years and our agency has gotten
very young very quick. But with good
recruitment weve been able to bring on
brand new officers who [are] consider[ed]
pre-service; people in the academy who
are hired with no prior experience with
the exception of the city academy we send
them to. Then we have laterals; officers
who worked at other agencies with at least
one year [of] experience.
I think the department has done a very
good job in their efforts to replenish the
amount of officers weve lost. Its created
a lot of opportunity because when [offi-
cers retire] year-to-year, it takes a little
bit longer for you to get certain positions
or exposure to certain positions. [When]
these tenured [officers] retired, it actu-
ally afforded the opportunity [for current
officers,] with regard to their assignments
or assignments that they were interested
in, that they wouldnt have pursued until
later and instead they pursued it a little bit
sooner.
Its created some benefits in some ways,
but there are some growing pains when
you get young really quick [and] then hav-
ing to reestablish your experience. That
experience only comes over time.
But the quality of our work hasnt dimin-
ished. Its a matter of mak[ing] sure that were
much quicker to get people educated and
maintain what our goal is day-to-day which is
keeping the city safe.
We interviewed outgoing BHPOA
president Detective Sergeant Michael
Publicker in the Weeklys cover story
issue #701. He said that he wanted to
set up succession planning so we have
the younger officers and the younger
generations becoming interested in the
association and becoming an active part
in it. What is the importance in having
the younger generations become more
involved in the association?
First and foremost that is an outstanding
idea. With our member-
ship, which is a very good
membership, we really try
to encourage younger offi-
cers to always be involved
in the association. Its not
a matter of simply say-
ing, Well I voted. Get
involved with your associ-
ation because your associ-
ation is going to be hands
on with the community.
You dont want your com-
munity involvement to
simply be whenever they
see you in uniform [or]
theyve called the police
because they need assis-
tance for something.
You also want it to be a
situation where [the com-
munity] want[s] to reach
out and actually see and
talk to the people protect-
ing the city. Thats one
of the ways you can go about it, is being
involved with your association.
Im totally in agreement with succession
planning. I believe that several of the officers
dont know about it [and] theyre not sure if
they can do it. Ive spoken to several officers
and told them some of the new things we
would like to do.
One of the things is [in the association]
meetings we would like to have Skype-like
system. Sometimes its difficult [to attend
meetings] for people who may have kids or
they might live far away. They want that
information but its not always readily [avail-
able] to them.
Why did the BHPOA members want a
new Board of Directors?
Were trying to look at something a little
bit new. To a certain degree, it would prob-
ably be unfair to have any one group or any
couple of individuals to confidently have to
float the boat for everybody else. When your
name is called, you have to be ready to get up
there and say, You know what? This needs
new ideas in and lets go forward and do these
different things. Thats how you get people
around you motivated.
I think that the entire time that Ive been
here there have been a couple of people on
the board who have done an outstanding job.
They maintain their service on the board
through and through, with the exception that
if they have to have a different assignment
that may be conflicted with their involvement
on the board. As thankful as I am for people
like that [who] are dedicated and dont mind
putting that kind of time in, you have almost
even ask yourself, is that really fair? Theyre
not given that opportunity to sit back and reap
some of the benefits that either theyve estab-
lished or that people [who] have succeeded
them can established.
Its a lot of work and its not easy. In its
entirety, the membership as a whole [spoke]
about a lot of different ideas, and it was a mat-
ter of going into a direction where we can do
a lot more outreach. We can get a lot of fresh
people in, get them motivated, get them out
there and be the best that we can be.
What are some of
the associations
challenges?
Its not so much what
our challenges are. I
think we have a real-
ly good membership
and [a] good group of
people. I dont know if
I could ask for a bet-
ter group of [six board
members] to work with.
I dont see, when I
think challenges, any-
thing thats major. Our
main thing is we have
to be very disciplined,
and [be] understanding
[of] our relationship
with our community.
Im very big on com-
munity relations. I think
this was something that
was taught to me when
I got here. I can tell the difference when the
police agency has a good relationship with
their community and when the police agency
is simply working in the community. The peo-
ple in this town balance their rights with their
responsibilities, and the mere fact that they
address that they understand what the respon-
sibilities are in the community is fantastic.
I just think that we need to make sure were
constantly breathing new breath into our
relationship here and into our community and
even into our agency. As long as we continue
to do those things and be very disciplined
about them, then our challenges can be more
like tasks versus challenges.
What type of cases do you specifically
work on as a detective?
Im assigned to the high tech crimes unit. I
do computer forensic examinations. Our main
goal is to provide support for our detective
bureau for our detectives [who] work robbery,
burglary, financial fines, [and] vehicle bur-
glary. If we have suspects [who,] for instance,
we catch during the commission of a crime
[and] they have a phone. We would do the
phone examinations that could determine who
that suspect [was] talking to, who he talked
to during the time that the crime [was] being
committed, [and] what text messages were
sent from him to maybe associate the individ-
ual in that crime. We do that at the level of cell
For this agency to be
able to maintain that
kind of a relationship
and rapport where
people unsolicited
tell people they dont
even know, We love
our police department
here, theres
something to be said in
that
Detective David
Williams
July 10-July 16, 2014 Page 9
Canon City parking lot.
Visit www.beverlyhillschamber.com/
events for more information.
The Manor returns to Beverly
Hills
Returning for its twelfth year, The Manor
re-opened yesterday at the Greystone Mansion
in Greystone Park located at 905 Loma Vista
Drive.
The Manor depicts the wealthy MacAlister
Family, standing in as the the fictionalized char-
acters of the Doheny Family. Charles makes an
illegal loan to Senator Alfred Winston, who rep-
resents Secretary of Interior Albert Fall, where
in the midst of a bribery scandal a violent death
occurs in the MacAlister family.
Attendees will watch the story unfold as they
follow actors through the restored Greystone
Mansion and witness the fictionalized story
based on true, historical events that took place
at the mansion 90 years ago.
Weekday events at 6:00 p.m.:
July dates: 10, 11, 12, 14, 17, 18, 24, 25
August dates: 7, 8, 15
Weekend events at 1:00 p.m.:
July 13 and 26, August 9 and 16
Reservations are made by calling (310) 694-
6118 in advanced. Tickets are $55.00 and free
parking is available.
phones, but we go as far up as computers
[and] Ipads. If its digital evidence, we bring
it in, process it and give the case agency the
information that they need to know to help
further prosecute their cases.
The Supreme Court recently ruled in the
Riley v. California case that police must
have a warrant to search cellphones
or smartphones of the individuals they
arrest. How has that affected what you
do?
That law says that from this point forward
we can no longer go into a phone without
a search warrant. It used to be that if you
arrested an individual and he had a phone,
prior to this Supreme Court ruling, they
basically felt that a cell phone would be no
different than your wallet. You can look at
X, Y, and Z.
Now the courts have ruled that if you want
to get into a phone, because of the amount of
information thats inside it, it goes beyond
being considered a wallet of sorts, and there-
fore youre going to need a search warrant.
You have to have good reason and prob-
able cause [for a search warrant.] This
has to be all spelled out and provided to a
judge. Weve done that in the past under
the circumstances where it wasnt an inci-
dent to arrest. Weve had to write warrants
where maybe we arrest the person at their
residence, via a search and arrest warrant,
to arrest them there, take whatever property,
we come back, we produce a search warrant,
we take it to a judge, the judge reviews it in
whole, they sign it off, and then theres a
process that goes after that.
This law isnt something were foreign to
because there are situations that are going
to require you to have a warrant to look at a
phone. Not every phone youre going to get,
youre going to automatically go into, even
in the past.
This is simply an attention to detail. We
totally understand it [and] no ones bitter
about it. Its the law and its our responsibil-
ity to follow the law.
How did you get involved in detective
work?
I worked patrol at [the Monterey Park
Police Department and the Cal State
University Police], and when you come here
you start off working patrol. It just so hap-
pened that the City of Beverly Hills had the
opportunity to start up their own forensic
unit. They were looking for collateral offi-
cers who would work patrol, or whatever
their full time assignment was, and come
in and learn [to] work in forensics. The
full-time positions are detective positions
because it involves a lot of investigations
and processing of digital evidence.
I [was] interested in the collateral divi-
sion. Ive always been [involved in technol-
ogy] and Im into gadgets. I [applied for it,]
interviewed for it and I got the opportunity
to come into the unit. I learned a lot, and Im
still learning. Its ever changing
Eventually a detective position [be]came
open. I maintained my collateral duty but
I went into the detective bureau working
with investigations in identity theft, which
was very rewarding. The investigations are
a little intense [since] youre dealing with a
lot of information [and] a lot of data. You
have a clientele of citizens, businesses and
business owners. It was really an introduc-
tion to me as to how financial crimes work
[and] how identity theft, fraud, and forgery
work. If I had leave the unit that I am in
now, I would actually go back and work in
financials.
High tech crimes [are] very interesting
because it gives you a slightly different per-
spective of how your offenders operate, on
how they function, [and] on the things that
they do to conceal digital evidence. Its very
rewarding, I love it.
How did you come to Beverly Hills?
I used to do recruitment for both the
Monterey Park Police Department as well
as the Cal State University Police. I actually
came across [retired officer] Ray Valdillez,
who used to be a background investigator
here, and he also did recruitment for Beverly
Hills. We used to run into each other at the
recruitment expos. I hadnt done a full year
yet [and] the first time I ran into him was at
Cal State L.A. and he tells me, You ought
to consider coming over to Beverly Hills,
and I still didnt know a lot about Beverly
Hills. I didnt think much of it. I was still
in my honeymoon stage of being a full-time
police officer.
After that we ran into each other about
three or four more times and then he told
me, Why dont you come out to the depart-
ment and Ill give you a tour.
I came out, he gave me a tour and the
environment seemed very professional and
very polite and I said, Wow, this is neat.
This is a little different than where Im
from. That was probably half of it.
But the true turning point that made my
decision easy to come here was [when]
I [went] on my ride along in 2002 with
Sergeant Mark Rosen. [Hes] a captain now.
When you ride with LAPD, nine times out
of ten youre going to be riding with a ser-
geant. When you ride with San Gabriel PD,
Monterey Park, or Cal State, youre going
to be riding with an officer. There are only
some agencies where theyll only let you
ride with a supervisor.
I was enjoying the ride along and hes
explaining things to me. I decided to ask
him, Im just curious, what is the commu-
nity support like here? He looks over at me
and he says, Oh, our community loves us.
My initial reaction was, Oh really? and he
goes, Yah. I [thought] Well you know,
thats kind of a loaded question to be asking.
What was he supposed to say? It wasnt
that I didnt believe it, but I kind of expected
him to say that.
[Rosen] responds to a traffic collision, and
the collision was on little Santa Monica and
Wilshire. He says, Were going to go to
this accident, and I said, Okay.
When we get there, I was in a suit and tie
and he was in uniform. We got out of the
car, he said, Sit tight. Im going to walk
over here and see if these people are okay.
This guy comes up behind me and he says,
How youre doing officer? and I [said]
Im okay. He goes, Is everybody okay
in this accident? I said, Oh yah, I think
everybodys okay. I think it was a non-inju-
ry but were over here to check and make
sure everybodys okay. Then he looks at
me, saw my badge and said, Oh, are you
in Beverly Hills? and I said, No. He
said, Oh, where do you work? and I said,
I work for Cal State University Police.
He said, Are you thinking of coming over
here? and I said, Yah, Im in the process,
Im thinking about making the move and
coming over here. Unsolicited, he looks at
me and he said, We love our police depart-
ment, and I sat there and looked at him and
went, Wow.
[When] we have so much going on in
the world right now, if you bring it down
and talk about the communities and the
struggles that different communities have
to go through, for this agency to be able
to maintain that kind of a relationship and
rapport where people unsolicited tell people
they dont even know, We love our police
department here, theres something to be
said in that. I think that was the true turning
point.
As a member or even as a board member
of the POA, how can you not want to main-
tain that?
What are some upcoming events for
BHPOA?
We have the pancake breakfast thats
coming up. We have the Black and White
Ball. We have our holiday party which
involves our retires as well as our current
employees. Our retirees dont necessarily
show up to talk shop, but when you get to
mingle with them, it affords us the opportu-
nity to show our retirees, look have far the
department has come and we can also show
our existing people, look at where weve
come from.
briefs cont. from page 5
briefs cont. on page 10
Pedram Salimpour
Los Angeles County Medical Association names Salimpour as
president
Dr. Pedram Salimpour was installed as the 143rd President of the Los Angeles County
Medical Association at the Riviera Country Club on June 21. Sailmpour will represent
6,500 member physicians in the L.A County are from every medical specialty and practice.
Shelby Kocee and Esther Levy Richman

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