Retiring LA police chief reflects on his career
LOS ANGELES - It was an uncertain time when Charlie Beck took the helm of the Los Angeles Police Department slightly more than eight years ago.
The agency had undergone sweeping reforms under a consent decree imposed after the Rampart corruption scandal, but officers in gang units were balking at new rules requiring them to disclose personal financial information. Efforts to add dashboard cameras to patrol cars had long stalled. And the financial crisis was battering the department's budget.
The plain-spoken, down-to-earth Beck was taking over from William J. Bratton, an iconic law enforcement leader who enjoyed a national reputation and had presided as LAPD chief over a dramatic decline in crime.
In the selection of Beck, the
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