LAPD Chief: Decision To Recommend Criminal Charges Against Officer In Venice Shooting Not Taken 'Lightly'
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck defended a decision Tuesday to recommend criminal charges against an officer who fatally shot a homeless man in Venice.
Saying he doesn't take such a decision lightly, Beck told the Los Angeles Police Commission on Tuesday that a chief must defend his department when it is right, "but also be forthright when he sees something that he believes is wrong."
"I do not do this lightly," the chief told the Police Department's civilian oversight board. "This is not something that I take cavalierly or don't do without a considerable amount of thought."
The recommendation to Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey was made last month and came to light Monday.
"I think that it's important the chief of police not only stands up for the department when it's right, which is the vast majority of the time, but also be forthright when he sees something he believes is wrong," the chief told the commissioners.
Officer Clifford Proctor shot Brendon Glenn, 29, in the back May 5. Proctor and another officer were trying to detain Glenn after they responded to a 911 call saying a man had argued with a bar bouncer and was hassling passers-by, police said at the time. The officers spoke to Glenn, who began walking away but came back and struggled with someone on the sidewalk, according to a police news release.
Beck's recommendation came after investigators concluded that Glenn was on his stomach trying to push himself up when Proctor shot him, and that Glenn wasn't trying to take a gun from Proctor or his partner when he was shot, a department spokesman said Monday.
Proctor's lawyer, Larry Hanna, told the Los Angeles Times that Proctor saw Glenn going for his partner's gun. The decision to recommend charges against Proctor is political, Hanna said.
Beck defended his decision during his remarks to the commissioners.
"I wish that I didn't have to do it, but this is obviously something that is not only in the public's mind at this particular time, but also on the national stage," Beck said. "It's important that we be seen as honest brokers and not only willing to stand up for our folks when we believe in them but also when we recognize a criminal act."
KNX 1070's Ed Mertz reported at one point during the meeting, a Black Lives Matter activist asked the Police Commission if it was easier for Beck to recommend charges against Proctor because he is African-American.
The decision on whether to charge Proctor will be made by the district attorney, who does not have to follow Beck's recommendation.
"Decisions on whether or not to file criminal charges will be based solely on the facts and the law -- not on emotion, anger or external pressure," Lacey said Monday.
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
