By Gary Walker

Culver City, where politicians take pride in boasting that their city is unlike other municipalities when it comes to criminal activity, recently tallied more robberies than other cities of similar size.

Twelve robberies were reported during the month of August and half of those crimes involved the use of a knife and five handguns, according to statistics provided by the Culver City Police Department. Two other Westside cities, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, reported two and nine robberies, respectively.

Leaders of the Culver City Police Officers Association believe there is a nexus to the rise in robberies and the leadership of Chief Donald Pedersen. “There is a direct correlation between these statistics and Chief Pedersen’s lack of leadership,” asserted Sgt. Brian Fitzpatrick, a vice president with the association.

The union concedes there are many variables that affect crime rates, but Fitzpatrick said there are specific reasons why he blames Pedersen for the rise in crime. “The number of officers have been continually reduced,” he said. “The one thing that stands out when you look at the other cities is they have significantly larger amounts of police officers and the chief has not hesitated to reduce the size of the department to make himself look like a cost-cutter and a reformer.”

The chief disagrees with the assertion that he is somehow responsible for the rise in crime locally. “I haven’t seen a significant increase in crime since I’ve been with the department,” said Pedersen, who succeeded former chief John Montanio in 2006.

This year, there have been approximately nine to 10 robberies monthly, according to the chief.

Pedersen and the police union have been engaged in an acrimonious standoff that spilled into the public domain this summer after the association purchased full page ads in local newspapers that reported a no-confidence vote in Pedersen, citing what members of the union say are a lack of integrity, an inability to make difficult decisions and ineffective leadership.

Several municipal department leaders signed a letter in support of Pedersen subsequent to the no-confidence vote, and the city council continues to unanimously back the chief.

Fitzpatrick said the chief has also steered the department away from its institutional culture of self-initiated or proactive police work, a concept that draws different connotations among law enforcement and certain segments of the public. While officers in Culver City and elsewhere pride themselves on this style of police work, some civil rights and civil liberties organizations, and even some police officers believe that this aggressive form of law enforcement can and sometimes does encourage racial profiling.

In an earlier interview, Pedersen said that he believes in his officers being proactive. “My version of proactive policing assumes that we will follow departmental procedure as well as the law,” the chief stated. “I think that this means different things to different people.”

Culver City is 5.1 square miles, Beverly Hills 5.7 and Santa Monica 8.3 miles.

Larger cities such as Burbank, Pasadena, Huntington Beach and Torrance, which also have larger police forces, reported eight, 20, six and five robberies, respectively.

In comparing Culver City to Burbank, “Culver City has 33% more robberies than a city with more than three times its landmass, two and a half times its population and 50 more officers,” a POA release states.

“We’re not trying to scare people. Our job isn’t to frighten residents,” Fitzpatrick said. “But we think it’s important that they know the truth.”

“There is a degree of violent crime around here that needs to be addressed, and we need a certain environment, support and training to address that. And the citizens need to know about that,” added association president Officer Adam Treanor.

City Councilman Andrew Weismann said he doesn’t believe that crime has rise to the point of being overly concerned. “Statistically, I haven’t seen anything that show anything appreciably different than it was five or six years ago,” the councilman, who grew up in Culver City, said.

Michael Bauer, the president of the Culver Crest Neighborhood Association, was taken aback to learn that Culver City had more robberies than Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and other cities that typically have larger gang problems. “That is surprising, if it’s true,” said Bauer, whose group monitors crime in the hillside community. “I know of only two that we’ve had in our neighborhood in August, one on Youngworth [Road] and the other one on Cranks [Road].”

Fitzpatrick and Treanor say they are aware that some might say they are politicizing the August robbery statistics in order to cast further aspersions on their boss.

“In an action like we’re taking, to a degree everything is political,” the sergeant acknowledged. “But everything that we’re saying is absolutely true, is a concern to our membership and we’re hoping to make them concerns of the citizens of Culver City.”

“The statistics are irrefutable,” Treanor added. “To me, honest information can be a positive thing.

“I understand if you’re a police chief, you’re probably not happy with the fact that in five square miles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Huntington Beach have fewer robberies,” the union president continued. “But if you’re supposed to be leading the department, why not do something about it? Why don’t you task your command staff to see how we’re going to decrease these robberies?”

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which patrols the unincorporated areas of the county, has seen noticeable drops in crime. As of Aug. 31, preliminary crime data shows that criminal homicides in sheriff’s patrol areas have decreased by 10.2%, compared to the same year-to-date period last year (146 homicides last year compared to 132 this year).

Reported incidents of violent crimes have declined 3.63% and serious property crimes have declined by 3.25 % in sheriff’s patrol areas countywide, compared to last year at this time. These numbers combine to show a 3.33 % decrease in overall serious crimes, according to the sheriff’s department.

“The reason why this information is important is because we do have law enforcement challenges,” Treanor stressed. “And if you want to address them you have to let the public and the city council know what we’re dealing with.”

The chief stopped short of calling the attention that Treanor and Fitzpatrick are bringing to the robbery statistics political, but did acknowledge that he believes the police association’s decision to publicize its dispute with him was troubling.

“I would have preferred to have worked with the union,” he said. “I think it was a bit premature to take their action public.”

Weissman does think the statements from the POA leaders have political undertones. “The police union has issues with the chief, which is unfortunate, and they have an agenda,” Weissman said.

Pedersen said some of the officers have chafed under certain changes that have been implemented over the last four years. “Change is uncomfortable,” the chief said, echoing a similar statement by Montanio made to the News after he became chief in 2004.

Certain members of the city council, which controls the budget for the police department, made the appropriate noises during this spring’s city council campaign in which the cutting of public safety personnel was at issue. Yet Culver City has fewer officers this year than in years past, Fitzpatrick said. This year, there are 104 sworn officers at the department, down from 117 last year.

“The [police officer’s union] was very understanding that this city was facing some very serious budgetary problems, and because of that, we understood that their priority was solving the budget,” Treanor said. “Now that the budget’s been (approved), we need to start working towards what making this police department what’s best for the community and the officers in the force.”

Weissman disputes the notion that there are fewer officers on street patrol. “I don’t believe that we’ve had any drastic changes in law enforcement personnel,” he countered. “I’m not persuaded that we ought to be doing anything else that we haven’t been doing.”

Pedersen said no one should doubt his concern about any crime in Culver City, including the recent robberies. “I am absolutely concerned about all criminal activity in Culver City,” he said.