Ever since he was a child, newly appointed Police Chief Scott Bixby wanted to be a police officer, but growing up he never imagined that he would one day be the city’s commanding officer.
“To be honest being police chief was so far out of my mind when I started; all I wanted to do was put on the uniform and be the hero,” Chief Bixby said. “My first exposure to police officers was when I lived for a short time in the government housing over on Braddock and Marionwood (Drive). I was at Braddock Elementary School when Policeman Bill first came. I saw him and it seemed like he was bigger than life. I thought ‘This is what I want to do.’”
For a young Bixby, being a police officer was more than the typical answer when asked what he wanted to do when he grew up. So at the young age of 15, Bixby joined the Culver City Police Department Explorer Program demonstrating maturity and dedication not seen in many teenagers his age.
“It was a bit of a sacrifice because it was all day long on Saturdays: It was a shortened version of the real academy where you do the stress environment and physical aspect of things, but it was a goal that I had set for myself,” Chief Bixby said. “Growing up my mother was my hero. My dad passed away when I was six years old and she was left with four kids that she raised on her own working as a waitress; quitting was something that I never saw her do, so it is something that translated into what I do and my work ethic.”
After graduating from Culver City High School Bixby continued to pursue his career in law enforcement in the city that he called home. After 14 years as an officer Bixby promoted to sergeant, which Chief Bixby described as a bit of a latebloom, but which was one of the many milestones he reached along the way in a long and productive career. Still, he did not consider the idea of possibly becoming police chief until later in his career.
“It (being police chief) probably crept into my mind around 2005 because that is when I promoted to captain,” Chief Bixby said. “When I tested and made captain I thought it was huge; making any rank is a big deal.”
Despite the recent promotion and possible opening in the position of police chief, Bixby did believe that he was competitive enough for the position given his short time as a captain.
“When Chief Pederson came, based on the landscape, I kind of thought to myself that the timing might work,” Chief Bixby said. “Chief Pedersen and I got along very well and he was a good mentor to me. It was around 2012 that there was a little thought in my mind that it could happen.”
Even though his functions as the department’s chief require him to fulfill different obligations, Chief Bixby continues to enjoy the thrill of putting on his uniform and walking into the station like he did when he first started working at the department.
“I have a great time when I walk down the hallways at the station and see some of the younger officers who just made a good arrest writing up their reports, with the evidence on the table,” Chief Bixby said. “I look at their expression of excitement which is the same thing that I had when I was their age. Now my excitement is in that I get to provide the environment in which they can thrive.”
Culver City’s safety and emergency services are considered among the best in the country, which is something that Chief Bixby takes lots of pride in.
“I want our response time to emergency calls to be three minutes or less; I want our case clearance to be double what the national average is,” Chief Bixby said. “Last year we had a case clearance of roughly 51 percent and the national average was 24 percent: that is important to me. Right now traffic is a big concern for the community and while in other areas that may be trivial, that speaks to our success where our biggest issues are parking and the effective flow of traffic rather than drivebye shootings.”
However, to be successful Chief Bixby believes that his department and the community need to continue working together to maintain a safe city.
“If can engage the community and they can feel as if they are part of the police department and that we are a part of the community, then we will be successful,” Chief Bixby said. “When I first came here I was indoctrinated with the culture of a prideful organization. That is very important to me and I hope to carry that tradition and grow on it. I want the officers and everyone in the department to feel the same level of pride and dedication to the city, its citizens and businesses. This is more than a job, it is a lifestyle.”