Leading up to the local elections in November, the Culver City Police Officers Association (CCPOA) has been very active in voicing its opinions on issues.
On Oct. 1, the Culver City Police Officers Association released a video reinforcing endorsements made in September, while honing in on others as having an agenda against the police.
Their video began by highlighting an increase in violent crime around the city as shown in the July 2020 monthly crime report released by the Culver City Police Department (CCPD) which shows a 73% increase in burglaries and a 12% increase in violent crimes from this time last year, including a 61% increase in aggravated assaults, and a 52% in grand theft auto — which is classified as motor vehicle theft in the monthly report. According to the August 2020 reports, these numbers have inflated even further — rising up to a 75% increase in burglaries, a 19% increase in total violent crime, 83% increase in aggravated assaults, and a 55% increase in motor vehicle theft from 2019 through August. However, robberies and theft are both down from last year
While robberies, assaults, and grand theft auto are considered violent crimes, burglaries and theft are considered property crimes, and these property crimes have made up 88.4% of the criminal incidents in Culver City since 2017.
The video continues on by pointing out current Mayor Goran Eriksson’s support for the CCPD, but says that “his support is minimal with the current makeup of the council.” While there was a 2-3 vote striking down a potential reallocation of 50% of the city’s police budget with Eriksson, vice mayor Alex Fisch, and councilmember Thomas Small all voting against the reallocation, general support of the idea has risen dramatically since the death of George Floyd in late May.
After reiterating their support for Eriksson, as well as council candidates Albert Vera Jr. and Heather Wollin, the video noted that candidates Freddie Puza and Yasmine Imani McMorrin have openly campaigned on and support the ‘Defund the Police’ movement. In a separate post on Tuesday, the organization also scrutinized Darrel Menthe for his lack of commitment towards supporting the police.
“Why won’t Mr. Menthe commit to not defund the Culver City Police,” the post asked. It also stated that “no stance equals a stance,” and that “Culver City residents deserve to know [his] stance.”
Several hours following the release of the initial video, CCAN released the following statement on its Facebook page:
“For the second time, CCPOA has veered from a legitimate public discourse about public safety and personally attacked those who hold opinions different from their own. CCAN condemns these kinds of attacks on members of the Culver City community, as well as the use of false equivalencies to prop up specious arguments. We hope CCPOA will change its tone, commit itself to a productive conversation and work for a public safety that ensures justice for ALL who live in and pass through Culver City.” The post also had a link to an LA Times article regarding California’s consideration of reparations for slaves with the tag “in more important news.”
To stay up to date, visit the Culver City Police Officers Associations’ Facebook page.