Seven Los Angeles County Sheriff Hopefuls to Face Off in Pasadena Debate Today

 

 

The seven candidates vying to be the next Los Angeles County Sheriff have different stands on the implementation of rules and policies in the county, but they all vow to do one thing: To reform and transform the department.

Candidates Patrick Gomez, Jim Hellmold, Jim McDonnell, Bob Olmsted, Todd Rogers, Paul Tanaka and Lou Vince will be facing each other in a debate at Pasadena’s Neighborhood Church today at 3:00 p.m.

The event is free of charge and open to the public. The debate moderator will be André Coleman, Deputy Editor of the Pasadena Weekly.

Olmsted was dubbed a whistle-blower for exposing the corruption in the men’s central jail system when he was a commander. He said the corruption in the department “thrived under Sheriff Lee Baca’s watch, allowing gross mismanagement and scandal to occur.”

“It’s shameful what’s happened to this great department I was so eager to join over 30 years ago,” Olmsted said. “I believe the only way we’re going to fix the department is by instituting transformational leadership.”

Olmsted has taught criminal justice at El Camino College as well as leadership seminars to members of law enforcement for years. He is a graduate of the FBI’s National Academy, and completed programs at Cornell’s Senior Executive Leadership Program.

Corruption is also what retired Lieutenant Gomez would try to solve if appointed as the new sheriff.

“I care deeply about the future direction of the Sheriff’s Department. I will focus on putting an end to the corruption and bring back pride and integrity to the department,” said Gomez, whose 31-year career at law enforcement started in 1981 when he attended the Sheriff’s Department Training Academy and graduated as a Deputy Sheriff.

LASD Assistant Sheriff Rogers, with a slogan “reform we can trust,” said he would have a landmark implementation of an anonymous website where Sheriff’s Department employees can report misconduct without fear of retaliation.

“The people of Los Angeles County deserve a sheriff they can trust to keep their neighborhoods safe, uphold the law and the Constitution and conduct himself in an ethical manner,” said Rogers, a 29-year veteran of law enforcement and the founder of Lakewood Education Foundation.

Gardena Mayor Paul Tanaka, meanwhile, said he would lead the bureau towards a “new direction that is clear, consistent, unequivocal and sensible.”

“The sheriff must provide leadership that is unwavering, supportive, demanding and disciplined,” said Tanaka, who served as an assistant sheriff and a member of the city council.

Political patronage and cronyism were the department issues that Vince promised to resolve if he was elected as the sheriff.

“There will be no more political patronage on my watch. I will stand resolute to ensure command staff personnel maintain their positions because of their qualifications and performance, not cronyism,” said Vince, a nearly 20-year veteran of Los Angeles law enforcement and an elected member of the Agua Dulce Town Council. “The culture of the Department will be one of respect and professionalism.”

Assistant Sheriff Hellmold, another candidate, said that if he was elected, he would restore public trust to the department by welcoming future critiques.

“To be an effective leader, it is important to remain committed through good times and bad,” Hellmold said. “When troubles arise, it takes leadership and character to acknowledge where improvements are needed, and innovation and commitment to successfully implement positive changes.”

Hellmold, a 25-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Department, commands all of the Department’s Patrol and Detective Divisions throughout Los Angeles County.

Finally, Long Beach Police Chief McDonnell said he would “restore the confidence of our community in the integrity and operation of the LASD.”

“It is widely held that the LASD cannot restore public trust without strong, effective, and experienced leadership that can bring in a new and fresh set of eyes,” McDonnell said. “I believe I am the person most capable of restoring this trust and bringing focus back to the many hard working men and women of the LASD.”

McDonnell served as the second in command in the Los Angeles Police Department. He is also a graduate of the FBI’s National Executive Institute, the Senior Management Institute for Police and has completed executive education programs at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is the fourth largest local policing agency and is the largest community policing agency in the United States.

Former LA County Sheriff Lee Baca announced early this year that he would retire before the expiration of his contract in January 2014. He has faced criticisms during his more than 15 years of service as the county sheriff, including issues on inmate abuse under his supervision and other misconduct by his deputies.

The LA County Sheriff Debate is sponsored by Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church and All Saints Church Pasadena.

Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church is located at 301 N Orange Grove Blvd. For more information, email Beth Colcord of Neighborhood Church at bcolcord@uuneighborhood.org.