Secondary News Stories (5 Stories)
Police Chief: ACLU Story is False
By From STAFF REPORTS | Photograph by CANDICE MERRILL
Saturday, November 29, 2008, 6:57 pm

Pasadena Police Chief Bernard K. Melekian

Pasadena Police Chief Bernard Melekian says information presented by ACLU representatives to the Board of Education on Nov. 5 about a school policing incident "was not just inaccurate, it was false."

In an interview at police headquarters last week, Melekian said that information was used as "the justification to take no action" on expanding the Pasadena Police Department's "Safe Schools" program to two middle school campuses.

The School Board postponed a vote to allocate Pasadena police resources to Washington and Wilson Middle Schools after ACLU representatives described an incident during which they alleged three police officers illegally questioned a juvenile about a crime.

Melekian said that incident "probably didn't happen."

"That would be a serious case of police misconduct and one that I would assume the ACLU would have brought forward to me," he said. 

However, Melekian said that no misconduct complaints have been filed over the past year against police officers operating on school campuses and points to what he called a successful policing program in local high schools.

In its first year in Pasadena high schools, Operation Safe Schools generated approximately 7,500 calls for service which resulted in about 40 arrests, Melekian said.

"40 kids got arrested in nine months! There were 180 mediations," Melekian said. "These officers are not out there to take people to jail. The idea that the Pasadena police are criminalizing youth may possibly be one of the stupidest statements I've ever heard."

Melekian continued by saying "I have no vested interest in whether we have policing in the middle schools or not," adding that he does think "it's a good idea."

Melekian said he plans to address the School Board at its Dec. 9 meeting.

"The board can make any decision it wants," Melekian said. "But for individual board members to suggest that the Pasadena police officers are somehow victimizing these young people... Now my questions for the board will have to be: 'What do you want from the Pasadena Police Department? Do you want this relationship to continue?'"