Political Gumbo: Chief Perez Leaves Big Shoes to Fill

Sometime this week, City Manager Cynthia Kurtz is expected to announce the appointment of a new interim police chief as the city begins its search for a new permanent top cop.

Of course both of those stories will get their fair share of coverage.

This pot of gumbo is for outgoing Police Chief John Perez.

Perez is scheduled to leave the department this week after nearly forty years in the only department he has ever worked in.

During that time Perez has worked just about every detail in the department. Homicide, SWAT, gang and narcotics enforcement, internal affairs, even community relations, he’s done it all. As he advanced his career, the married father of two also pursued a higher education, earning a master’s degree in behavioral science and later a doctorate in public administration.

He also worked to restructure the department.

He also ended the ridiculous policy that allowed the LA county Sheriff’s Department to investigate local critical incidents. Don’t even get me started on that mess.

For the record, it was caused by several locals who thought the LASD would provide more accountability to local residents than the local police department.

Boy were they wrong. As far as I am concerned, Perez’s time as chief would be considered successful just for bringing accountability home.

But he did far more.

The thing that has impressed me more than anything about Chief Perez after dozens if not hundreds of interviews over the past 20 plus years, he is a realist.

Perez and I had breakfast after he was named the Interim Police Chief after Phillip Sanchez left the department in 2018. He pledged the department would be transparent. A few nights later he came to the NAACP and sat in front of some of the hardest hitters in the community.

All Black men, who aired their grievances, expectations and hopes.

Chief Perez did not deflect, did not play the victim or deny the past issues.

He took it all in and used a lot of it during his time as police chief.

When I was breaking stories at the Pasadena Weekly every Thursday during the federal investigation into former Lt. Vasken Gourdikian, who was selling guns illegally, it was Chief Perez who told officers in the department, we were going to find out everything sooner or later and called on them to come forward if they were involved.

He never complained about the reporting, nobody in the city did,  and when I ran into Perez in Old Pasadena, he lauded the job we were doing.

An additional officer did come forward, he was cleared by the department, the ATF and just as important — the PW.

It was also Perez that helped set up several media events that allowed local media to see body-worn camera footage of critical incidents, including the Anthony McClain footage, well before the 45 day limit.

Of course, no one likes what they saw in the McClain footage, even those who say they see a weapon, but the footage was released, and the footage of the incidents in the park that night were also made public.

Don’t take that for granted. See the 2021 cases in North Carolina and Alabama where judges upheld department’s rights to withhold footage, Oakland went through three police chiefs in nine days last year over a scandal involving sex with an underage teen and a fight for transparency in that investigation.

One chief stepped down after two days, that’s shorter than the time it’s taken to complete this column.

Either way, things are far worse elsewhere.

No, I have not agreed with every decision Perez made, but as I said about Steve Mermell, you keep stepping.

Moving on, Perez also instituted the chief’s advisory board which contained several critics of the department. Truth to tell, that board probably had more teeth than the current oversight commission.

Bravo for the transparency.

Yes some people called for Perez to be fired for not dismissing the officers in the Ballew or the McClain case, that comes with the territory.

In all honesty, I wouldn’t be shocked if calls to fire the next person in the chair will probably start right after he’s sworn in.

The biggest concern should be will the next chief be transparent and how will that person lead the city’s law enforcement division.

But just as concerning is how long will the next chief be on the job.

Since Melekian left in 2009 after serving as police chief for 15 years, there have been two additional police chiefs, Sanchez and Perez, and each one served considerably less time in the top spot than their predecessor.

Sanchez lasted nine years, Perez just over three, and during Sanchez and Perez time leading the department some of the most senior and experienced community officers left the department.

In just three year, John did a lot.