Alva out as chief
It's never a dull moment in Baldwin Park.
Looks like contract negotiations with El Monte police Lt. Ken Alva for Baldwin Park's police chief position have fallen through. Sources tell me he was just asking for too much (apparently a lieutenant in El Monte can make more and get better benefits than a chief in Baldwin Park).
So whose next in line? BP's interim Police Chief Michael Taylor? Think again. It's BP's interim Capt. Lili Hadsell, who was a lieutenant before former Police Chief Edward Lopez left.
Hadsell did not turn in an application for the job when the city was soliciting candidates. Mayor Manuel Lozano told me she wanted to, but thought she didn't think she met the criteria.
Her contract is still pending approval, but Lozano said he's confident it'll go through this time.
If it's affirmed, Hadsell would be the first female chief in BPPD's history.
Comments
Somebody please send this to the Monrovia City Council. Pay for police officers effects the department they choose to work for.
Posted by: Robert C. J. Pary | May 8, 2008 2:19 PM
Pay for police officers can also bankrupt your city. See post below, e.g. Vallejo.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 8, 2008 3:02 PM
I think Baldwin Park made a big mistake let Lt. Alva slip away over benefits. I'm not saying Acting Captain Hadsell isn't qualified, Alva is and he proved it. You get what you pay for. Alva would have made a positive impact on the community of Baldwin Park.
Posted by: Big D | May 9, 2008 6:58 PM
Big D,
Do you know what the benefits were? I mean, Alva's qualifications obviously weren't the issue given he apparently was the choice. But to say it was a mistake without knowing exactly what it is he was asking for is a bold statement. I mean, what if he was asking for a million dollars in benefits? I doubt they were haggling over nickels. If the City had to go back and hire in-house, when it seemed from the process they were adamant on hiring someone from out of the City, there must have been a fairly large discrepancy between what the City could/would pay and what Alva wanted.
Especially when you look back at the posts in this blog and the newspaper accounts that seem to imply that Alva getting the job was a "done deal" and an "inside job."
Posted by: Anonymous | May 12, 2008 2:10 PM