INGLEWOOD, Calif. (2UrbanGirls) — Since the devastating visuals behind the death of George Floyd, law enforcement has seen a wave of departures from longtime employees as scrutiny grew over how which they did their job. The loss of personnel has also affected local departments, including the Inglewood and Los Angeles Police Departments. LAPD came up with the idea of rehiring retirees that Inglewood can’t entertain because of Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr.
Related: Faced with dwindling ranks, LAPD seeks to rehire retired officers
Inglewood, a city much smaller than Los Angeles with fewer than 300 sworn officers, has seen a massive departure at the intersection of the Floyd and COVID mandates.
The Inglewood Police Department has lost nearly three dozen officers to retirements and departures to outside agencies. Many staff members are aware that the fact that Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts acts as the de facto “chief of police” does not make matters much better.
Treasurer Wanda Brown alleged he used sworn agents to “stake” his house. Butts’ ex-assistant, and others, describe the mayor requisitioning officers to shut down small business grand opening because he thought she was there, and who can forget he showed up at an official city event a few months ago with a jacket emblazoned with the word “chef” on it because he says he can still fit it.
The Inglewood chief continues to recover in an intensive care bed while taxpayers pay him, the notes check, nearly $500,000 a year in salary and benefits after being with the department since 1981. The department was at the center of the nation in October 2021 when a long-time detective, who received a payout from Butts’ re-election campaign, was charged with federal drug distribution charges. His trial is scheduled for May 9, 2023.
Two high-profile homicides remain unsolved. The murder of Andrew Summerfield was reportedly caught on surveillance cameras in one of the city’s parks in January 2021 and Breahna Stines, 20, Marneysha Hamilton, 25, Jayden Griffin, 21, and Teron Whittiker Jr., 21 killers are still on the loose after being killed at a birthday party at an Inglewood Airbnb weeks before Super Bowl 56. And who can forget the ACLU sued the department for its efforts to shred documents to keep them from going public or that Butts was in an IPD-issued vehicle when he nearly killed an LAPD motoring officer?
All this happened under Fronterotta.
Butts has now moved up to black police captain as acting police chief as the department grapples with the same issues as the Los Angeles Police Department — recruiting.
The LAPD appears to have had the idea of rehiring 200 retirees, as 600 current officers are expected to leave within the next year.
LAPD will use the “bounce back” program to bring retired officers back for up to one year. Most retirees are primarily used to work on film productions in the city, not to get back in a patrol car.
Inglewood would be hard-pressed to find ANY retiree willing to come back knowing Butts was part of the equation. Even though retirees have a lot of respect for the acting chief captain. Cardell Hurt, his personal pleas would fall on deaf ears as long as Butts continued to exercise control over the department as he did over Mark Fronterotta.
Butts’ damage to Inglewood goes beyond gentrification, it affects the safety of residents.
The issues plaguing the Inglewood Police Department also conflict with the city charter which mandates an officer-resident ratio that is not being adhered to.
Butts is also under a microscope as he is expected to take the helm this Friday, January 20, as his ex-assistant seeks a permanent restraining order against him.
In her filing responding to her request, Butts’ attorneys alluded to a marriage between the two. When this site posted it, normally the idea of spreading “misinformation” about it generated it in the comments section threatening legal action. That didn’t happen this time.
If Butts and Melanie McDade turn out to be married, is it for “love” or to prevent her from testifying against him in the future? Either way, Butts’ damage to the city is extensive, and the council must consider, is Butts worth the risk?
One board member is a former officer and two others were trained in law school and fully understand the accountability that comes with all of Butts’ behavior. The other is anchored in his political survival since he is re-elected in less than two months on March 7. But as it is not their money who cares?
If it was a game of chess, our queen (the city) is in danger of being captured.
At a minimum, the board must remove Butts as chairman of the board and relegate him to the sidelines. They should prohibit city personnel from performing tasks outside of their area of expertise, such as being Butts’ personal driver. Butts should also not be allowed to use a 24/7 vehicle owned by the city.
The council’s continued and unwavering support for him leaves residents with the belief that he must have some dirt on them.
It’s a sad day in Inglewood.
Comments are closed.