Profile: : Lawrence Binkley
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Fired recently as Long Beach police chief. Age: 51
Education: Master’s degree in public administration from USC. Bachelor’s degree in police science from Cal State Los Angeles.
Experience: A 24-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, where he retired as a commander. His accomplishments there included overseeing traffic control and security of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. He joined the Long Beach Police Department on March 1, 1987.
Major Contributions: While in Long Beach, he upgraded standards, increased training, worked to eliminate police brutality and improved relations with minorities, who make up half of the Long Beach population. In a report distributed to City Hall and the media two years ago, the Police Department cited more than 150 improvements between 1988 and 1989.
Quotes:
February, 1987: “I’m very optimistic about the support from within the department and in the community.”
Jan. 16, 1992 (one day after being fired): “I know I was a tough guy and a hard guy to get along with, but I didn’t deserve this.”
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