Use of force backed, morale questioned - A consultant’s report generally backs Hermosa police officers on their use of force against suspects, but calls for some “refinements” to officer training. Use of force by officers has been criticized by some residents, and has led to a number of lawsuits against the department.  The long-awaited report by consultant R.M. McCarthy and Associates also recommends changes or increased scrutiny in areas involving officers’ morale and their mistrust of police management, and the use of volunteer attorneys to prosecute misdemeanor crimes.  On the question of force, the report, commissioned by city officials, expressed “concern” that the department’s use-of-force instructor, Officer John Sibbald, was involved in a “physical confrontation” with a civilian while off duty.  Addressing morale, the report suggests adding two more management-level positions to the department, in part to address the “critical” issue of a “lack of trust” in the department by rank-and-file members of the Hermosa Beach Police Officers Association. 

New chief looks forward to leading the police force - Modesto Police Capt. Greg Savelli used to come to the beach cities to relax, and now he returns to head up the Hermosa Beach Police Department, effective July 31.  Savelli, 47, used to come to the beach to beat the triple digit heat of Cathedral City when he worked for the police department there.  “When it was 118 in the desert I used to drive over to the South Bay, the beach cities,” he said. “I really enjoyed the environment, the relaxed atmosphere.”  Savelli has worked for police agencies large and small, starting in Mill Valley and San Rafael, moving to Cathedral City where he spent 16 years and rose to lieutenant, and then Modesto, where he served as captain in charge of the department’s Support Division. The Modesto Police Department maintains more than 240 sworn officers, the Hermosa Beach Police Department 39.  “What is unique about a smaller department is that you get to know the community a lot better, and you get to know your fellow officers a lot better,” Savelli said. “It’s more of a family environment.”

Jury backs police in pepper spray suit - A federal jury has vindicated Hermosa police officers by rejecting almost every part of a civil rights lawsuit by a man who was pepper sprayed during an arrest three years ago on the Fourth of July, police said. 
The five-man, three-woman jury deliberated for two days before unanimously rejecting Kenneth Agner’s claims of assault and battery, false arrest, negligence and filing a false police report. The jury split 7-1 in the favor of police on Agner’s claim of excessive force for the pepper spray, allowing his attorney Thomas Beck to continue pursuing that part of the lawsuit if he chooses. Beck was not immediately available for comment. 

Hermosa Beach Arrests hit an all-time high - The year 2004 saw a record number of arrests in Hermosa -- 1,388 -- topping the old record of 1,315 set the year before. Those high-water marks go back at least to 1991.

HBPD 2004 Crime Statistics - Show what crime categories have increased from 1998 thru 2004.

The Easy Reader – August 10, 2006

The Easy Reader – August 10, 2006

The Easy Reader – July 20, 2006

The Easy Reader – July 20, 2006

The Beach Reporter – December 22, 2005

Hermosa Beach - Crime Watch

VANDALISM. A car parked in the 1300 block of Bayview Drive was reportedly burglarized Nov. 17 around 3 a.m. The victim, who reported the incident Dec. 12, said that he heard a loud noise outside the front of his apartment building. He then called 9-1-1 and assumed the police were handling a disturbance call. The man returned to his car a few hours later and discovered a trash can on top of it. He talked with one of his neighbors who said that she heard the noise as well and when she went outside to see about it she saw another neighbor. She said that he was drunk and has consistently harassed her, but that she did not see him throw the trash can.

CREDIT CARD FRAUD. An unknown person reportedly used a bank credit card belonging to a woman living in the 600 block of Fourth Street to make fraudulent transactions between Nov. 23 and Dec. 11. The victim checked her bank account online and discovered numerous unauthorized charges, the first one at a Shell gas station for $75. She learned that other charges had been made at gas stations in California, Texas and Arizona and the last purchase in Pomona. The total amount of unauthorized charges total $1,510.

ATTEMPTED ROBBERY. Two men reportedly tried to rob another man in the 3300 block of The Strand Dec. 7 at 9:45 p.m. The victim was walking on The Strand during his evening exercise when he noticed two subjects in hooded sweatshirts walking toward him from the opposite direction. The victim made eye contact with one of the suspects as they passed and he then forgot about them. Shortly after, the two men grabbed the victim from behind and he turned around and saw the two subjects. The suspect whom he gave eye contact to said, “Give me your money.” The man then pointed a black revolver into the victim’s abdomen at point blank range. The victim said he did not have any money and the suspect added, “Give me your wallet, give me your watch.” The suspect then began to search the victim’s waistband for valuables. The victim, afraid for his safety, handed the suspects over an inexpensive watch to the robbers. The suspect examined it and handed it back over. The suspects then fled the scene.