Huntington Beach officials support Police Chief Robert Handy

Huntington Beach, CA As the Huntington Beach Police Officers Association (POA)

continues its campaign to discredit Chief Robert Handy, the majority of the Huntington
Beach City Council members continue to stand in favor with the Chief.

We support the men and women of the Huntington Beach Police Department, as well
as our Chief of Police, said Mayor Barbara Delgleize. Under his strong leadership, the
department has reduced crime by 7.8% since 2013 and by more than 30 to 40 percent
in some key areas within the city. The decrease is remarkable, considering new state
laws have led to a spike in crime rates and homelessness in many California cities. Its
something to be proud of as it could not have been done without the great work of our
officers under the tutelage of the Chief, she stated.

The most recent public attacks on Chief Handy by union leadership are reflective of the
tactics they have used internally to oppose Chief Handy in many areas such as
community based policing, implementation of body worn cameras, and employee
accountability. At a July 20, 2017 meeting, members of the unions leadership
unprofessionally and profanely demanded Chief Handy stop an internal affairs
investigation of a citizens complaint of officer misconduct that occurred outside a union
facility. In addition, the POA requested the Chief to cease further deployment of
cameras, and that he publicly demand the City Council hire more police officers. Within
days of the Chiefs refusal to meet these POA demands, the union started an intense
internal campaign to discredit the Chief, culminating with a vote of no confidence.

Since 2013-14, the City, under the Chiefs leadership, has hired over 65 officers to
replace the more than 30 officers who retired, added 15 sworn positions, four civilian
positions, replaced 83 vehicles, invested more than $1 million in infrastructure updates,
and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on new rifles, ballistic helmets, and tactical
vests. The departments budget has increased significantly from $62.3 million in FY
2013/14 to $75.5 million in FY 2016/17.

Chief Handy has delivered the highest level of service, comparable to any other agency
around, said City Manager Fred A. Wilson. The City Council expects the Chief to lead
the department in a contemporary fashion with current best practices in policing. Chief
Handy is doing his job well.

Handy has implemented many programs within the department to enhance law
enforcement while building trust within the community including monthly Coffee with a
Cop, establishment of the Homeless Task Force and Mounted Enforcement Unit,
enhancing Huntington Beach municipal codes, conducting multiple townhall meetings,
and creating youth programs. In addition, he was instrumental in developing a new
in-house Community Prosecutor program to support the work of the officers, and he has
re-implemented the Citizens Academy to help connect the HBPD with residents,
businesses, visitors, community groups, and more.
Whether it is during City Council meetings, community meetings, media interviews or the
public awards ceremonies he created to recognize his employees, Chief Handys strong
record of supporting the men and women of our Police Department speaks for itself, said
Wilson.

Mayor Delgleize added, Our community deserves and expects a Police Department
that is willing to address mistakes, strive for improvement, and be among the best in
their profession. The Citys leadership, both appointed and elected, is confident in the
performance of the Police Department and Chief Handys leadership. We are committed
to collaborate and seek input from the union and other stakeholders to find balance
between the unions interests and the leaderships responsibility to ensure a
professional and effective Police Department.

I have the utmost respect and admiration for the men and women of our department
who do a difficult and complex job every day. In spite of our internal challenges, I am
confident members of our department will continue the great work they do in the
community, said Chief Handy.