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At that point in 2016, the Downtown lockup was in “shambles,” according to one department official’s assessment, with violations of state standards that included deficient mental health services, substandard training, lax record-keeping and even inadequate jailhouse bedding.
With no oversight from prior managers, staffers had gone “rogue” and were abusing overtime, the official said in internal police documents.
And it was the freshly hired Tom Behrens’ job to reform the troubled operation. But the assignment wouldn’t last long.
Then-LBPD Jail Administrator Tom Behrens, third from left, at a promotions ceremony with several high-ranking Long Beach police employees in 2016. Photo courtesy the Long Beach Police Department.
Nearly 300 officers from Long Beach PD gathered for the event on Nov. 5
It was held at Long Beach convention center to commemorate a weeks training
In a staged photo, the cohort of cops are seeing standing closely together, with the vast majority wearing masks as they look up at the camera
In a second informal image, all officers in view are seen without masks on
A complaint filed by two local groups accuses the department s chief of police of ‘knowingly and willfully ordering a super spreader event
In the weeks that followed, 49 officer have tested positive for coronavirus
Chief Robert Luna has apologized for not enforcing mask-wearing, but said none of the department s cases have been traced back to the event