Kuykendall Says LB's Declining Police Levels Show DeLong "Derelicton of Duty" That Fails To Keep Neighborhoods Safe And Shows DeLong Shouldn't Be Sent to Congress To Keep Nation Safe

(Mar. 12, 2012) -- Congressional candidate/former Congressman Steve Kuykendall says Congressional candidate / LB Councilman Gary DeLong has failed to provide Long Beach with adequate police to keep Long Beach neighborhoods safe, showing DeLong shouldn't be sent to Washington to keep the nation safe.

In a March 10 mass emailing titled "Gary DeLong Fails Most Important Job," Mr. Kuykendall calls Long Beach's declining police levels, recent crime increases and lack of a currently certified police academy to train new officers a "dereliction of duty supported by Councilman Gary DeLong."

"Councilman DeLong has not been an advocate for keeping you safe and now we have too few fire fighters and police officers. This type of mistake in making policy at the national level not only leaves the nation exposed to attack, but our interests and allies around the world as well," Mr. Kuykendall writes.

[Kuykendall text, subhead "Neighborhood safety is job one for every elected official"] At the local level that is your police and fire protection. Councilman Gary Delong wants your vote to send him to Congress where these decisions are how we defend this nation and our interests around the world. Councilman Delong has not shown any leadership in this area and now wants to be promoted.

In the last several weeks the council has finally looked at the shortage of fire fighters to fill positions going vacant and police officers, in the face of double-digit increases in crime. Councilman Delong has been silent on these needs as we have cut fire and police positions. At some point neighborhood safety is the highest priority and other things have to be cut. When we do not feel safe in our homes, schools and jobs nothing else matters until we do.

Fire protection requirements are driven by the type and amount of property in our city that needs protecting and how many older people require more medical service calls. Very easily predicted and staffed for and yet Gary Delong has supported the reduction in fire fighters and fire equipment in service. This is dangerous to Long Beach residents, even those in his 3rd district, and to the fire fighters who answer calls with smaller forces. Risks to everyone go up.

Our police forces have been declining for several years. Crime is up double digits and the city doesn’t even have a certified police academy any longer to train new officers.

This is not the police officers’ fault; it is a dereliction of duty supported by Councilman Gary Delong -- the police and city know crime statistics long before the residents know them, and they also know the retirements coming in the force. Throw in the state’s prisoner release program, where hundreds of state prisoners are being released into our community beginning last year, and we have a situation ripe for problems. More criminals being released, less officers being funded, more officers retiring and no police academy to train new officers, risks for all of us go up.

Councilman Delong has not been an advocate for keeping you safe and now we have too few fire fighters and police officers. This type of mistake in making policy at the national level not only leaves the nation exposed to attack, but our interests and allies around the world as well.

Gary Delong has been silent, never pushed back and residents face greater dangers than we should. Our nation is at war, there are potential hot spots around the globe from the Middle East to Asia and this is no time to send someone with no experience in this arena to Washington. Gary Delong has not demonstrated leadership in keeping our community safe. Why should we expect any better performance when the issues become bigger and more complex?

I would like to be your Congressman, bringing my experience as a Marine Corps combat veteran, former local city official and member of the House Armed Services Committee to keep our nation safe. I can assure you making tough decisions is something I have done.

As previously reported by LBReport.com, in Sept. 2009 and Sept. 2010 budget votes Councilman DeLong (who for several years has chaired the Council's "Budget Oversight Committee") voted to balance LB City Hall's budgets in part by cutting 140 sworn police officer positions (Council vote 9-0); in September 2011, he voted to cut another roughly 10 officers (Council vote 6-3, Schipske, Gabelich, Neal dissenting). Long Beach (L.A. County's second largest city) currently provides a per capita police level available for citywide deployment roughly equivalent to Los Angeles cutting over 25% of its police officers.

Most of Long Beach (including eastern areas abutting Orange County) has been spared murders and shootings that impact other parts of the city (LB's murder total for 2011 is at a record low). However, previously quiet eastern areas have recently begun to experience increases (from historic lows) in other crimes including residential burglaries.

At a March 6, 2012 City Council session on Long Beach's financial outlook for 2013 and beyond, city management said the City was unable to fund a replenishment police academy class for FY13 (the fourth year in a row) without cutting deeply into other services. The Council responded by voting 9-0 (including Councilman DeLong) to ask city management to return with various "revenue raising options." [Council discussion included possible tax increase ballot measures for the November 2012 ballot.]

The day before the Council session, city management announced plans to fund a lateral-hire Fire academy class, citing pension savings to which LB Fire and Police unions agreed which were sought by Councilman DeLong and Mayor Bob Foster.

Los Angeles (L.A. County's largest city) and Signal Hill (one of its smallest) currently provide significantly higher police levels than Long Beach despite a poor economy and Sacramento-related issues.

On Monday morning (Mar. 12), LBReport.com added the phrase "from historic lows" regarding LB crime data to our initial text (fourth paragraph from end of article)..