Hail to new BPD chief: Much to do
Congratulations to Capt. Greg Williamson, who was selected Tuesday to replace Bill Rector as chief of the Bakersfield Police Department. Roll up your sleeves, chief, because there's work to be done.
Kern County had more homicides in 2009 than in any year since 1994, and the city of Bakersfield contributed the lion's share. At least 16 of Bakersfield's homicides were gang-related -- evidence that that longstanding problem refuses to go away.
Other cities saw significant drops in homicides -- including San Francisco, which had a 50 percent decrease, and the Los Angeles area, where homicides fell by about 20 percent. Kern County homicides bucked that positive trend, with a 55.6 percent jump from 63 homicides in 2008 to 98 last year.
Domestic violence incidents, robberies, fights, drug disputes, child deaths and officer-involved shootings also increased in 2009 from the previous year.
In so many ways, police department leadership plays a vital role in fighting community violence, from working with neighborhood opinion leaders and at-risk youth to forge trust and a culture of cooperation, to building reliable intelligence networks.
Those undertakings, among the many he faces, are perhaps the foremost challenges for Williamson. He'll need to call upon all of the expertise at his disposal, starting with the man he beat out for his new job, Assistant Police Chief Lyle Martin. Both men deserve our support and encouragement.
