Santa Monica Police Chief : He Bought a Ticket to Send a Social Message

In his 28 years on the Santa Monica police force--the last six of them as chief--James F. Keane has carefully avoided publicity, saying he doesn’t “crow” when things are good because he doesn’t like to “take the heat” when things are bad.

But last week, the 53-year-old Keane found himself standing before a battery of television cameras, emotionally defending his decision to ship a convicted sex offender to Florida, adding that he welcomed the attendant controversy.

People who know Keane say the chief’s unorthodox move was the result of deep frustration with the criminal justice system, a system that allowed Weston J. Hill to wander Santa Monica streets and beaches for nearly a decade.

“I would hope somebody is listening in Sacramento so that we don’t have to do these kinds of things anymore,” Keane said. “For this guy to be out on the streets just makes the whole system stink.”

In his personal life, Keane is a committed homebody and tennis player who forthrightly adds that he “hates parties,” a man who says that he fulfilled his life’s dream the day he became Santa Monica’s police chief.

A Massachusetts native and U.S. Air Force veteran, Keane joined the Santa Monica Police Department as a rookie patrolman in 1957, earning his bachelor and master’s degrees while moving through the ranks.

Among Santa Monica policemen, Keane is generally viewed as a progressive, tough-minded administrator. Police morale is said to be fairly good, though Keane angered a lot of policemen last year when he suspended four officers for using excessive force in the arrest of a man charged with trying to murder another policeman.

Keane conceded that the move was unpopular, but quickly added that decisions can’t be based on “public or internal” pressure. That same thinking seemed to guide Keane when he decided to rid Santa Monica of Weston J. Hill without consulting his superiors.

“I’m not the flamboyant type,” Keane said. “I was just put in this position and I had no other choice.”

The chief admitted buying a one-way ticket to Florida for Hill, a 44-year-old former mental patient who reportedly said he wanted to live there. Outraged Miami leaders said it was Keane who needed his head examined. But Keane, noting that a Florida judge had once shipped a convicted prostitute to California, said turnabout is fair play. He also made it clear that he was out to make a point.

“The second I thought of the airplane ticket I knew something like this would happen and I’m glad it has happened,” said Keane, his voice sounding raspy from interviews. “I hope it’s not all in vain. I hope someone is listening. Because we’ve got to do something to get these mentally disturbed people off the streets.”

The Florida episode represents the first widespread public exposure for Keane since 1979, when he was appointed chief just as the force was rocked by a 20-day strike.

Keane’s appointment to head the 152-member force came at a difficult time in Santa Monica’s history, the same year that angry tenants banded together to pass the nation’s toughest rent control law. As tenant activists wrested power from the old guard at City Hall, Keane was one of the few leaders to avoid the fray, eventually winning support from both of the city’s deeply divided political camps.

No Political Interference

“Politics doesn’t involve the police,” Keane said flatly. “All of the political factions have been very supportive financially. . . . And they let me run a professional Police Department without any interference. I’ve been lucky.”

He has retained their support.

Defending Keane against criticism from Florida authorities, Santa Monica Mayor Christine E. Reed called the chief “a nice, unassuming family man” and an “asset” to the city. “If I had been asked, I would have told him not to do this,” Reed said. “But I also have a lot of understanding for the frustrations of our Police Department. He did it and it’s done.”

Other city leaders echoed Reed’s words. City Atty. Robert Myers, a champion of civil rights issues involving the homeless, endorsed Keane’s decision, calling him one of the best chiefs of police in the state. City Manager John Jalili said Keane is one of his “finest” department heads. And City Councilman William Jennings praised the chief for his boldness.

Not an Embarrassment

“I’ve always been very pleased with him,” Jennings said. “He doesn’t embarrass us. He doesn’t make any silly comments and he generally runs a very efficient police force.”

Keane, who serves as president of the Los Angeles County Peace Officers Assn., even won a hearty endorsement from Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl F. Gates. “I expect, given the incredible mishandling of this psychotic sexual pervert, that Jim’s frustration level was raised to the maximum,” Gates said through his press office. “The ticket should have been one way to the middle of the Pacific Ocean.”