Hawthorne : Police Captain Transferred

A tempest in the Police Department has apparently ended with the transfer of a controversial captain in charge of patrol operations.

The Hawthorne Police Officers Assn. has withdrawn its Oct. 15 letter of no confidence in Police Chief Kenneth Stonebraker following the transfer of Capt. David Barnes, who was commander of day-to-day operations, according to Stonebraker.

Barnes was replaced by Capt. Stephen Port.

In the letter, which was presented to the City Council, the association listed 10 objections to Barnes and Stonebraker, most of them concerning the way Barnes ran patrol operations.

Council members defended the chief and Barnes, saying that the patrol needed a firm leader when Barnes was assigned to the job.

Barnes said in an interview that he had requested a transfer to commander of the services division, which handles records, because the criticism had hampered his effectiveness, subjecting routine decisions to second-guessing. Stonebraker said Barnes’ pay was not affected by the transfer, which took effect Nov. 25.

The chief said he learned that the association was withdrawing its letter when he met with its board of directors last Friday. Association members could not be reached for comment.