Long Beach Police Chief to Learn Fate : Law enforcement: City Manager James Hankla is expected to ask Lawrence Binkley to take a leave of absence while he and his assistant chief are the targets of an internal investigation.

The future of Long Beach Police Chief Lawrence Binkley may be decided Monday when the town’s embattled top law enforcement officer and the city manager meet to discuss whether Binkley ought to take a leave of absence while he’s under investigation, a city official said Saturday.

The options run from “the chief being dismissed to the chief staying on,” said Councilman Tom Clark, who spoke with City Manager James Hankla on Saturday morning. “(But) the city manager is leaning toward the chief going on a leave of absence.”

Hankla ordered the internal investigation of Binkley and Asst. Police Chief Eugene Brizzolara at least three weeks ago after complaints from police commanders were lodged against the city’s two top law enforcement officials.

Hankla could not be reached for comment and Binkley declined to talk with a reporter Saturday. City officials have refused to elaborate on the reasons for the investigation, other than to say that it does not involve allegations of criminal wrongdoing.

But police and city sources who asked not to be named say the probe was triggered by two commanders who complained that the assistant chief improperly counseled them about their testimony during a trial of a lawsuit in which all four men were defendants.

The case involved Police Officer Jack Ponce, who recently won $30,000 in punitive damages from Brizzolara and Cmdrs. John Bretza and Alvin Van Otterloo. Ponce had accused the three men and Binkley of false arrest last year after he was booked for assault with a deadly weapon after a fight at a local bar. The district attorney’s office did not file charges.

“The allegation is that Brizzolara told (Bretza and Van Otterloo) to testify in a certain way but never to perjure themselves,” one high-ranking city official close to the case said Saturday.

“(Brizzolara) was aggressive, and in a profane manner, he was telling them: ‘You are getting eaten alive. Don’t just say yes or no, give your side of the answer. . . . Explain the probable cause for the arrest,’ ” the official said.

After Ponce won the trial, Brizzolara allegedly attempted to force the two commanders to take a leave of absence. “(Van Otterloo and Bretza) felt intimidated,” said another source.

The commanders, according to police and city officials, went to Hankla and complained not only about Brizzolara but about Binkley and his management style, considered authoritarian by many in the department. Shortly after, Hankla talked with Binkley and then interviewed all commanders individually, the sources said.

Van Otterloo and Bretza could not be reached for comment Saturday. Brizzolara is on vacation and reportedly has filed for a stress-related disability leave, citing the pressure of being named a defendant in various lawsuits.