Central Los Angeles : Station Named for Brewer

The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to name the Los Angeles Police Department’s new 77th Street police station in honor of Jesse Brewer, the late assistant chief of police. No police station in the city has ever been named for an individual. Brewer, the highest-ranking African American officer in the history of the LAPD when he retired in 1991 after 39 years on the force, died in November at age 74. Known for his integrity, Brewer was widely respected throughout the city.

“Even the criminals respected him,” Councilman Nate Holden said. “If he put the cuffs on one of them, they knew they deserved to be arrested.”

Added Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas: “The action was appropriate because Brewer was committed to the LAPD, but not at the cost of the community. He didn’t feel the need to separate the movement for social progress with his being a top cop.”

Brewer, who retired from the force two days before the Rodney G. King beating, subsequently testified before the Christopher Commission that investigated the LAPD, speaking frankly about brutality and racism within the department.

When the commission asked Brewer to assess the job his former boss, Chief Daryl F. Gates, did in disciplining wayward officers, Brewer gave Gates a D.

Mayor Richard Riordan, who commended the council on its action, is expected to formally approve the renaming of the station this week. The official name of the facility, which is expected to open later this year, will be the Jesse A. Brewer 77th Street Regional Headquarters.