Police Erred in Mayor Threat Case, Chief Says

Police Chief William Stearns said Wednesday that his department erred in not informing Mayor Gwen Forsythe immediately that a death threat had been addressed to her.

A rifle cartridge and a message threatening Forsythe’s life arrived at City Hall on March 6. The packet was opened in the city clerk’s office, where the staff immediately called police.

Forsythe, however, was not notified of the threatening message until six days later, when a City Council colleague told her. She submitted her letter of resignation the next day.

Though Forsythe did not say in the letter why she is stepping down, people close to the mayor’s office said the Police Department’s “underreaction” is a factor.

“The error was on our part. It was our responsibility to notify the mayor immediately,” Stearns said Wednesday. Officers handling the case assumed that City Hall officials had notified the mayor immediately of the threat. Stearns said the Police Department was to blame for the mix-up.

The FBI and the California Justice Department are working with city police on the case, Stearns said. The bullet threat was the fourth in recent years sent to Orange County officials involved in development projects.

Police say the threat may be connected to a dispute over plans to develop the Hellman Ranch property near the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station. Forsythe has been a key mediator in negotiations among developers, preservationists and the city.

Friends and supporters have been trying to dissuade the mayor from leaving office.

“It’s a slow-growth community, and no one has shown greater courage or leadership in that area,” Carla Watson, one of Forsythe’s campaign managers, said of the mayor. “We need her to help us through our development issues.”

Councilwoman Marilyn Bruce Hastings, a friend of Forsythe, said the mayor has not changed her mind, though, and is drafting a long letter outlining her reasons for stepping down.