Panel Backs Naming Center for Ex-Chief

The Police Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend that the City Council name a new emergency vehicle training center in Granada Hills after former LAPD Chief Ed Davis.

“Everything we have accomplished in community-based policing can be traced back to the work of Chief Davis,” said Commission President Edith R. Perez. “It’s a fitting tribute to a man of extraordinary achievement.”

Davis graduated from the police academy in 1940 and rose quickly through the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department. He served as chief from 1969 until his retirement in 1978. As chief, Davis was responsible for implementing such community-policing strategies as Team Policing, Neighborhood Watch and the Basic Car Plan.

After leaving the force, Davis ran unsuccessfully for governor and eventually served three terms as a Republican state senator from 1980 to 1992.

During his tenure in the Senate, Davis developed the Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training, an organization that creates training programs for officers throughout the state.

In a statement, Mayor Richard Riordan, who introduced the motion to name the center, called the training tools and standards developed by Davis “the future promise of an ever safer Los Angeles.”

If the City Council approves the naming motion, expected to be introduced next week by Councilwoman Laura Chick, the training center would be called the Edward M. Davis Driving Training Center.

Expected to open Oct. 26, according to commission spokesman Ken Ferber, the complex will be used to test new pursuit technologies, driving techniques and to train officers in tactical operations and firearm training.