LAPD Center May Be Named for Ex-Chief Davis
The Los Angeles Police Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to name the LAPD’s new emergency vehicle training center in honor of former Police Chief Edward M. Davis.
Mayor Richard Riordan proposed that the commission name the new center for Davis as “a tribute to a highly regarded law enforcement innovator.”
Davis, who was an outspoken LAPD chief from 1969 through 1978, is credited with modernizing the LAPD, particularly in the areas of training and community policing.
Located on 44 acres in Granada Hills, the $29-million center includes three firing ranges, a four-mile driving track, a motorcycle course and a mock city scene where recruits and officers can practice handling emergencies such as bank robberies and hostage crises. It is scheduled to open later this month.
The City Council still needs to approve the naming of the facility. Councilwoman Laura Chick, head of the city’s public safety committee said she is supportive of naming the center after the former chief.
“Ed Davis was tough on crime during an era when it was unfashionable to be such,” she said.
Davis, who currently lives in Morro Bay, is still sought out by top LAPD officials for advice on police matters.
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