Deputy Chief Meets With Priest Over Handcuffing Incident, Issues Apology

A deputy Los Angeles police chief publicly apologized Thursday to an Episcopal priest, who was handcuffed last month by officers pursuing suspects fleeing through the grounds of the cleric’s church.

“From time to time, in our rush to do police work, we embarrass people and it’s never our intention to do that,” said Deputy Chief Michael J. Bostic. “If the reverend was humiliated by what occurred, I don’t blame him.”

Bostic, the chief of the department’s Valley Bureau, met with the Rev. Ronald D. Culmer and the Rt. Rev. Frederick H. Borsch, the Episcopal bishop of Los Angeles, to resolve any issues arising from Culmer’s brief detention Jan. 7.

“I want to once again, on behalf of the Los Angeles Police Department and the officers of West Valley, extend our apology to Rev. Culmer for any embarrassment or humiliation this incident created.”

Bostic, like Chief Bernard C. Parks, said the officers meant no disrespect to Culmer and were only trying to sort out a dangerous situation involving suspects they believed were armed.

Police and church officials said Thursday that they had “come to a fair resolution of the matter.” They promised to work to improve communications between the church and the LAPD.

Culmer said he was “very pleased” with the department’s apology.

The matter of the apology had been a point of contention in the weeks since the incident. Church officials had said that neither officers at the scene nor their supervisors apologized. They said the LAPD officials simply offered an explanation defending their actions. Department officials said both an apology and an explanation had been offered.

A source present at Thursday’s meeting at the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles said that Culmer and the captain of the West Valley Division initially differed over whether there had been a previous apology. But, at the conclusion of the meeting, Culmer agreed that an apology had been issued.

“Sometimes in the heat of the moment--certainly when emotions rise--things aren’t necessarily always heard,” Culmer said. “But Captain [Lee] Carter did give an apology and he did again today, and I thank him for it.”

Wednesday, Chief Parks said the officers’ actions were appropriate given the circumstances, and the incident did not have a racial dimension, as Culmer--an African American--originally suggested.

In an attempt to resolve the rift caused by the incident, Borsch sought a meeting with Parks. The chief, however, was unable to attend the meeting because of a scheduling conflict, his staff said.

Borsch nonetheless said he was “very satisfied” with the meeting.

Moreover, Bostic said he was the department’s most appropriate representative, because the officers involved work under his command.

“It’s my Valley and I’m accountable for the actions of my officers,” he said.

Meanwhile, in the West Valley Community Police Station on Thursday, a handful of pastors also discussed the incident at a regular monthly meeting held to foster good relations between clergy and police.

Most ministers said they understood the police officers’ reaction and welcomed a thorough investigation, which Parks said Wednesday is being conducted by the department’s internal affairs group.

The Rev. Warren Danskin, pastor of First United Methodist Church in Reseda, said he thought police followed standard procedures in handcuffing Culmer. But, he said he understood why Culmer would be sensitive to the treatment he received.

“If it had happened to me, I would have laughed about it as a little adventure,” he said. “But me, I’m white. It has never happened to me before. I’m tremendously sympathetic with African Americans in the community who have been mistreated in these situations.”

Times staff writers T. Christian Miller and Larry B. Stammer contributed to this story.