Police advisory committee might shut down

An advisory committee that was created to be a liaison between the Glendale Police Department and residents appears to be fading due to lack of public interest.

After months of barely registering an audience at the Glendale Police Advisory Committee, Police Chief Ron De Pompa said he would bring the issue to the more permanent Community Police Partnership Advisory Committee for discussion about its direction.

De Pompa attributed the meeting’s lack of attendance to the Police Department efforts in “thoroughly investigating” every community complaint and putting a stop to any problems that have the potential to worsen over time.

“Overall, the community doesn’t have those problems,” he said. “I think you would see it reflected here.”

Committee member Sam Manoukian, who also sits on the city’s Civil Service Commission, said Glendale doesn’t have the same problems that other cities struggle with. And so, “we don’t have the complaints in comparison.”

Not a single resident was in the audience Monday for the committee’s first meeting of the year.

Police officials advertised the meetings on the city’s local government access TV channel to get residents, Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. Members from both police committees, who represent a wide swath of community groups in Glendale, also encourage their groups to attend meetings, he added.

Lorenz said the lack of attendance “does say something.”

Former Police Chief Randy Adams established the committee as a less threatening venue for the public to discuss public safety issues, officials said. But the committee has never drawn a large audience.

The committee, which meets every three months, has canceled some meetings in the past due to a lack of quorum and scheduling conflicts.

Still, some members have said the committee served a purpose in providing an outlet for smaller communities.