Chief Purvis - Article in the Banning Informer

Banning PD – then and now

 .6/17/11 - Six and a half years ago, when Leonard Purvis along with John Horton came to work at the Banning Police Department, they were faced with an organization that – to put it mildly – was in desperate need of a major overhaul.  Today Chief Purvis can pride himself for having contributed to a rather dramatic turnaround.

.THE CLEANUP OF A  “SECOND CHANCE POLICE DEPARTMENT”

Before coming to Banning, Chief Purvis worked almost 15 years for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and almost two years for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. He openly talks about what he found when he arrived in Banning   :  Banning PD was what he refers to as a “Second Chance Police Department”  – it had been the Department’s specific practice to hire officers who had been previously terminated or had problems at other Police Departments. The terminations or lateral transfers were usually related to disciplinary issues and sometimes even due to run-ins with the law, for example for giving false testimony under oath.

It was a dilemma. While corrupt cops are hardly conducive to the concept of accountable policing, neither Purvis nor Horton could get rid of such officers at will : the  “Police Officers Bill of Rights” essentially granted these officers protection from being fired for issues that occurred before they were hired in Banning.

To make matters worse, Chief Purvis recalls that when he came to Banning, several sensitive internal affairs files were missing – they had been left in file cabinets that were not secured safely. Today, he personally holds the key to all sensitive files –  nobody else has access. Additionally, the department had no enforced policy of investigating citizen’s complaints – another outrageous situation which Chief Purvis set out to correct immediately.

Since taking charge as Police Chief almost 4 years ago, Chief Purvis says he has terminated seven officers for misconduct, four of which have subsequently threatened to file lawsuits against the City. Three out of those four happened to be African American – and promptly have claimed racial discrimination. “I wish I could talk about these cases ” he says  – but the law does not allow him to. He says each termination was more than justified. Only a couple of “second chance” officers from the old days remain on the force today – which currently totals  32 sworn officers .

.THE BPAL YOUTH  PROGRAM

BPAL – the “Banning Police Activities League” -  is the Department’s outreach program directed towards Banning’s youth. BPAL is coordinated by Sergeant Alex Diaz, a former officer with San Diego PD.  Diaz , who primarily works as a police investigator, devotes his energy to BPAL whenever time allows. He is committed to BPAL – it  is always on his  mind : working with the youth “ is my passion” , he says. Diaz aims to give kids direction and the focus they need.

The organization has grown exponentially in recent years : a total of 867 kids are currently signed up, with over 300 having joined since September of 2010 –   impressive numbers for a small community like Banning with just under 30,000 residents.

Equally passionate about BPAL’s cause is Chief Purvis, who personally attends BPAL meetings every Saturday between 10 AM and 2 PM (during the school year) at Nicolet Middle School.  About 60-80 youth attend each Saturday. Other BPAL programs offered are soccer and a “Folklorico” Mexican folk dancing class. For more information please go to  http://banningpal.org/

.BIG BANG FOR THE BUCK

BPAL  deserves high marks for accountability : not only did they provide us with their charitable tax return (view) in a nanosecond, but, more importantly, they do not pay any executive salaries,  nor do they incur any travel expenses.

This stands in sharp contrast to other local charities, for example the taxpayer funded Boys and Girls Club of the San Gorgonio Pass : its executive Director , School Board member Amy Herr, receives an outrageous salary of $ 63,000 yearly (story). According to their  public filings (view), the Boys and Girls Club also spent close to $ 9,000 on travel and conferences, some are said to have been held at luxury resorts. Also, the  Boys and Girls Club charges for its programs, while BPAL provides theirs for free.

It does not take a brain surgeon to figure out that BPAL provides a much better value :  it is run highly efficient, and operates on a “shoestring budget”, which is less than 10% (!) of that of the Boys and Girls Club’s, while serving a similar number of kids.

Having examined essentially all major Pass area charities, we feel that BPAL gives the community by far the biggest “bang for their buck” and is definitely worthy of everyone’s support.

.SPECTACULAR ARREST OF FEDERAL AGENT

Recently, the Department made headlines when it arrested a suspect for kidnapping, sexual battery and false imprisonment. What makes this case highly unusual is that the suspect was not your average street criminal, but an officer of a Federal Agency ( see press release ) .

Border Patrol Agent Arturo H. Ascencio is accused of kidnapping, sexually battering and falsely imprisoning an undocumented female Mexican national who resided in Banning.

Border Patrol Agent Arturo H. Ascencio – arrested for kidnapping, sexual battery and false imprisonment

Allegedly, Agent Ascencio made contact with the victim several times, on one occasion by conducting a traffic stop. He is accused of luring the victim into his car after having displayed his Border Patrol badge. He then, under color of authority,  allegedly sexually battered the woman while holding her against her will in his car.

It takes courage and determination for a small local police agency to stand up to the Federal Government and arrest a Federal Agent. Chief Purvis said that the Federal Authorities fully cooperated with his investigation, which also involved the Riverside DA’s S.A.F.E. Team (Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement). Agent Ascencio was arrested on May 5th at his home in Hemet.

There is, however, another twist to this already unusual story : the victim’s children were participants in the BPAL program . While illegal immigrants usually are afraid to talk to the police, the victim had gotten to know officer Diaz since he led the BPAL program which her children attended. She trusted Diaz and told him what had happened, which led to an investigation and ultimately to the arrest.

The above episode goes to show that a community outreach program – like BPAL – can even have additional, secondary benefits : both the public and the police end up developing a cordial and trusting relationship, which in this case lead to a felony arrest that otherwise may not have happened.

 CONCLUSION

Chief Leonard Purvis and his officers ought to be commended for achieving an incredible turnaround.  The Banning Police Department has been transformed into a “class act” – one that every Banning citizens should be proud of.