Police Officers to Vote on Confidence in Chief

The Long Beach Police Officers Assn., which earlier this year signed a new contract after a bitter battle with management, said it will conduct a no-confidence vote against Police Chief Lawrence Binkley.

Union officials said Thursday that they will mail ballots to members’ homes in the coming weeks, and will tabulate votes during a membership meeting July 17. In a preliminary petition used to gauge support for a no-confidence vote, union officials said, they gathered signatures of more than a third of the 600 union members.

Binkley and other city officials said previously that they hoped the contract agreement would signal smoother labor-management relations. But Union President Mike Tracy said members still are upset over increased disciplinary actions against police officers last year.