Healing the BLUES

Deepa Bharath

Ten years have flown by for Newport Beach Police Chief Bob McDonell.

He remembers 1993 like yesterday.

“I was supposed to meet city manager Kevin Murphy for 10 minutes

at the Bay Club,” he reminisced. “But that meeting lasted an hour.”

It was not just the chemistry between the two that was good.

McDonell was at the time police chief for the city of Woodland in

Northern California.

“I wanted to come back to Orange County,” said the 55-year-old

chief, who spent seven years as a lieutenant in the San Clemente

Police Department.

McDonell said he wanted to come to Newport Beach because it’s a

“premier city.”

“It’s the kind of city police chiefs dream about,” he said. “This

community values their quality and quantity of service and they’re

not afraid to pay for it.”

But conditions were not as balmy as the beach for McDonell.

The chief walked in at a time of turmoil. The department was

reeling from a fresh wound inflicted by the controversy surrounding

the dismissal of McDonell’s predecessor Arb Campbell.

Both Campbell and Capt. Anthony Villa were put on paid

administrative leave in October 1992 following allegations by four

female employees that Villa had sexually harassed them and that

Campbell had condoned his behavior. A veteran police dispatcher also

alleged in a lawsuit that both men had raped her at a drunken Police

Department party at the Bonita Canyon dump site in July 1981.

The scandal reached a new low when rank-and-file officers issued a

90% vote of no confidence for Campbell. Then city manager Kevin

Murphy wound up firing Campbell and Villa on Dec. 22 after a

three-month internal investigation. The city was caught in a web of

lawsuits, including one from Villa and Campbell stating that the city

violated their civil and due process rights by placing the men on

paid administrative leave during the investigation into the alleged

incidents.

Moreover, the total number of women who joined the suit against

the chief swelled to 10 and a city investigation dug up even more who

said they had been harassed by the two men. All women earned cash

settlements from the city, but only one still remains as a police

officer in Newport Beach.

Murphy, faced with a never-ending lawsuit did an about-face and

made a deal with both officers and their attorneys to rehire them

back and retire them with benefits intact. The former city manager,

who still lives in Newport Beach, could not be reached for comment.

FACING AN

EMOTIONAL CHALLENGE

McDonell said he knew he was walking into the eye of a storm. But

he says he knew those were the kind of issues he could deal with.

“I was not afraid of that,” he said. “I knew that what I had to do

was to build trust and confidence to make things right.”

The tumultuous months in 1993 still remain fresh in the minds of

several community members.

Former Councilwoman Jan Debay walked into the controversial

situation herself when she was elected to the City Council.

“It was a very unpleasant thing for the city,” she said. “It had

to be dealt with very carefully. It seemed like it went on forever.

It was very painful for a lot of people and very costly for the

city.”

Bill Hamilton, owner of Malarkey’s Irish pub in Balboa Peninsula,

said as much as he likes and respects McDonell, he sympathized with

Campbell, with whom he still keeps in contact.

“Looking back I don’t think Arb got treated properly by the city,”

he said. “I think it could’ve been handled more smoothly. There were

a lot of hot heads in the investigation and the whole thing got out

of hand.”

Campbell, who now lives in Arizona with his wife, declined to

comment.

Hamilton remembered how emotions ran high during the crisis. It

was the only year, he said, when the annual Police Appreciation

Breakfast hosted by the Chamber of Commerce was canceled.

“The emotion just tore the community apart,” he said.

THE PEACEMAKER

But both Debay and Hamilton praised McDonell for the way he

handled the sensitive issue and the way he built the department.

Debay said she was impressed that McDonell found the time to spend

Fourth of July in West Newport, just observing the goings on.

“He had not even taken office at the time,” she said. “But he

cared enough to come.”

Debay said McDonell brought with him “a great change” to the

department.

“He brought community policing to our town,” she said. “He had

officers work closely with community members.”

Pulling everyone together, however, wasn’t as easy for McDonell.

He knew there were strong feelings, hurt people and loyal factions.

“My job was not to judge that,” McDonell said. “My job was to put

it behind us and heal this place.”

What followed was a lengthy process of one-on-one meetings through

which the then new chief got to know his employees and get hints of

what was going on in their minds.

“I spent two to three hours with each employee,” he said. “It was

important for me to establish that personal relationship especially

at a time like that.”

The department has healed and come a long, long way from those

months all employees wish to forget, McDonell said.

“We’ve grown a lot as an organization,” he said. “We regard

ourselves as a family. Individuals here care for one another.”

McDonell said he has focused on hiring the best people for the

department and for the community.

“When I hire someone, I look for a person who would treat this

community like how they want their family to be treated,” he said.

Since McDonell took charge, he has hired a total of 182 people. He

has also promoted all three captains, all nine lieutenants and 18 out

of 21 sergeants.

“Researchers say it takes five to seven years to feel like you’ve

taken a turn in an organization,” McDonell said. “Seven years was

about the time when I felt we had taken the turn. It was when I felt

I had an imprint on this organization and it felt good.”

RESPECTED BY THE RANK AND FILE

McDonell’s officers say he has been an exemplary leader.

He brought professionalism to the department, said Sgt. John

Freeman, who has been with the department for about 29 years.

“We’ve concentrated more on personal values, responsibility and

integrity,” he said. “We do a better job and provide better service.”

McDonell’s 10 years as chief have been a “tremendous period of

stability” for the department, said Lt. Tom Gazsi.

“We’ve had high morale with success in community policing, the

school resource officers program, volunteers in policing and in

expanding service to the annexation areas,” he said. “He’s an

exceptional boss that has high expectations and leads by example.”

Gazsi said he and other officers have put the Campbell controversy

behind them.

“There’s no question about it,” he said. “It’s a memory of long

ago and it’s behind us.”

Female officers are treated with dignity and respect in the

department just as everyone is treated, said Officer Kristen Arnold.

“I grew up in a law enforcement household,” she said. “So I was

ready to address potential situations. But when I got here, it just

wasn’t an issue.”

Arnold, who came to the department six years ago, said she only

knows a little about the scandal 10 years ago.

“I’ve always felt that the line of communication with the chief

are open and he has developed a supportive environment for all

employees including female employees,” she said.

What does the future hold for McDonell?

“I’m trying not to look too far,” he said. “I still feel like I

have a contribution to make.”

Staff training will be an important part of the future, McDonell

said.

“We need to help our officers gain experience and exposure and

develop the capabilities to replace all of us,” he said.

The chief says what makes him want to come to work everyday is the

fact that he works with some of the best people in the business.

“I could retire today if I wanted to,” he said. “But I enjoy this

work. Every day is different and fulfilling.”