CHP commissioner steps down

[PapaBear]

CHP commissioner Brown steps down; replacement named

By John Hill - jhill@sacbee.com

Last Updated 7:34 pm PST Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Tuesday that Commissioner Mike Brown is resigning as the head of the California Highway Patrol, capping three years of controversy for the department under Brown's leadership.

The governor appointed Deputy Commissioner Joseph Farrow to take over on March 1.

Brown took over the top job in September 2004 after his predecessor, Dwight "Spike" Helmick, was forced out by Schwarzenegger. Brown vowed to correct problems in the state's premier law enforcement agency -- most notably, abuse of workplace injury and medical pension benefits, a phenomenon known as "Chief's Disease."

But while Brown did take actions to remedy those excesses, he ran into some problems of his own, including snafus in contracts, such as the purchase of new Smith & Wesson pistols, and a spate of suicides among officers.

A recent audit found that the CHP failed to demonstrate the need to limit competition in its purchases of handguns and patrol car electronics, and found fault with the CHP's guidelines for avoiding financial conflicts of interest among workers involved in purchasing.

"The position of commissioner makes incredible demands upon an individual both personally and professionally," Brown wrote in his resignation letter. "I have faced these challenges head-on during my tenure. However, for me there has come a time for me to introspectively evaluate if I should continue to serve in this capacity given these demands. This was a thoughtful and deliberative process involving my family."

Two legislators, Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, and Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia, R-Cathedral City, called repeatedly for his resignation. The gun issue, in particular, led some rank-and-file officers to question his leadership.

Before becoming commissioner, Brown had served for four years as the CHP chief of the Southern Division in Los Angeles County. His CHP career began in 1977.

Farrow, 52, joined the CHP in 1979. He lives in Citrus Heights.

http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/708011.html

[narcodog]

What was the deal with the guns?

[OXCOPS]

What was the deal with the guns?

Is that case where they bought new, unneeded guns without allowing bids to be submitted from other companies? Or, was that another agency?