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Resident asks for answers after LA Times report; police say former detective resigned
Summary
At the Dec. 9 Public Safety Commission meeting a resident asked how a detective criticized in an LA Times investigation was hired; police staff said the officer was a retired county employee hired part time, was under investigation that the department did not know about, and resigned once the investigation concluded.
During public comment at the Dec. 9, 2024 meeting of the South Pasadena Public Safety Commission, resident Yvonne LaRose urged the commission to explain how a detective who was the subject of an LA Times investigation came to work in South Pasadena.
LaRose asked how the officer had passed background screenings and who the officer had trained. “The burning questions were, how did he pass screenings in order to be hired as a detective for South Pasadena? How did he pass any screenings to be hired as a law enforcement officer?” LaRose said, referencing the LA Times article and its investigative source.
Commissioners noted Chief Brian Solinski was not at the meeting and that the chief would best answer the questions. A participant who said they were familiar with the situation told the commission the department was first alerted the week before Thanksgiving. That speaker said the officer had been retired from the county and was working as a vendor for South Pasadena—hired in April to review files one day a week—and that the department performed a routine background check but the outside investigation was still ongoing at the time of hiring. “When the investigation was finalized… Brian acted very swiftly and… I believe the officer chose to resign that same evening,” the speaker said.
Commissioners and members of the public who spoke said they were relieved the officer resigned and urged the department to take actions that reassure residents, emphasizing that everyone in South Pasadena should feel safe regardless of identity. Commissioners did not take formal action on the matter during the meeting; staff said Chief Solinski could address the specifics at a future meeting.
