City of Vernon

[Big Daddy]

Anybody work for or have any knowledge of Vernon PD? All I can find is that they are pretty much an industrial area. Any insight is much appreciated.

[DOAcop38]

Anybody work for or have any knowledge of Vernon PD? All I can find is that they are pretty much an industrial area. Any insight is much appreciated.

"Warehouse/ industrial" city ,north of Huntington Park(west of skanky Maywood, although you will "collect" maywood" customers", ala DUIs, drugs, warrants, unlic'd drivers,etc) doubt if the there are more than 200 people living in the city on 5 or six blocks( the city is about 6 sq miles).Most of the "population" is from the warehouses and manufacturing companies in the area,probably about 30-40,000

Very rarely heard about the city except its an "insiders place",with very few hires . Mayor was indicted a few yrs ago on corruption and fraud charges, and I have backed some Vernon PD detectives( working L.A. IMPACT) here at LAX on a warrant service once before- they seemed cool. Last time I checked they (Vernon PD) paid about $64- $83k/yr . i'd check and see if they were "open" for hire,but would suggest a ride along, as they serve to protect the businesses primarily...

[FJDave]

Last I heard, they had no civil service protection either...they are at-will employment.

[DOAcop38]

Try Huntington Park( to the south) its "hood" and predominently spansih speaking, but HPPD cops have a rep for being very hardnosed- pay is about $70K to top of $91K/yr (323)826-6665

[DOAcop38]

Last I heard, they had no civil service protection either...they are at-will employment.

Just found their wedsite - lists their PD as being available for all "security needs":D would AVOID any dept 9 especially now) that has that "at will -merit system"......

[Big Daddy]

Thank You both very much for the responses. Alot of VERY good advice. Once again, Thank You!

[mtxpro752]

The City of Vernon SMELLS LIKE POOOP too, all over, the whole place. Odd smell.

[hankido2000]

The City of Vernon SMELLS LIKE POOOP too, all over, the whole place. Odd smell.
Lol! Really? Why is that? I always thought the area near ONT smelt like that.

[Big Daddy]

The City of Vernon SMELLS LIKE POOOP too, all over, the whole place. Odd smell.


Ha ha ha! Is that because of the "clients":D or is the Farmer John plant still around there? Either way, thats a classic quote!

[ten-ninetyseven]

I would suspect it's the Bandini fertilizer plant; I used to make deliveries there when I drove trucks. Piles and piles of brown mounds on the facility. You could smell it for miles.

[wasfuzz]

V PD used to have shotguns mounted in a rack on their motors. Always thought that that was way cool! Haven't seen one of their motors in years to see if they still do!

[FJDave]

They still have Farmer John there. I worked an OT gig there once when a threat was made against a company exec. They take the guts of the animals and put them in a large bin outside in the sun. In the summer, that smell can waft to downtown LA and beyond. The Bandini fertilizer plant helps with the funk.

[Five-0fromSoCal]

V PD used to have shotguns mounted in a rack on their motors. Always thought that that was way cool! Haven't seen one of their motors in years to see if they still do!


Im sure they do. Most dept motors in socal mount shotties on their motors.

[Big Daddy]

Rotting pig guts and cow poo. MMMMMMMMMMM, what a combination!

[Blizzination]

I saw a shorty AR with folding stock on a motor a few weeks ago... It was, as they would say in Boston, "wicked ****ah"

[Stugotz]

The City of Vernon SMELLS LIKE POOOP too, all over, the whole place. Odd smell.

X2. I used to work in Vernon in the 1990s. Everywhere stunk. We always blamed the Farmer John's slaughterhouse but other places seemed equally yuck.

I'd be hesitant applying for an at-will CITY. P-off the wrong person and you're out without cause. Risky . . .

[Copp'rPenny]

I heard their latest recruit just washed out at OCSA.

[gonzo1510]

They still have Farmer John there. I worked an OT gig there once when a threat was made against a company exec. They take the guts of the animals and put them in a large bin outside in the sun. In the summer, that smell can waft to downtown LA and beyond. The Bandini fertilizer plant helps with the funk.

Yeah, Yeah they do... and lord help me does it reek ! There is a location out there where all of the companies in Socal send coin. We have to wait outdoors for hours on end. That stench in the middle of summer....good times.

[IronBruin]

I heard their latest recruit just washed out at OCSA.

They still have two recruits there :)

[Copp'rPenny]

The little town of Vernon sent THREE recruits to the academy? I guess I've been applying at the wrong places! (jk)

[DAL]

Vernon exists for the benefit of the businesses located there. Virtually no one lives there -- including the mayor. It has long been dominated by one family. Here's a recent LA Times article for background.


A steep fall for patriarch of tiny, industrial Vernon
Leonis Malburg was mayor of the city for 35 years and his family had long dominated the town. But now the city is suing him, seeking to retrieve money it paid for his legal fees in a voter fraud case.
By Hector Becerra
May 29, 2009
Three years ago, Leonis Malburg stood in the council chamber of the city of Vernon as his fellow council members passed a resolution honoring the mayor for 50 years in office. Beaming, Malburg bragged about surpassing the long political run of the city's founder, his grandfather.

"I got my 50 years now, and I survived, health-wise and otherwise," he said. "And I beat my dear grandfather, John Leonis, who had 45 years in the city . . . by five years."

But now it appears that one family's nearly century-long dominance of the small industrial town south of downtown L.A. has come to an end. The 80-year-old Malburg is being forced to confront a lawsuit filed against him by the city.

The city alleges that Malburg improperly had Vernon pay nearly $1.5 million for his legal defense against criminal voter fraud charges leveled against him two years ago by L.A. County prosecutors. Vernon officials say they have demanded for a year that Malburg pay the money back but that he has refused.

The lawsuit represents a steep fall from grace for Malburg, whose family name adorns a major street, a power plant and one of the city's largest office buildings. John Leonis turned Vernon into an industrial powerhouse by the early 20th century, though he faced accusations he treated it as his fiefdom.

Supporters say Vernon is prosperous and well-run, while critics say it operates more like an insular corporation than a city.

There are only about 90 residents, most of whom work for the city and live in heavily subsidized city-owned housing. Malburg was elected to the City Council in 1956 and became mayor in 1974. He held that position for 35 years until last month. Malburg still serves as a council member.

Members of the council, who long voted in lock-step with Malburg, could not be reached for comment. The city refused to answer questions about the lawsuit, and Malburg declined to comment.

On the day that he was honored for his longevity, he and his colleagues also voted to cancel what would have been the first contested election for the council in 25 years. Months later, the courts forced the city to go ahead with the election, though Malburg and two other incumbents won handily.

But Malburg has had a rough run since. In November 2006, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office charged him, his wife and his son with voter fraud, alleging that they did not live in Vernon.

During a search, investigators uncovered evidence that Malburg's son had sexually abused children. John Malburg pleaded guilty to molesting one boy and filming another one, and was sentenced to eight years in prison.

The 40-year-old subsequently pleaded no contest to the voter fraud charges. The former mayor's trial in the voter fraud case could start this fall.

Bruce V. Malkenhorst, the former city administrator of the town whose slogan is "Exclusively Industrial," also faces criminal charges -- in his case, of embezzlement. Despite his indictment, Malkenhorst boasts a state pension of about $500,000 a year.

In the suit against Malburg, the city says it has paid his and other city officials' legal costs in the past, but only in civil matters related to city business. The suit portrays the payments to Loeb & Loeb, Malburg's attorneys, as a mistake because they involved a criminal matter.

"In approving payments of these invoices, the City Council was unaware that the bills submitted by and payments made to Loeb & Loeb were for Mr. Malburg's defense of the pending voter fraud criminal charges," the suit reads.

It is unclear what the city thought the payments -- one as large as $229,000 -- were for. But the suit says the council found out that Vernon was paying Malburg's legal fees in the criminal case only in February 2008.

According to the lawsuit, his fellow council members told him after the discovery that the city would not pay for him to fight the criminal charges. Leaving his seat, Malburg walked to the public podium and asked his colleagues to pay for his legal costs, but the council refused and demanded that he pay the money back.

Some longtime Vernon watchers are skeptical that the council didn't realize where the money was going.

"Mistakenly? That's ridiculous," said Eduardo Olivo, a former Vernon city attorney who clashed with city leaders. "It's amazing to me they're suing him."

[DCH]

I worked adjacent to Vernon for a few years, and would back up VPD officers on occasion and vice-versa. Good dept. I always thought, but we had one lateral over to us from Vernon and he said he couldn't wait to get out of there! Knew a Capt. who retired from VFD as well- their FD has a TON of funding and even their own Haz Mat rigs.

I always envied that VPD could work LA IMPACT, and CARGO CATS task forces while we didn't- heck!, even their current shoulder patches were nicer!

[pulicords]

If memory serves me correct, Vernon was one of the first agencies that required new officers to sign a contract, prohibiting them from lateraling to another department within 5 years of being hired. If officers passed probation and left early, they were subject to civil suit for recovery of academy and other training costs.

IMHO, any department that forces you to stay (or face a lawsuit) should be avoided. ;)

[Big Daddy]

Very good input here. Thank You all very much!

[DOAcop38]

The City of Vernon SMELLS LIKE POOOP too, all over, the whole place. Odd smell.

thats coming from a few factories + the Farmer John meat processing plant in Vernon.Yeah your breakfast sausage in your "Mc Griddle" made in the dirtiest locale on earth ( And Upton Sinclair actually thought he'd made a difference in warning the public....):rolleyes: