Battle tested
John Welter leads effort to restore trust after Anaheim’s summer of civil unrest
In his more than four decades in law enforcement,
Anaheim Police Chief John Welter has seen his
share of crises.
From race and street riots in the early 1970s in San
Diego, where Welter has spent most of his career,
to recent officer-involved shootings in a city best
known for Disneyland, Welter is among the most
successful battle-tested chiefs in the state.
The latest controversy in Anaheim, he says, is
among the thorniest.
“This is going to rank right up there in my 41 years
in law enforcement as one of the most challenging
problems to overcome,” Welter says. “Not because
of the magnitude of the problem so much – many
of the protesters were out-of-towners who didn’t
even know what they were protesting. Many others
harbor frustrations about social issues that are
difficult to solve.
“But what happened is a reminder of how hard you
have to work as a police chief to get your reputation
known in the community, and then how important it
is for you to maintain that reputation regularly.”
Spanish explaining what was going on and why
police were making more arrests.
“Communication with the neighborhoods is
critical,” says Welter.
Part of the strategy to quelling unrest and reducing
crime is getting back to the basics of establishing
better relationships through tactics as simple as foot
patrol, says Welter, Anaheim’s chief since 2004.
“It provides opportunities for officers to get to
know people, and work with them on solving
neighborhood issues that contribute to crime,” he
says. “I think we should get back to the concept of
being peace officers --- get back to focusing on how
can we contribute to maintaining peace. Because
that’s what communities really want and expect
from peace officers,” he says.
There always will be crooks to chase, Welter notes,
but police agencies need to refocus on stopping
family violence, helping steer young people away
from lives of crime, and on restoring trust between
police and community by forging closer ties to
residents.
The recent civil unrest, sparked by two officerinvolved shootings of documented gang members
in late July, threatened to reignite when, shortly
after the shootings, Anaheim officers and other law
enforcement agents swooped into several troubled
neighborhoods and arrested about 70 suspected
gang members and took hundreds of guns off the
streets.
“If your strategy is just to do law enforcement,”
Welter says, “then you’re too late. Someone is
already victimized and you’ll be shoveling sand
against the tide and arresting more criminals and
clogging an already overcrowded penal system.”
Some protesters claimed the crackdown was
retaliation for the near-rioting that followed the
shootings. But the sweep, named Operation Halo,
was actually the result of a year-long investigation
with multiple agencies. Welter considered delaying
the sweep to avoid stirring more unrest. Instead,
he followed the plan but had his officers hand out
fliers in the affected neighborhoods in English and
When protests in Anaheim started to grow, Welter
didn’t hide.
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Behind The Badge
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Addressing the issues head on
He got out in front of the story, talking to the
media and reassuring residents that the shootings
were being properly investigated. He used his 22person Community Chief’s Advisory Board to help
communicate with residents. He turned to them for
ideas on restoring and maintaining peace.
“What happened is a
reminder of how hard
you have to work as a
police chief to get your
reputation known in the
community, and then
how important it is for
you to maintain that
reputation regularly”
Fall 2012
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11/8/12 11:30:30 PM