KPBS Midday Edition

What's Next For San Diego Police Department After Lansdowne's Abrupt Retirement?

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Peggy Pico / KPBS Evening Edition Host, Patty Lane / Producer

Published February 26, 2014 at 8:30 AM PST

This story was published more than 10 years ago.

What's Next For San Diego Police Department After Chief's Abrupt Retirement

What's Next For San Diego Police Department After Lansdowne's Abrupt Retirement?

GUESTS:Marti Emerald, San Diego City Councilwoman, District 9, Chair Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods committee. Margaret Dooley-Sammuli, Senior Policy Advocate, ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties Joshua Chanin, Professor of Public Affairs, SDSU, specializes in police misconduct

After 10 years leading the San Diego Police Department, Police Chief William Lansdowne abruptly announced he's retiring — effective Monday. That happens to be the same day Kevin Faulconer will be sworn in as San Diego's mayor.

Lansdowne's department has been rocked by police misconduct scandals in recent years. In just the last month, two more allegations surfaced of sexual misconduct by police officers.

In a statement the 69-year-old police chief says he was not pressured by anyone to retire.

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"As he retires, we urge the City Council and our new mayor- elect to follow through on the Chief’s call for an independent audit of the San Diego Police Department," said the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties in a statement. The agency has followed accusations made against San Diego police.

Under Lansdowne's leadership, San Diego had its lowest crime rate since the 1960s.

KPBS Midday Edition

Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Peggy Pico

Peggy Pico served as the host of KPBS Evening Edition. Pico originally joined the KPBS newsroom as the science and technology reporter in 2010 after spending two years covering biotechnology and medical news in the Bay Area. Pico was raised in San Diego and has worked as a broadcast journalist in California, Arizona, and Texas. She previously reported for NBC 7/39 where she worked as a medical and science reporter for five years. Pico has won two Emmy’s and numerous awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Associated Press, and the San Diego Press Club. She also received the USC Health Reporter Fellowship and is a member of California Chicano News Media Association and the Association of Health Care Journalists.

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