Our
Town:
Compton Doctor Recognized for Medical Service to Compton Community
Earl
Ofari Hutchinson:
Richards Got Called Out for N-Word Diatribe, So Should Blacks Who Use It
Months Later, City Employees Still Without a Contract
Council Wants Answers on Code Enforcement Efficiency
Annual Turkey Giveaway Helps Hundreds Celebrate Day of Thanks
Congresswoman Waters Joins Community Tour of King/Drew Medical Center
City to Auction Off Surplus Vehicles
Study Finds That Hollywood’s Movie Business Contributes to Los Angeles’ Poor Air Quality
A Who’s Who of Leading Black Actors Lend Talents to Audio Hit ‘Bible Experience’
Compton Sheriff’s Station Prepares to Bid Farewell to Capt. Hamilton
By Allison
Jean Eaton
Bulletin Staff
Writer
The city is preparing to say goodbye to the man who’s led the city’s
law enforcement operations for the past three years.
Compton Sheriff’s Station Capt. Eric K. Hamilton has received notice
that he will soon be transferred to another station within the Los Angeles
County Sheriff’s Department.
Hamilton said he has no idea when he will be transferred or even
where he’ll be going, but that it’s nothing more than a normal
rotation.
“What happens is, normally every year around March or April there’s
a lot of movement [in personnel],” he said. The ideology behind
such rotations within the department is both to prevent stagnation
as well as to provide opportunities for professional growth.
And personally, Hamilton thinks it’s time for him to move on. “What
more can I do here?”
The captain said he has no idea who will be chosen to fill his
shoes, but he is confident that whoever it is “will take it to
the next level.”
Though he’ll probably still be around for a few more months, the
47-year-old recently sat down with The Bulletin to discuss his career,
how far the city has come in his three years in Compton and what he foresees
as being in store for the city in the near future.
—
Hamilton took
the helm of Compton Station in October 2003, when he was promoted to
the rank of captain by Sheriff Lee Baca. Prior
to coming to the Hub City, he was a lieutenant assigned to
the Narcotics Bureau.
Born in Watts, the South Los Angeles native attended Birmingham
High School in the San Fernando Valley.
“I was part of the busing program back in the 1970s,” he
said. The court-ordered program, also known as desegregation busing,
was intended
to increase racial diversity in mainly white schools as well as
counteract discriminatory school construction and district assignments
by busing
inner-city kids into more affluent neighborhoods to attend classes.
From a very young age, since he was “a little boy,” Hamilton
knew he wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement. After graduating
high school early at 17, he signed up with the United States Air Force.
He served as a police officer in the military, and upon attaining
the rank of sergeant he realized that law enforcement was definitely
for him.
In 1982, just six months after receiving an honorable discharge,
he was hired by the Sheriff’s Department. “I knew I wanted
to be a part of the Sheriff’s Department because of its reputation,” he
said.
Asked to identify some of the improvements that have taken
place since he’s been in command, the captain described the growth and
development of the department’s relationship with the community
as being, in his eyes, the most important.
It has taken some time to gain the community’s trust and respect
since the department took over policing operations in the city following
the City Council’s decision several years ago to disband the Compton
Police Department.
“We’re working more closely with the community,” today
as opposed to when he first came to Compton, he said.
Recently, when Hamilton informed several individuals of his
impending departure, they were upset.
“It’s surprising to me, because you never know if you’re
going to have an impact on the community. These are folks I didn’t
know three years ago, and they weren’t necessarily advocates for
the Sheriff’s Department, but three years later, you know, we have
some pretty sound relationships.”
But he is quick to point out that it’s not all his doing — it’s
the entire station’s. “It’s not just about me, it’s
all of us collectively. And I’m very proud of that fact.
“We’ve made a difference here in this community, and we will
continue to make a difference.”
Hamilton said that one of the highlights of his time in Compton
was the very first day he crossed the station’s threshold as captain.
“I am very proud of that, and not only for myself, but for my immediate
family and my mother,” he said. “My mother was a single parent,
raised four boys and didn’t have a high school education, and now
her son, who started from a humble beginning right down the street
in Watts, is all of the sudden walking into the city as the chief law
enforcement
executive.
“It was a very proud and memorable moment for me. I’m very
proud of the city, I’m very proud of my staff. I’m proud
of being in command here,” he explained. “A lot of people
think I’m
crazy for saying that because it’s such a hard job, but I love
this station.”
Another was 2004’s homicide rate, which was the lowest the city
had seen in 20 years.
The low point for Hamilton over the past three years, he said,
was last year’s Butler incident.
In May 2005, deputies fired 120 rounds at a car chase suspect,
44-year-old Winston Hayes, on Butler Avenue after deputies
identified the vehicle he was driving as possibly being involved
in an earlier
shooting. The department was heavily criticized, and the story
gained international
attention.
“At the same time, though, it was a memorable moment because the
organization really stepped up,” he said. “We had to deal
with it as an organization, and I, as the captain, had to deal
with it. But the men who were involved in that situation stepped up,
and the sheriff
stepped up, and I was really proud of that.
“There were a lot of highs and lows just in that one incident.”
As far as the future of crime here in the Hub City, Hamilton said
he believes the current trend of diminishing rates will continue.
“We’re going to continue to work very hard to reduce crime
here and make the city safe,” he said.
He said many people are too apt to focus on last year’s crime rates. “They’re
not looking at the previous years. Every year we’ve incrementally
lowered the crime rate here in Part 1 crimes, for the most part.”
Part 1 crimes include murder, robbery, burglary, arson, forcible
rape and aggravated assault.
“Five out of six years we’ve been very successful.”
ADVERTISE | CLASSIFIEDS | ABOUT US | CONTACT US | SUBSCRIBE | HOME
This site and its contents ©2006 thecomptonbulletin.com