By:Doug Miller
"I'm allowing them the opportunity to put their team together, in the best interests of the city," Laffey said.
He will be succeeded on March 18, on an interim basis, by Lt. Thomas Sofield, the father of the City Council's vice president, Thomas Sofield Jr., and Laffey's professional rival.
The resignation raised hackles among the Coalition council's adversaries, who claimed that Laffey was forced out for political reasons. "I know that this [resignation] comes after significant pressure and an ultimatum from the city manager, acting at the direction of the new Coalition members of the City Council," Councilman Denis Kelly said in a statement released Monday. "The removal of Commissioner Laffey is unacceptable and contemptible ... [and] portends the worst from this new administration: patronage, cronyism, nepotism and ultimately corruption."
"This is a dark day for the city of Long Beach," said Democratic City Councilman Leonard G. Remo. "When a professional with the credentials of John Laffey leaves after just 27 months, I'm concerned for the stability of the department. Especially in changing times such as these."
The charge that Laffey was forced out for political reasons was vehemently denied by the city manager, Dr. Glen Spiritis. "John Laffey is one of the best commissioners this city has ever had," Spiritis said Tuesday. "There was no pressure in any form. We regret that he is leaving, but we understand the reasons he is leaving. He agrees it is important for an administrator to have his own people in confidential positions, which is exactly what he said to Lieutenant Sofield [in 2001]."
Laffey would not comment on Kelly's or Remo's statements.
Spiritis deflected the nepotism charge by pointing out that the previous administration had offered the commissioner's job to Sofield three times, and that he had turned it down each time.
Laffey worked in the upper echelons of the New York City Police Department before retiring and accepting a position as Long Beach's deputy commissioner in October 2000. When he was sworn in as commissioner on Dec. 18, 2001, among his first actions was to restructure the department and replace Sofield as commanding officer of the Detective Division with Lt. Michael Tangney, who was then the commanding officer of the Traffic Division. Sofield sued Laffey and the city, claiming the transfer was in retaliation for Sofield's work with his son's council campaign in 2001 and that it was engineered by the Democratic Party brass. The suit is still pending.
Tom Sofield Jr. and his Coalition team swept to victory in 2003, and it was widely accepted that Laffey's days were numbered.
Laffey has a standing offer to teach at St. John's University, and said he hopes to use his free time to finish his doctoral dissertation. "But I need to stress what a wonderful opportunity it was to serve this department," he said. "I found the police officers in Long Beach to be among the brightest I've ever met. In my time here we have had no corruption or brutality complaints, which shows what a disciplined, hard-working department this is."
In 2001 there were 703 major crimes committed in Long Beach. In 2003, there were 536.
'Born here and raised here'
While the circumstances surrounding Sofield's promotion raised eyebrows, few debate his qualifications. He is widely regarded as a giant in the department, and officer John Sharpe, the president of the Long Beach Police Benevolent Association, praised the appointment in a statement released Tuesday.
"Lt. Thomas Sofield has risen through the ranks and has earned the respect of the rank and file of our department," said Sharpe. "He is an asset to the City of Long Beach and to our police department, and has a demonstrated leadership style that is steady, fair and level-headed. He has embraced community policing and has demonstrated a willingness to try new approaches to improve both our department and the services we provide the citizens of Long Beach."
"I'm excited, eager to get started [and] to meet with Dr. Spiritis to discuss this mandate," Sofield said. "I was born here and raised here, and except for college and my time in the Air Force, I've always been here."
Sofield is the father of six and grandfather of 12. He graduated from Villanova University, in Philadelphia, and was first in his class at the Nassau County Police Academy. He joined the force in 1979, was promoted to detective in 1981 and rose through the ranks to become that department's commanding officer.
His tenure as acting commissioner is open-ended. By statute, the city manager is the police commissioner, but he can and often does delegate that authority. Spiritis said Tuesday that Sofield's performance will be appraised on a continuing basis, and a determination will be made at some future date whether to appoint him permanently. Until then, Sofield will be on a leave of absence from his civil service post.
The police commissioner serves at the pleasure of the city manager, and traditionally does so without a contract.
