Sgt. Greg Clark slows the Chevy Tahoe with the words “Bell Police” emblazoned on the side to a stop and shines a bright light on a pair of teenagers walking around late on a Saturday night. One of them is holding a glass of what we assume to be alcohol.

Clark lowers the passenger side window, leans over and says, “William, come here.”

“What have you got there?” he asks.

William pauses, then replies with a hint of uncertainty, “Apple juice.”

Clark says, “Do me a favor and dump it out.”

“Aw, really?”

“I’ve given you rides to school, William. It’s an open container, just dump it out.”

William sighs and reluctantly dumps out the liquid onto a grassy patch of the sidewalk.

“Drink inside, William,” Clark warns.

“All right, I will.”

“There are faces you remember,” Clark turns to us and says. “We do have some connection with our citizens.”

This is Clark’s first night back on duty after two weeks of supervisor training. We joined him on a ride-along to get an inside look at how the Bell Police Department operates on a typical Saturday night. The department in the money-strapped city is under intense scrutiny as the City Council considers disbanding it and contracting with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Clark is one of 29 Bell police officers who is in danger of losing his job as City Hall faces a huge budget deficit left behind by former city manager Robert Rizzo and the former city council.

The Los Angeles Times revealed in July 2010 that Rizzo and other city officials were inflating their salaries with taxpayer dollars. In September, Rizzo, who was making about $1.5 million a year, was among eight city officials arrested on charges of misappropriation of public funds.

The L.A. Times also reported that former Police Chief Randy Adams was not arrested, but resigned after it was revealed that he was receiving a salary of $457,000. In the wake of the scandal, a new chief has not been appointed and the department remains at the center of the most crucial public policy debate unfolding on the streets of Bell.

“It’s like a roller coaster,” Officer John Walker, one of six on duty Saturday nights, says. “When you lay down to go to sleep you worry they’ll say, ‘Come clean out your locker.’”

The department costs Bell an estimated $8 million to $9 million a year, according to the city. A contract with the Sheriff’s Department would cost a city the size of Bell around $3.5 million to $4 million per year, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

“The police department has become the scapegoat for the budget,” Sgt. Jose Jimenez says. “[People] see the police department as a number but they don’t see the value of the number.”

Leading up to the March elections to replace the former council members, whether to keep or disband the Bell Police remained a dividing issue among the candidates. Now that the council has been sworn in on the promise of bringing reform to the embattled city, the council members say they expect to make a decision after the fiscal year ends on June 30 and the official budget is released.

“We’re in a better position, but we’re still uncertain because of the lack of a police chief,” Jimenez explains. “Officers put programs and ideas together, but the chief gets it to City Hall.”

Without a police chief, the department finds itself in limbo without leadership or resources to continue multiple programs. Already, the K-9 unit, motorcycle units and the assignment of certain officers to county-wide task-forces have been cut.

“Some of the citizens think we were involved but we were never involved in politics,” Jimenez says. “What happens next door is totally out of our hands.”

These officers who dedicate their careers to protecting the 37,000 people living in Bell say the highly publicized controversy surrounding their jobs has put a strain on their daily work.

Community Ties

Around 10 p.m., Clark joins two other officers in response to a loud music complaint at a quinceañera.  After speaking with the hostess, the officers give a verbal warning but do not issue a ticket.

“Thank you for being so kind,” she says.

In light of the salary scandal last year, Clark says compliments like this are hard to come by because some Bell residents see the police department and City Hall as one “tainted” government entity.

“It takes so much to build bridges with people,” Clark says. “People should see the police not as an occupying force, but as part of the community. We didn’t just roll in here; we’re here for you guys.”

Ten of the 29 officers working in Bell either grew up or have family ties in the city. Sgt. Jimenez has served in Bell for more than 17 years. He and his brother, Art, who is also a Bell officer, both grew up in the communities of southeast Los Angeles.

“You always hear people say, ‘Go back to your roots and give back,’ so this is how I’m doing that,” Jimenez says.

The department engages the community with programs such as D.A.R.E., through which officers are assigned to each of the three elementary schools in Bell to teach fifth grade students about drug and alcohol awareness. The department also runs the Police Explorers program, which allows young adults ages 14-20 to shadow officers in daily station activities.

“We have strong ties,” Officer Lance Ferrari says. “We’ve known people in the community since we started and they know us by name.”

Ferrari has led the establishment of a new volunteer cadet program for people who have surpassed the age window for the Explorers, and want to pursue careers in law enforcement. The cadet program is also a way through which the department is trying to make up for cutbacks to staff and resources.

“We have to work outside the box,” Ferrari said. “We’re not hiring but we’re using programs to help the department and community members.”

Views On Scandal

Jimenez gives us a tour of the station, pausing to show us memorabilia from years past. He proudly points out officers who spent their entire careers in Bell and says many of the officers now want to do the same.

We look at a hallways lined with portraits of former chiefs. The most recent spot is empty.

Jimenez says Randy Adams was handpicked by Rizzo in an effort to disband the department in favor of consolidating law enforcement with the cities of Cudahy, Huntington Park, Maywood and South Gate.

The officers were told that Adams was brought to Bell from his former job in Glendale to help the department improve and operate under “best practices.”  He met one-on-one with each of the officers and Jimenez says some officers “poured their guts out” about the inner workings of the department, while others remained reserved about opening up to him.

Under Adams’ leadership, officers say their jobs were threatened if they did not meet a quota for impounding cars. Jimenez says this new requirement created an unfavorable work environment.

“It wasn’t fun," Jimenez says. “Before [Adams imposed the quotas], I enjoyed coming to work, but now we were being watched and pressured.”

This pressure eventually led to a some officers notifying the FBI, the District Attorney’s office and the office of state Assemblyman Hector De La Torre.

However, the officers were warned by Adams that they were “cutting their own throats” by speaking up.

Ferrari says the officers were surprised when the L.A. Times picked up the story and revealed much more than anyone in the department had first suspected.

“We learned about so much that no one knew about," he said.

The Department's Future

Near the end of our ride-along, we respond to a call of a strong arm robbery during which a man had his cell phone and bag stolen while walking home from the bus stop. McCullah is already on the scene with his flashlight and notebook in hand as he speaks with the victim, whose voice shakes as he describes the two suspects who threatened him with a hammer.

“We’re trying to keep the peace, keep people safe, and a lot of people lose sight of that,” Clark says.

The department does not generate revenue for the city and the cost of a 24/7 patrol is hard to ignore in a city facing a huge budget deficit. Sergeant Jimenez says $11,000 is spent every month on just the maintenance of the 10-unit police car fleet.

Councilman Nestor Valencia, who was outspoken against Bell’s police department during his campaign, says the council is waiting for the budget to be released June 30 before considering any plans to restructure law enforcement services in Bell.

“The department is costing a lot of money - almost $9 million,” Valencia said. “There’s no definite time or meeting schedule to possibly disband [the department]. I want to see a budget process to see what we can afford.”

If the city decides to contract with the Sheriff’s Department, Bell law enforcement officers face a variety of situations that could result in losing their positions in Bell.

According to the Sheriff’s Department, neighboring Maywood is the most recent city to contract with the county. There, the Sheriff’s took over the local police department, replacing all of the officers with Sheriff’s deputies.

Compton, another city that contracts with the Sheriff’s Department, went through 18 months of negotiations before merging their local department with the county. In that case, many of the Compton police officers were hired by the Sheriff’s department.

If the Bell City Council ultimately votes to keep the department, the officers could face cuts to their pay and benefits. Most of the rank-and-file officers earn about $75,000 annually, though benefits can kick up total compensation to nearly six-figures for some. Sergeants and captains have earnings in the low $100,000-range, according to the state controller's local government compensation database.

Even if they keep their jobs, officers are concerned that such cuts could make the Bell Police Department less attractive to new recruits and ultimately reduce the quality of service in the long term.

“It’s like a well-oiled machine. We know how each other works and what needs to be done,” McCullah says. “We’re like family, especially at a smaller agency.”

Clark says because of Bell’s small size - the city is only two square miles - the citizens and their concerns would be “hardly a geographical blip on the Sheriff’s map”.

The Sheriff’s Department works closely with each city to determine the number of officers and patrol cars needed, but the ultimate decision is out of the city’s hands.

“If we need something, they will say, ‘You’re not a priority.’ and then we’ve lost the power to control our own police department,” Clark says.

Jimenez says local officers are better acquainted with the people and the streets of Bell, thus making them more accountable to enforcing public safety.

“If we make a mistake, they know who we are and can come in here,” Jimenez says. “You’re here all the time so you’re striving to do a good job.”

The officers tell us that although they face unprecedented challenges, they are confident they have a strong backing with the citizens of Bell.

“Yes, we have a few people who don’t like the police department, but for the most part, citizens want their police department.” Jimenez says. “They’re fighting for us.”

Reach reporter Vicki Chen here.

Reach reporter Kamille Turnquest-Simmons here.