CCJ Directory

Charlie Beck is a retired Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. He served in that capacity for almost nine years between 2009 and 2018 and was a member of the LAPD for forty three years in total. Following his retirement he was appointed as the Interim Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department and served in that role from November of 2019 to April of 2020.

Chief Beck is one of three generations of LAPD officers, preceded by his father who rose to the rank of Assistant Chief (second highest in LAPD), and followed by all three of his children. His wife Cindy is a retired Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff and he has many other family members who have served in local law enforcement.

During his long career Chief Beck has worked almost every assignment within the police department including gang officer, Senior Lead Officer, watch commander and Internal Affairs Investigator. As the Captain of Rampart Area he is credited with the restoration and revitalization of that division and its neighborhoods following one of the most notorious scandals in the Departments history. Before becoming Chief he was the Chief of Detectives and was recognized for clearing the Cities stubborn and historic rape kit backlog as well as using emerging DNA technology and techniques to solve murders and rapes that went back decades in the Cities history.

As Chief of Police he reduced violent crime to historic lows that continue to this day. He was the first chief in generations to achieve less than 300 homicides annually in the City of Los Angeles and did so in every year of his tenure. This was achieved by community partnerships that included gang intervention and prevention programs that have become national models for reducing gang violence. Chief Beck also implemented city wide in-car-video and body cameras as well as policies for their use that are nationally recognized standards. The LAPD also exited with full compliance from a Federal Consent Decree under his leadership.

Post retirement from the LAPD Chief Beck was selected to lead the Chicago Police Department through a time of tremendous organizational crisis after the unexpected firing of their Superintendent. Chicago faced many of the problems that he had dealt with as Chief and in his brief tenure he completely reorganized the department and was responsible for replacing and promoting almost half of the command staff. In retirement Charlie Beck lives with his family on their horse ranch in Ventura County, CA. He spends his time riding his motorcycles and mountain bikes and most importantly raising his three grandsons.