Rich Archbold: Karen Kerr Owens retires from one of toughest jobs in Long Beach

Karen Kerr Owens was comparatively caller successful her vocation astatine the Long Beach Police Department erstwhile Commander Tony Batts, aboriginal to go constabulary chief, called her into his office.

“Did I bash thing wrong?” she thought to herself.

No, she hadn’t.

Owens, successful fact, had been doing truthful galore things close that Batts was astir to marque her the archetypal civilian successful complaint of handling nationalist accusation for the department. Up until that time, successful 1993, the nationalist accusation occupation had been held by a constabulary serviceman who rotated successful and retired of the duty aft 2 years oregon so. It was an historical infinitesimal and would pb Owens to becoming the Police Department’s nationalist dependable and look for 3 decades successful 1 of the toughest and astir demanding jobs successful metropolis government.

Last week, much than 200 colleagues, friends, household and nationalist officials celebrated her years of work astatine a status enactment astatine the Long Beach Marriott Hotel.

“This turnout is an astonishing testament to you, Karen, and what you person done to marque the assemblage better,” Long Beach Assistant Police Chief Wally Hebeish said to large applause.

State Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell gave Owens a proclamation “in designation for each you person done to assistance support america safe.”

On a idiosyncratic note, O’Donnell besides said helium wanted to convey Owens for her assistance erstwhile his brother, Tim, a sergeant with the Police Department, died unexpectedly successful 2004, astatine property 36, from a aesculapian information portion driving home.

“Our satellite was turned upside down erstwhile Tim died,” O’Donnell said. “You spent hours with america readying for services and helping america during this top of household tragedies. This meant a batch to my family.”

Bruce MacRae, vice president authorities affairs for UPS and erstwhile president of the Long Beach Police Foundation, said the evening was each astir love.

“You person made a immense interaction connected the assemblage and the constabulary department,” helium said.

Steve Brown, pastor astatine California Heights Baptist Church and proprietor of a video accumulation company, thanked Owens for her integrity and “doing what’s right.”

“You person taught maine the value of caring for people,” Brown said. “You are a person that radical volition follow.”

In an affectional farewell, Owens said she had “a fantastic, life-changing vocation going down a pathway that didn’t adjacent beryllium before.”

Owens, nee Kerr, was calved successful 1967 successful West Germany, wherever her begetter served arsenic a subordinate of the U.S. Army. She moved to Long Beach erstwhile she was 1, graduated from Millikan High School and then, successful 1991, received a grade successful transgression justness from Cal State Long Beach.

She had an aboriginal involvement successful nationalist relations, Owens said, truthful she decided to harvester that with her involvement successful however transgression justness worked successful a community.

An accidental came successful 1990, erstwhile she started moving successful the Long Beach Police Department arsenic a constabulary services adjunct connected the concern desk. She moved to the Community Relations Division’s Crime Prevention Unit and past she had that momentous gathering with Batts.

“He said helium wanted to enactment a non-traditional look connected the nationalist accusation department’s dealings with the public,” Owens said. “He besides wanted consistency with the PIO person alternatively of the rotation system.”

In 1999, Owens was promoted to head and joined the bid staff, managing the assemblage relations, unit and assemblage engagement divisions.

She became the longest serving civilian subordinate connected the bid staff.

From her archetypal time starring the nationalist accusation department, Owens said, she wanted to marque definite that the accusation she delivered to the nationalist was timely and factual.

“My extremity was ever to archer the facts of a communicative accurately and reasonably without hurting an investigation,” she said. “That occupation became adjacent harder with truthful overmuch misinformation being thrown astir connected societal media. There are a batch of emotions connected some sides, particularly successful officer-involved shootings. We ever tried to woody with the facts.”

At the aforesaid time, she said, she helped amended constabulary officers and ticker commanders connected the value of dealing with the nationalist and making arsenic overmuch accusation disposable arsenic possible, wrong definite limits, involving ongoing investigations and privateness laws.

I asked her however she dealt with the hostility that existed sometimes betwixt the media and police.

“I ever worked hard to physique a respectful narration with the media,” she said. “I learned a batch from reporters and detectives. If determination was a occupation with a newsman oregon an inflammatory header that didn’t lucifer the story, I felt escaped to prime up the telephone and speech to whoever was successful charge.”

When I was managing exertion and past enforcement exertion of the Press-Telegram, I ever recovered Owens to beryllium a bully listener connected immoderate problems we had successful getting accusation from the constabulary connected large stories.

In summation to her PIO duties, Owens has been progressive successful galore different activities involving the Police Department, ranging from Shop With a Cop to the Police Explorer Post to improvement of the Community Police Academy, which helps residents recognize what constabulary officers look successful their jobs. She besides worked with the Police Foundation, which raises wealth to enactment officers successful training, exertion and assemblage outreach initiatives for a safer Long Beach. Owens said Leadership Long Beach was adjuvant successful processing her enactment skills.

“I was a subordinate of the Class of 1997,” Owens said. “I learned truthful overmuch and made truthful galore connections successful the community.”

Owens told maine that of the galore things she has done successful her career, she was proudest of helping turn and physique a media relations squad wrong the Police Department that helped power the full bureau woody with the public.

“Thirty years ago, we heard a batch of ‘no comment’ coming from the Police Department,” she said. “We are not cleanable now, but we person travel a agelong way, moving time and night, connected responses for the public. We stock accusation amended now, and I privation to spot that grow. I consciousness we person truly progressed successful making assemblage relations better. I’d similar that to beryllium my legacy.”

In retirement, Owens said, she is going to question and walk much clip with her household aft moving 24/7 for truthful galore years. She and her husband, Rob Owens, who she joined successful 1996 and who is successful the concern packaging business, person a son, Drew, 19, a pupil astatine Long Beach City College. Her parent is simply a retired Long Beach schoolhouse teacher.

Her begetter died of a bosom onslaught successful June.

“One happening I’ve learned successful my occupation is that calamity tin onslaught astatine immoderate moment,” Owens said. “We person to marque the astir of each time and each moment.”

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