Assemblyman Luis Alejo: Audit the King City Police Department.

The new police chief of King City, population 13,000, has nearly 30 years of experience policing in Chicago. But Ron Forgue still faces a challenging job leading a beleaguered police department where about a third of the force was arrested on various charges in February of last year. 

Now, he's also likely to face the tough scrutiny a state audit. 

Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Watsonville, started asking questions about King City's plans for its PD just days after the arrests. Now he's asking California State Auditor Elaine Howle to step in and follow up. 

"The question remains, how do you rebuild a police department?" Alejo says. "The reason I think an audit is needed is there hasn’t been an outside, independent group come in." 

Since six police, including the acting chief and the retired chief, and one civilian—the acting chief's brother—were arrested last year, six of the seven have pleaded no contest in plea deals. Officer Bobby Carrillo is scheduled to go to trial early next year. 

The desire for a state audit has long been on his radar, Alejo says, but he was waiting for King City to install a new chief. Forgue started in late June. 

"Now that there’s a new police chief, I think it’s the best time for the state auditor to come in," Alejo says, "and see, are they conforming to model standards for police departments, and where are there areas for improvement?

"If they’ve made changes, that's a good thing. Then the public will know. I think this is part of the healing process.”

Forgue plans to meet with Alejo at his Capitol office Monday afternoon, before the Joint Legislative Audit Committee is scheduled to hear Alejo's audit request (among others) in the state Capitol at 9:30am Tuesday. It's the committee's final hearing of this legislative session. 

Alejo last requested a state audit in 2011 of Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System, which the Legislature agreed to.

That audit revealed no evidence of criminal wrongdoing, but resulted in a list of more than a dozen recommendations that Alejo says have improved public accountability and personnel practices at the hospital.