City Manager Homer Bludau hired Luman. He will remain on while Bludau transitions out of his post in September and brings on a replacement who will select a permanent leader for the department.
Luman said he plans to continue many of the successes Klein brought during his tenure, including increased enforcement on the Balboa Peninsula near the popular alcohol establishments. Klein’s resignation came amid calls from police unions for a redo of the selection process for his position, and some in the department accusing him of cronyism in promotions. It came to light earlier this year that Klein was recruited as chief improperly, and unions jumped on it as a chance to re-recruit for the position.
“My take on [the department] is what’s happened is history,” Luman said. “All we can do with history is learn from it. I think we increase morale by being fair and equitable to everyone in the department.”
Luman emphasized that Klein did a fine job as chief and he will have a learning curve before he’ll see areas in the department to address.
“I think initially what I need to do is get down there, dig in, become knowledgeable about what’s going in the department and make those decisions,” he said.
“Going in and maintaining an organization is not a viable option in my opinion. If you’re doing that you’re going backward.
“I’m fair, I’m honest, I try to have a high degree of integrity,” Luman continued. “I work hard and expect the people who work with me to work hard. Hopefully we’ll do a good job.”
Luman has a master’s degree in public administration from USC and a bachelor’s degree from Cal State Dominguez Hills.
In a news release, Bludau said the word “integrity” continually came up when he interviewed Luman’s associates.
