After more than 20 years working for the City of West Hollywood, Public Safety Director Kristin Cook has resigned, the mayor confirmed Friday.
“I’m about to embark on a new adventure and completely shift gears,” Cook said in a statement. “I’m stepping away from public safety and exploring opportunities closer to home. My son only has three more years left before he goes to college, and the pandemic made me realize that life is precious and goes by fast. I remember him as a toddler holding onto Sal Guarriello’s leg so tightly for sanctuary as Jeanne Dobrin tried unsuccessfully to pick him up. Fast forward 15 years, and I don’t want to miss another moment.”
Mayor Lauren Meister said Cook was looking to spend more time with her family, especially her only son. Cook reportedly emailed some in City Hall to give them the news herself.
The challenges of managing public safety in WeHo have metastasized over the past year, with crime on the rise and politics spilling over.
The mayor wrote in her goodbye letter to Cook:
Kristin,
Wishing you only the best.
Thank you for your dedication, hard work, loyalty, and patience. I’m glad that I had the opportunity to work with you, not only as a council member, but as a neighborhood watch captain, community leader, and public safety commissioner.
What an awesome responsibility — trying to keep people who live, work, and play in Weho, safe. You dedicated yourself to this city, you’ve always given it your all for as long as I’ve known you.
Enjoy the next phase!
Cook’s weho.org biography
West Hollywood’s Public Safety Director Kristin Cook provides oversight of the Public Safety Department, manages the 20 million dollar law enforcement contract with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and serves as the liaison to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The Public Safety Department fosters a community policing approach and coordinates targeted community programs to reduce crime and increase public safety and neighborhood livability for citizens, businesses, and visitors to West Hollywood. The Public Safety Department is responsible for emergency management and disaster preparedness for the City of West Hollywood and also coordinates law enforcement, fire, and EMS personnel for all major special events utilizing a unified command approach. Kristin graduated from Northwestern University in 1994 and received a Master of Public Health (MPH) with a focus on emergency management from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2000. Kristin has been with the City of West Hollywood since 1999, previously serving as the Emergency Management Coordinator and then the Public Safety Manager. Prior to joining the City, Kristin worked for the Children’s Memorial Medical Center in Chicago, IL and the University of California, Los Angeles. Her professional memberships include the International Association of Emergency Managers and the California Emergency Services Association.
HOW GALLANT TO RESIGN SO.
JUST WHEN HER LIFE LONG PENSION.
SHE’S REALLY “TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM” THE CITY & THE SAFETY DURING ON ONGOING CRIME RISE
THAT’S TRULY AN INSPIRATIONAL MOVE BY A EMBROILED IN ALLEGATIONS OF FAILING TO DEAL WITH HUGE RISE IN CRIME AND VIOLENT PUBIC THEFTS FROM PEOPLE IN CAFES OR ON THE SIDEWALKS … YES OUR HERO CITY “PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR” IS STEPPING DOWN EXACTLY 20 YRS TO DATE (lifetime pension a total coincidence here in this reported news story about … Wait what’s this story really about anyway.
“Those allegations recently prompted WeHOME, the West Hollywood Municipal Employees Union, to file a complaint that resulted in a City Hall hearing last Thursday. The hearing was said to have been lengthy and to have involved City Manager Paul Arevalo among others. In support of the hearing, members of the union wore WeHOME t-shirts to work that day, with many of them wearing “anti-bullying” badges”
https://wehoonline.com/2019/06/05/weho-public-safety-director-kristin-cook-accused-of-abusive-behavior-toward-her-staff/
They’re jumping off the sinking S.S. WeeHoe in droves. That cityhood tub, a wet dream of the pandemic years, is sinking hard by the bow.
Too many fail to be discovered as ineffectual, unethical or downright dishonest until they have racked up at least 10 to 20 years of exorbitant salary and benefits. They then claim the need to focus on more substantive matters of home and family after the meeting-go-round and pushing papers around the four corners of their desks producing little to benefit the city and its residents which was supposedly their original civic responsibility. Question is who does the hiring?
What I have said ALL THE TIME.. you are capable to see the faults and shortcomings … THEN JUMPT TO THE opportunity “YOURSELF” very easy to criticize someone from the outside, don’t talk with your mouth talk with YOUR ACTIONS, “YOU” make the difference. As the old saying goes: The person dies and goes to heaven and he complains to GOD, “Lord you allowed calamity and suffering in my lifetime why did you allow that? Why didn’t you send someone, to which the Lord answers, but I did, I did send someone, the person replies, but to whom did you… Read more »
Thought I replied but don’t see the comment. I agree with you and in most cases I go directly to the source with a proposed solution. Direct talk generally indicates whether or not they have an authentic interest in a timely solution or whether they prefer PR blah, blah blah. Then generally memorialize the issue, send them a copy and see what’s next or if and how the issue presents itself later. They generally have a short memory and rarely deviate from the script but once under my skin will continue to connect the dots. Sooner it later the issue… Read more »
What buffoon will they bring in next?
Ambrose Brooks, I hope your resume is ready, because this is a job for you!
I hope this is good news for West Hollywood. Hard to say that Ms. Cook did a good job with the public safety. I do hope she is not replaced by a particular race or gender for the sake of so-called equality. We need the right person, not a politically woke stooge.
Too bad Miss Cook decided to leave suddenly as she was fairly active with her job as public safety director.I think the stress of dealing with the COVID pandemic and dealing with the uptick of crime in the city burnt her out.
I think she got overwhelmed with it all and decided to just chuck it.Some commenters on here seem to suggest Cook was involved in misconduct.I don’t see any signs of that,so I say good luck and best wishes to Miss Cook and her future endeavors.
If ONLY the Far Left “painted crosswalks before safety” could follow!
Kristin is the last of the Big 3 position holders to leave the sinking ship called West Hollywood. I’m sure with the Counciltwits in power now the new Public Safety Director will make Gascon look aggressive on crime.
I can think of another director that needs to go. When is the last time you found the director of planning offering new thoughts for better quality of life for residents, businesses and visitors? Oh here is one: The approvl of a Parking Use Psemit in the SSP zone for a garage facility with more than 50 cars shall require the installation of license plate recognition equipment within 6 months and such data shall be available to local law enforcement agencies. If the Landlords want to make money off of parking, no problem, just as long as we can find… Read more »
And the very tricky definition in the ever changing purpose and licensing/oversight of the Palm Avenue project. Again the presentations and articulations became a complicated jumble of word salad. Mayor Meister was fairly adept at picking it apart but she had only one colleague to agree. The immovable object became CC Horvath whose HPC commissioner designed and presented the problematic project. In retrospect, she should have recused herself from the appeal. The project will stand as a monument to questionable integrity.
When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going! This resignation is not surprising. Ten months ago experienced a phone & email conversation following an email exchange with Ms. Cook regarding a City Bulletin/Sheriff Station reminder message addressing scooter violations. The conversation focused on verbose messages likely not received or read by the intended target. I suggested that an efficient campaign and protocol could be effective informing the residents and tourists that THEIR SAFETY is uppermost in the city’s mind through believable, visible enforcement with verifiable results. Historically, philosophies of that ilk get results because the city would be seen… Read more »
Finally! Now, hopefully Weho will get a real director of public safety and one who is not “in bed with” the LASD. Her time in that office will be investigated. She knows it’s coming. She was notified (as was the former City Manager and City Attorney…both of whom bailed too) She’s running scared. Her 20 years in Weho = epic and shameful fail! They can run, but they can’t hide. Trails and trails of incriminating paperwork.
It would be AWESOME to see past and present corrupt weasels (who cover up each other’s unethical deeds) go to jail. Awesome, awesome, AWESOME!