Ted Cooke

College Friend

“The counselors said I should either be a lawyer or a police officer. I didn’t know that police officers have to go to school longer than lawyers. So I opted to be an officer.”

When Culver City Chief of Police Ted Cooke went to Santa Monica college, the school was known as “Splinterville.” The term referred to the fragile wooden structures the college was housed in. “During World War II, they built a lot of temporary buildings for military installations,v recalls Cooke. “And after the war, the college started to use them.” It was the early 50s, and another war was underway.

Cooke left SMC in 1951 to enlist with the Navy where he made the underwater demolition team. But after four years in the military (where he was buddies with Walt Cunningham, another SMC student), he returned to the college as an English major. Soon he became editor of the Corsair, a member of the gymnastics and boxing teams, and president of the Council of students before graduating in 1956. From there he went all the way to a doctorate in law.

Cooke, who is still an avid writer and literature aficionado, continues to be a strong believer in education. “I think that everyone should go to school because it gives you better options in life,” he says. “But we don’t get what I consider to be solid education anymore in our schools. We end up with people who graduate and who do not understand the fundamental concept of working within a society.”

In his 36 years in law enforcement (16 years of which he spent as chief of police), Cooke has dealt with many who ventured outside the boundaries of society. Yet, his department’s track record is astonishing. “In Culver City we’ve had a decrease in crime compared to the year before for 11 years in a row,” he says, taking pride in the accomplishment of his force. “I think paying attention to the fundamentals is what ultimately impacts community safety.”

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