trying to block what had the potential to be hundreds of thousands of dollars in pension payments for Adams, whose highly profitable term as police chief of Bell had far-reaching consequences to the state's complicated employee retirement system. Adams' salary of $457,000 was roughly double that of then-Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck who oversaw almost 10,000 officers. Bell's police department then numbered 48. In February 2008, it was revealed on CBS News that Adams allegedly exchanged e-mails with the assistant city manager about how they were going to arrange his salary and hide it from Bell's citizens, making jokes about bilking the city. "I am looking forward to seeing you and taking all of Bell's money", Adams wrote, according to the memo. Adams was not charged or arrested. In August 2010, the city of Bell began searching for a new police chief. Gilbert Jara, head of the Bell Police Officers Association, called the search "a good first step in ensuring not only public safety but also a restoration of the public's trust in Bell officials." The city of Bell has claimed it was negotiating with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department to take over the policing contract; however, Sheriff Lee Baca's spokesman says that the L.A. County Auditor-Controller Wendy L. Watanabe, has made no contact with him regarding that possibility. In October 2011, the city hired the first Interim Chief of Police since the scandal broke. Steve Belcher was retained as the interim chief and brought nearly 40 years of law enforcement experience. Belcher was tasked with giving the police department a critical look and providing the new city management with his recommendations. Belcher complied and served as the Interim Chief of Police for one year. In October 2012, Bell Police Captain Anthony Miranda was promoted to Chief of Police after a nationwide search of more than 70 candidates. In June 2015, the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) Board designated as precedential its decision to reduce former City of Bell police chief Randy Adams' requested pension by more than half. The Board's decision to designate the Adams' decision as precedential means that it can be officially cited in court, in other administrative proceedings, and may be applied broadly to other cases. More police caught in scandal The office that manages retirement benefits for California public employees reportedly investigated the validity of pension plans for at least 10 police officers,