ONLY ON FOX: Chief Beck Ride Along

After more than 40 years with the LAPD, Chief Charlie Beck is finally calling it a wrap. His time as the LAPD' s "top cop" ends June 27- his 65th birthday. Beck chose to retire a little early from his second term as chief. He told me that over time, he realized being a cop was a job "that he was born to do."

Our conversation took place as we drove through the Rampart Division of the LAPD. The windows were rolled up, the radios turned down. Chief Beck was at the wheel of the brand new patrol car, I was in the passenger seat; cameraman Gino Arias shooting from the back seat of the black and white Ford Explorer.

We "tricked out" the car with Go Pros and took a spin. It was a sunny day in Los Angeles and Chief Beck was eager to talk. The three cameras captured the outgoing police chief, me and the colorful street scenes packed with people. Rampart is a crush of people from all over the globe and policing here is unique.

Rampart is also one of Beck's favorite divisions. We didn't need a GPS, we had Beck's deep knowledge of the area. He began here as rookie cop, when he was just 21 years old. In the late 90's, as captain of the division, he was widely credited with cleaning it up in the wake of the " Rampart Scandal" -- after some rogue cops terrorized citizens in this working class neighborhood. But for today, our mission was to get Beck to reflect on his years with the LAPD.

We chose to do the interview out of the office and in a car. As we hit the streets he commented "every corner is a story." He recalled in vivid detail the shooting at the Mexican Consulate back in 2004, the beauty of the architecture of some of the older buildings;and the grittiness of discovering two of the victims bodies of the notorious "Hillside Strangler." All the while, his security detail following us around.

And there was also some carpool therapy along the way. Chief Beck talked a great deal about how policing had changed over his 42 year career. An ardent proponent of community based policing, he underscored that good policing is built on good relationships. He said being a beat cop is actually very similar to being a chief of police, in that you are constantly negotiating.

When Chief Beck was young Officer Beck there were few of today's modern police tools. No computers, no cameras, no cell phones. He would call in to the station from a phone booth. And yet his face lit up when he talked about the early years .. with nostalgia, and very little regret. Why leave now? Beck said he wanted to be there as his successor was chosen, to be part of the process. He spoke highly of soon-to-be sworn in Chief Michel Moore. He said even though he was retiring he would "always be LAPD" ....it's in his DNA. And, of course, his children are still a part of the ranks.

For some people, this exit interview would have been like pulling teeth. But not for Chief Beck. He seemed excited to be back in a patrol car. And the stories from years gone by -- began to flow easily.

Watch our story with Chief Beck in the player at the top of the page and click here to watch a separate anecdote that was too long to make the piece.