TURNER, YA'AKOV

TURNER, YA'AKOV (1935– ), 10th inspector general of the Israeli police and mayor of Beersheba. Turner joined the IDF in 1953 and served for 32 years in the Israel Air Force, flying over 300 combat missions and serving as a squadron commander in the Six-Day War and afterward as commander of the IAF flight school. In 1977 Turner was named commander of one of the major bases of the Israel Air Force, a position he held until 1981, when he became head of the human resource department of the force. During his military service he graduated in human behavioral sciences from Ben-Gurion University. He was one of the founders of the Air Force Museum, becoming its head. In 1985 he joined the Israeli police as head of the human resource section. In 1989 he was promoted to head the Central District and in 1990 he became inspector general, a position he filled until 1993. Under his leadership, the police faced the first Intifada. He also created a number of important units: the traffic police to deal with traffic problems and felonies; the helicopter unit aimed to assist forces on the ground; and the Southern District with headquarters in Beersheba. Six years after his retirement from the police, in 1999, he was elected mayor of Beersheba. (Shaked Gilboa (2nd ed.)