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L.A.'s Mayor Villaraigosa announces his choice for the next Chief of the LAPD on Tuesday. Any well-run company or organization usually has a line of succession, or at least folks groomed to take over. Such is the case with the Police Department. That's something else departing Chief Bill Bratton can take credit for.
The Police Commission's three finalists all are internal candidates. Is that a plus, or a minus? Reading the tea leaves doesn't help:
Those who've lived in L.A. long enough, remember when the city brought in Willie Williams from Philadelphia in 1992. Williams seemed "in over his head." His troops didn't respect him. He followed Daryl Gates, who resigned in the wake of that year's L.A. riots. Gates--who had risen through the ranks himself--made some serious tactical mistakes, but he was credited with creating strong morale in a force that was severely understaffed, compared to other metropolitan cities.
Bernard Parks took over from Williams. Parks was (and is) a popular local figure who knew the turf and reduced violent crime, but was hamstrung by a terrible period of police corruption scandals. Then-Mayor Jim Hahn gave him the boot, and at the next election, voters gave Hahn the boot. There was a definite connection. Parks led to Bratton, who's had a pretty good run.
Gates: internal
Williams: outsider
Parks: internal
Bratton: outsider.
The new top cop's #1 job needs to be a continued focus on major-crimes. It's an increasing challenge, but key to L.A.'s future. Everything else is window-dressing.
BTW, in thinking about the reeeeeeally old days of the LAPD (at least Hollywood's version), I came across this.... Enjoy.
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