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Picking
a new Chief of Police
Now
that the previous Chief has officially submitted his resignation,
the process of picking a new permanent Chief can begin in earnest.
Los Angeles Community Policing thinks it's important to understand
the process and how the community can be involved.
The concepts of community based policing will certainly be hot topics.
In addition, the issues of LAPD reform, officer retention and recruitment
will play a major role.
We'll be learning what's desired from the residents' point of view
and hearing how potential candidates respond.
Although the Police Commissioners will ultimately make the actual
choices to be offered to the Mayor for us, they are very interested
in hearing the community's perspective on the issues and in learning
what qualities the people they represent desire in a Chief.
Los Angeles Community Policing supports a comprehensive and energetic
dialogue that includes all residents, citywide.
We invite your input here, in the form of Letters
to the Editor or Opinion
Articles, and we encourage community attendance and participation
at the many meetings that will be held over the weeks and months
ahead where Public Comment is always sought.
We've also made it easier than ever to join the LACP
e-group …
While the actual criteria for picking the next Chief has yet to
be developed, and the Police Commission says a "Blue Ribbon"
panel will be appointed shortly to help design one, the evaluation
used for the last Chief may serve as an indication of the model
for now.
One can envision imaginative explanations from candidates about
how the very structure of the Department may need to change to meet
the demands of a 21st Century society.
In case you missed it here's the evaluation that was used to judge
the last Chief:
~~~~~ CLICK
HERE FOR COP EVALUATION
Understanding the process
Ever since April 22nd, when the outgoing Chief announced he'd be
dropping any further pursuit of his request for another five year
term, going on vacation and tendering his resignation, the LAPD
had been led by an acting chief, Deputy Chief Mike Bostic.
The resignation arrived last week, and it went into effect on Saturday
evening, May 4, 2002.
Meantime, the five member Police
Commission, the communities' main representative in the process,
has asked the City to open up a bid process to find the firm that
will be awarded the contract to do a national search, both inside
and outside the Department.
But the bid process to select this headhunting firm could take a
couple of months alone, and the estimate of how long it will take
to come up with a short list of candidate names is in the range
of six months.
So, the first step was for the Police Commission to select a Temporary
Chief, who will serve at the head of the Department in the interim.
On Tuesday, May 7, the Commission asked former Deputy Chief Martin
Pomeroy, a 31 year veteran, to come out of retirement and lead the
LAPD until a permanent Chief is appointed.
~~~~~ CLICK
HERE TO READ ABOUT MARTIN POMEROY
Community involvement
But all of this is just a first step, and the next six months portend
to be interesting times. Eventually the Commission will select three
names and forward them to the Mayor for his consideration.
During the next half year, the public will get to know at least
some of the potential local candidates, although this list may be
incomplete because it may not include the names of some of those
who are eventually enticed to submit a resume and application through
the work done by the headhunting firm.
Still, it will be a pretty good list ...
Several LAPD personnel, past and present, have already declared
their potential interest, and, because the Commission has stated
the preference will be for someone who is either currently active
or has had long term experience in LAPD, it will be well to watch
this group.
Here's an incomplete listing of such known candidates all of whom
have long term LAPD experience:
~~~~~ CLICK
HERE FOR KNOWN CANDIDATES FOR CHIEF OF POLICE
Some of these candidates are well know, others not, and Los Angeles
Community Policing will try to provide the residents with as much
information as possible about these potential new Chiefs of Police.
We'll create a space for each of them to place statements of their
goals for LAPD on the site. If requested, we'll be happy to do this
for any and all candidates who wish to be included …
Eventually, we'd also like to participate in providing a series
of town hall style forums, where the public could get to know the
top candidates and find out where they stand on the issues they
see as important to a 21st Century LAPD … redesign of the Department,
reform, community based policing, retention and morale, and leadership
styles.
Los Angeles Community Policing knows that the Police Commissioners,
who will select what they believe are the three best potential candidates,
the Mayor, who will make his choice, and the City Council members,
who will ratify the new Chief, are all going to be listening to
the voice of the community from now on.
We encourage a vigorous public dialogue that may well usher in a
"new" LAPD, one in which both the Officers and the public can be
proud.
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