Parks Finally Gains Top Job . . . Now for the Hard Part

Mayor Richard Riordan is expected today to announce his selection of Los Angeles Police Department veteran Bernard C. Parks as the next chief of police. The tough, energetic and demanding Parks will take charge of a department in need of strong leadership. He can succeed where his predecessor, Willie L. Williams, failed if he uses his political acumen and managerial skills to shape police policies that will improve public safety.

With the support of the Police Commission and the mayor and the expected approval of the City Council, Parks will get the chance to prove he is a strong, well-organized leader who can put his vision into practice without returning to the cowboy, us-against-them culture encouraged by Daryl F. Gates when he was chief and without further hurting the morale of the rank and file, which has been on a roller coaster ride of management changes in the last several years.

His immediate challenges will include expansion, training and professional development and the ongoing lack of adequate resources for patrol officers. He can resolve some of these problems if he can capitalize on his clout at City Hall, but vote-getting is not the only skill he will need to demonstrate.

Like many of the men and women he will lead, Parks, 53, grew up in the LAPD. A career officer, he has overseen special investigations including internal affairs, a sensitive post. He also worked training, narcotics and patrol and as a detective. His childhood home was in South-Central Los Angeles.

Parks has been criticized as being too much of a disciplinarian, but if that simply means he insists on adherence to high standards, that’s a real plus. Parks needs to stay tough on cops who routinely ignore violations and simply “drive and wave.” Sitting down on the job is unacceptable. The new chief will need to boost productivity and show taxpayers what they are getting for their money. Part of that means getting rid of officers who violate LAPD rules against excessive force and racial and sexual harassment. The department has a sorry history of racial and gender problems.

Parks also needs to deliver for the 9,500 officers of the LAPD. They need cars, computers, adequate weaponry, a sophisticated crime lab and other resources to do the challenging job of protecting and serving a sprawling, complex and diverse city. Crime may be down, but fear is not.

The appointment of Parks is a loss for Mark Kroeker, another senior commander and talented veteran. Riordan said he hopes Kroeker will remain with the LAPD.

Interim Chief Bayan Lewis, another capable veteran, was more than a caretaker during his brief stint at Parker Center. Lewis deserves credit for making tough decisions that will free Parks to tackle other difficult issues.

As the new chief takes over, the Police Commission loses its able president, Raymond Fisher, a civil rights attorney who has been nominated by President Clinton for the No. 3 job at the U.S. Department of Justice. While Fisher presided, the commission made the unpopular decision not to reappoint Williams. During his tenure, Fisher also worked hard to restore the credibility of the Police Commission at City Hall and in the City Council. He advanced the reform agenda and held the LAPD to a higher standard that is expected to be continued by the new Police Commission president, Edith Perez.

Bernard C. Parks is poised to become the 52nd chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. It’s a department that in a short time went from being the adored subject of television melodrama to the national butt of jokes and ridicule. While the “Dragnet” image was never real, it was also never true that the LAPD was evil incarnate. The slow but steady rise of Parks, who following Williams will be the second African American chief, is evidence of that. Parks has the right instincts for this difficult job that brings with it so many bosses: the mayor, the Police Commission and the City Council. But the new chief must never forget that his constituency is not just in Parker Center and City Hall but in the streets with the people who look to him to help make their lives safer. caption: Parks: no lack of challenges.