LABJ Forum: Searching for a New Chief?

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LABJ Forum: Searching for a New Chief?

Last week, the Los Angeles Police Commission voted against giving Chief Bernard Parks a second five-year term. Although the City Council could overturn the commission’s decision, that appears unlikely and the names of potential successors to Parks are being bandied about. So the Business Journal asks: What qualities do you expect in a new police chief?

Elaine Cantwell

Principal and Creative Director

Spark Creative Inc.

A chief that can further police outreach is someone who can turn the city around and make it a better place to live. I would want somebody who knows his constituents and the people and encourages that among his ranks.

Mark A. Thoreson

Vice President of Advancement and External Affairs

California Institute of the Arts

The next police chief needs to really address community involvement on the part of his department, as (former police chief) Willlie Williams did, and address the differences of each community. I think that’s been the gaping hole here in the last five years.

Denise Fairchild

Executive Director

Community Development Technologies Center

Public safety and service says it all. A police chief must inspire community trust and confidence. This is particularly important in communities of color where we feel victimized by both criminals and the police. I expect integrity someone who is forthright and not swayed by politics. I expect fairness in police service and treatment. I expect honesty police cover-ups and protections cannot be tolerated. The police chief serves one constituency L.A. residents. In L.A., there are organized forces and voices that seem to suggest that the job of the police chief is to protect, serve and support the police. You can’t have two masters.

Howard Kern

Shareholder

Greenberg Traurig LLP

I believe that the police chief should have the same qualities as a top-tier CEO. The person should be well informed and know the issues that face the community, be able to work well with others, be flexible, be able to delegate, and be a natural leader that other people are willing to follow. Most of all, I think that the police chief has to be self-confident and be willing to make decisions that are not necessarily popular but protect the interests of parties that may not be politically protected, i.e., minorities, poor people.

Donna C. Myrow

Executive Director/Publisher

LA Youth

We need a police chief who can restore faith in the police, especially in the minority community. Teens don’t trust the police because their perception of the LAPD is brutal. Male teens of color feel that they are targeted by law enforcement. The police chief should enforce the Christopher Commission recommendations.

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