Parks the top candidate for police chief

Published: Monday, July 28, 1997

Monday, July 28, 1997

ENDORSEMENT:

His 32 years' experience with L.A.'s problems justifies his promotion to head of LAPDOf the six people running for chief of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Bernard Parks is the strongest and most qualified to lead the department. Mayor Richard Riordan, who will select a finalist for city council approval, should name Parks as the new LAPD chief for several reasons.

Parks, a current deputy chief, is aware of the problems we need to address, and can bring about change frankly and effectively. He knows his limitations when it comes to facing L.A.'s many large-scale problems. He's learned this in his 32 years with the LAPD.

The LAPD is in dire need of a leader who can implement reforms and not just talk. Supporters say Parks is a good manager and effective disciplinarian, who pays attention to details. Parks can react quickly to L.A.'s vast sea of concerns. Community policing is one of these, and Parks shows the determination to bring this program to fruition. Community policing emphasizes customer service and seeks to build a true partnership between residents and police.

Parks' strong concern for the mental health of LAPD officers is also impressive. He has sympathy for the officers because he knows how stressful the job can be. Parks is likely to be a no-nonsense chief who understands officers' duties: arriving on time, solving problems, and treating citizens with respect. This attitude alone will be a breath of fresh air.

As far as UCLA is concerned, it's imperative that the new chief respond quickly to the university police's efforts to hammer out a Memorandum of Understanding. This document is a mutual aid agreement between University Police and the LAPD. Right now there's no formal agreement, so the campus is vulnerable to some emergency and criminal situations which the university police department can't handle on its own. University police chief Clarence Chapman worked with the West Los Angeles division of LAPD and came up with an informal policy, but we still need a formal agreement and the LAPD hasn't really cooperated with our department to write this agreement.

Despite the endorsement, we are not without reservations. We're worried that Parks may be a little too defensive of the LAPD. Critics say he has downplayed some of the department's problems, which could stand in the way of much-needed sexual harassment and discrimination reforms.

The absence of any women or Asian Americans in the semi-finalist pool shows that the department needs to make many changes in its ethnic and gender makeup.

There's a lot of work that needs to be done within the department as well as out in the communities, but we're convinced Parks has the perseverance and determination to work through the problems and endure the heat he'll incur as L.A.'s top cop.