Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/1731
48 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: MAY 2009 decent, generous and unas- suming person. – Don Poss Elect the chief Los Angeles police chiefs had open-ended tenure under civil service protec- tion until shortly after the riots in 1992, when voters approved Charter Amend- ment F. This change was a key recommendation of the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, better known as the Christopher Com- mission, which examined the LAPD after the 1991 Rodney King incident. Under the civil service process, the police chief answered to five bosses rather than the mayor and could not be fi red without cause. Charter Amendment F limited the police chief to a fi ve-year term, renewable once by the civilian Police Commission. Charter Amendment F made the LAPD chief di- rectly accountable to the Police Commission, whose members are appointed by the mayor, thus giving the mayor complete control over hiring and fi ring of the chief. Seventeen years after the Christopher Commission recommended sweeping changes to the LAP D, it is time for city leaders to explore making the LAPD chief position an elected rather than appointed posi- tion. With an elected chief, the public would better be able to directly hold the chief accountable. In California, elected sheriffs, by legislative design, are responsive and accountable to the public. Making the chief position an elected one gives residents in Los Angeles a direct say in the kind of policing they want to have in the commu- nity, adding a needed check to the city's political system. Candidates would have to run on clear and transpar- ent programs, and winning candidates would have a direct mandate to pursue the objectives promised in their campaigns. Political considerations, mayoral interference and City Council meddling in police affairs would become a thing of the past. Rather than the chief being subor- dinate to the political needs of the mayor and council, he or she would be free to do the job as the voters have directed and would know up front that reelection depends on doing a good job, not gaining political favor. In Los Angeles, the vot- ers have long supported the election of the county sheriff. Sheriff Lee Baca and his predecessors have been rewarded with reelection because the people are satis- fi ed with their performance. By contrast, after Charter Amendment F was passed and before Chief William Bratton came on board, the LAPD had two one-term chiefs whose performance was substandard. Few positions in Los An- geles have more power and impact on Los Angeles resi- dents than the police chief. It is one of the highest-profi le positions in the city, and quality of leadership and policy decisions directly impact the everyday safety of residents. Yet under the current ar- rangement, voters do not get to choose what type of law enforcement style the city should follow. As law enforcement pro- fessionals, we want the best public safety system in place for the residents of Los An- geles. Every day we look for ways to make our depart- ments more effi cient while Continued from page 16 YOUR Letters we stretch every dime of taxpayer money. Electing the chief of police would bring more accountability, increased public scrutiny and oversight to the posi- tion. – Paul M. Weber President Los Angeles Police Protective League Bad combo I was surprised to see comments made under the NATI O NWI D E column on page 10, "A bad mix." The writer states: "When the stress of a dangerous, demanding job piles up on offi cers, they need to know they can seek treatment without stigma or kickback from management." This comment was on page 21 by a cartoon that seems to characterize some- one who seeks the assistance of a psychologist or coun- selor as "babies." Which is it? – Steve Morrison Licensed professional counselor and retired police captain Duh! Please tell the writer of "Sex Dolls" in the BELIEVE IT OR NOT column, that it is hardly a news fl ash that the blow-up doll Lothario wore shorts "which allegedly had an opening in the crotch area." As far as I know, all men's shorts made in the U.S. and the rest of the planet have an opening in the crotch area. It's called a fl y. – Your faithful reader, Joe Wambaugh "What I did on parole, by inmate 1375." Circle number 55 on the Reader Service Card.