Meetings held for Bratton replacement

31

Aug 2009

The civilian panel overseeing the Los Angeles Police Department will begin holding community meetings next week to ask Angelenos what qualities they would most like to see in the next police chief.

"Public input is critical in this process," Police Commission President John Mack said. "The next chief of police will serve all of the diverse communities of Los Angeles, and it is extremely important that we hear from those communities and know what is important to them."

The first of four community meetings will be held next Wednesday at the Friendship Auditorium near Griffith Park. The second will be the following day at a Department of Water and Power community auditorium in South Los Angeles.

The third and fourth meetings will be held the week after next, in the Westside and the San Fernando Valley.

Angelenos who cannot attend the community meetings can still have a say in choosing William Bratton's replacement. The city's personnel manager plans to post an online survey on the city's official Web site, asking the public to describe the characteristics they want to see in the next chief.

Bratton is returning to New York to join a global security company that specializes in bringing "professional, modern criminal justice systems" to post-conflict nations like Afghanistan, Iraq and other emerging democracies.

Under the city charter, the personnel manager administers the recruitment process and recommends at least six candidates for the Police Commission to interview. The commission then narrows the list to three candidates to recommend to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, whose selection must be confirmed by the City Council.

Bratton's resignation takes effect Oct. 31, but both the personnel manager and Police Commission believe they will not be able to select his replacement before then. In that case, Villaraigosa will have to appoint an interim chief.

The schedule of the community meetings follows: