The newest member of the Board of Police Commissioners was elected today as its president.

Attorney Richard Drooyan was unanimously approved to serve a two-year term as head of the five-member Police Commission. Drooyan was appointed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in 2010.

Drooyan takes the reins from John Mack, longtime president of the Los Angeles Urban League. Mack has been president or vice president of the Police Commission since he was appointed by Villaraigosa in 2005.

In a short speech, Drooyan heaped praise on Mack, who will become vice president.

"It's not possible to fill John Mack's shoes," Drooyan said. "Nobody will."

Mack called his tenure as president a "rewarding privilege" and said he was humbled by the accolades listed by his colleagues.

"I feel as though I was maybe attending my funeral and eulogy," he quipped.

Drooyan is a partner at the law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson, LLC. He was chief of the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney's Office in the mid-1990s and became chief assistant U.S. Attorney in 1997.

In 2000, Drooyan served as general counsel for the Rampart Independent Review Panel, which reported on corruption and police abuse by anti-gang officers.

LAPD Assistant Chief Earl Paysinger said he had not known Drooyan long, but was "very impressed with his dedication and his intellect ... He has really embraced this police department that he now calls his."

Paysinger said he looked forward to working with Drooyan to continue an upward trajectory of crime suppression and prevention.

Board members are not paid for their service.