With city crime rates at the lowest level in 50 years and the popularity of Police Chief William Bratton at an all-time high, two new efforts have been launched to keep him on the job beyond his 2012 term limit.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League thinks the police chief's job should be elective, as the county sheriff's is, but with term limits.

In another proposal, Councilman Herb Wesson would keep the job appointive but allow a third five-year term. "I'm open to anything," Wesson said. "What I want is for us to have a full debate, including the neighborhood councils, homeowners groups, blocks, clubs to weigh in on how the city is governed.

"We've been criticized in the past for rushing things on the ballot. I want us to have a citywide debate on this."

Bratton, through a spokesman, declined comment. In the past he has said he was satisfied with the limit of two five-year terms in Los Angeles and has made no career plans for later. Bratton, 61, is one of the most popular figures in local politics and played a prominent role in the re-election of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and in the campaigns of Councilman Jack Weiss and Councilwoman Wendy Greuel.

He also is a sought-after speaker and consultant around the world, admired in other police agencies. He was first hired by Mayor James Hahn in 2002, and his contract was renewed in 2007 under Villaraigosa.

Paul Weber, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, said it is time to review the term limit for the police chief, among reforms recommended by the Christopher Commission after the Rodney King riots and adopted by voters.

"We think having an elected chief will make him more accountable to the public," Weber said. "It will increase civilian oversight because he will have to come before voters every four years. You also would have term limits in place, so there is no danger of one person creating an empire."

But Raphael Sonenshein, who served as executive director of the Appointed Charter Reform Commission, said the Christopher Commission proposals should remain standing. "The Christopher Commission was the gold standard and looked at this very, very closely," said Sonenshein, a political science professor at California State University, Fullerton. "We did not feel it should be changed.

"There was this concern about the chief having civil-service protection and being able to create his own empire, and the term limits solved that problem," Sonenshein said. "Likewise, an elected chief of police creates a whole other set of problems."

While Weber believes an elected chief with some form of term limits would be fully accountable to the public, some others fear it would give the police league, which already has great power among city officials, even more influence with a chief who would need to raise money to be elected and be independent of control from a mayor or City Council.

Police Commissioner Alan Skobin, who had high praise for Bratton's work, said he did not want to see any changes. "I'm willing to listen to any proposal, but I think that two five-year terms for any chief is long enough," Skobin said. "It's healthy for an organization to have some change after a period of years."