The Police Commission has announced it will be hosting public meetings for input on the qualities of the next chief of police. The first of four meetings will be held at the Friendship Auditorium, 3201 Riverside Drive (near Griffith Park), at 6:30 p.m. on September 2nd. Already there has been a lot of discussion about what L.A. needs in its next chief, and whether he or she should come from within or outside the department. These discussions are bound to intensify as we move closer to Chief Bratton’s departure at the end of October. The new chief will face enormous challenges. First and foremost will be the city budget and its impact on police operations, and the LAPD’s ability to safely police the city. This will be especially true if thousands of inmates end up being freed from prison ahead of schedule. The LAPPL won’t endorse any one candidate for chief, however, when League President Paul M. Weber was asked for his comments for an L.A. Times op-ed piece last weekend, here’s part of what he said:

“We need someone with impeccable integrity, a strong work ethic, an openness to new ideas and a willingness to work with varied stakeholders. We need a good listener, someone who sees value in learning from others and also from the organization. One of the problems we had in the past was that if it wasn't LAPD, it wasn't valid. Conversely, the pendulum could swing the other way where nothing within the organization is any good. There is a fine line between being very open and seeking out other ideas, but at the same time recognizing that you have an incredibly talented pool of employees here within the organization.”

Paul went on to address the issue of where to find the best new Chief:

“I think there's plenty of talent within the department, and there's not necessarily a need to go outside. At the same time, let's be realistic. Chief Bratton came in from outside, and you can't say he was unsuccessful. I've been raised in this department, and we have a lot of very talented people here, but we have to be open to the possibility that there could be some incredibly talented individual who could come into this process. I think the foundation has been laid, and now it's a question of taking it to the next level and becoming an even better police department. At the rank-and-file level, we have the best, and they're looking for someone to lead them.”

We want to hear from officers, residents and other stakeholders representing as many points of view as possible. After all, who knows more about what L.A. needs in its next Chief than the people who are responsible for delivering police services and the residents who receive them? Tell us what you think.