Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore’s sudden announcement last Friday that he’ll retire earlier than expected means the search is on for a new leader to run the nation’s third-largest police department.
Mayor Karen Bass has not specified when she hopes to make the hire but said last week she was launching an immediate nationwide search for L.A.’s next police chief and that the search process will include “significant community input and consultation with law enforcement officers and experts.”
The mayor-appointed Los Angeles Police Commission is expected to appoint an interim chief while the search for Moore’s permanent replacement is underway.
In the meantime, former city officials and community members have begun sharing their thoughts on what they’re hoping to see in the next chief.
The board of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents LAPD officers, said in a statement that it’s looking for a leader committed to rebuilding the number of police officers in the department, reducing violent crime and improving morale.
“These are challenging times for our city, as well as for our profession and we will need a leader unafraid of speaking truth to power, who will advocate for our rank and file and the safety of all Angelenos,” the league said.
Ex-LAPD officer Joe Buscaino, a former L.A. city councilmember representing District 15, said on Monday, Jan. 15, that L.A. has diverse communities and LAPD’s policing needs vary greatly — from upscale Porter Ranch in the San Fernando Valley to working-class Watts in South L.A. to the harbor community of San Pedro.
He said the next LAPD chief should understand those differences. Buscaino said he hopes the next police chief “is not afraid to push against (calls for) defunding the police but also recognizes there are calls for service that police officers should not be responding to.”
Among those who have called for defunding the LAPD is Melina Abdullah, co-founder of…
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