The Board of Police Commissioners on Friday, Jan. 19, reported no action was taken following their closed-session meeting to discuss the appointment of an interim chief of police as Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore is set to retire at the end of February.
Related: LAPD Chief Michel Moore’s legacy defined by COVID pandemic, response to George Floyd protests
On Friday morning, prior to entering closed session, the five-member board of commissioners heard testimony from three individuals on the agenda. The comments were brief, limited to one minute.
Comments both encouraged the board to select a strong leader as interim chief and also criticized the board for not doing more to increase public engagement. The process of selecting an interim chief could take several weeks, but a decision must be made prior to Moore’s retirement.
Nearly five hours after entering closed-session, the commissioners came out and an official said “no action was taken by the board.”
Related: Who should be the next police chief of Los Angeles?
Mayor Karen Bass told City News Service that there will be a three-front process to identify and select a new police chief.
She explained the police commission will be making a decision and selecting a national search firm to conduct the search.
“We are not opposed to an internal candidate, but as the nation’s second largest city we need to search wide to make sure that we get the best.”
Bass added her office will conduct an extensive outreach process to gather input from LAPD officers, as well as residents of the city.
“I want to hear from the men and women of the force. What they want to see — not who — what they want to see in their next chief,” Bass said.
“In terms of myself, I want to see our department continue to be rooted in community-based policing,” she added.
The mayor noted she would like to see a push for mental health.
“We need to really strengthen mental health because if you look at so…
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