Insiders and Outsiders Seen as Candidates

The prospect of Daryl F. Gates stepping aside because of the furor over the Rodney G. King beating has produced a veritable Who’s Who of law enforcement officials as possible successors.

A key to the debate will be whether to adhere to tradition and hire a chief from within the Los Angeles Police Deparment--or at least an alumnus of the department. While elevation of an LAPD insider could bolster morale, some people believe that only an outsider can bring the fresh ideas needed to rebuild a police force tarnished by allegations of excessive force, racism and mismanagement.

Another crucial question is whether voters will approve a City Charter change limiting the next chief to no more than two five-year terms. Such a restriction might be unattractive to a reform candidate wary of the time it would take to turn around deep-rooted problems in the Police Department.

“The LAPD has a long history of outside applicants not being allowed to compete on the same playing field as insiders,” said William Geller, associate director of the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington-based think tank.

“It’ll be very difficult to get people who are already serving in sensitive positions to go out on a limb and jeopardize the confidence that their mayors may have in them by throwing their hats in the ring for something like this.”

There is no obvious odds-on favorite to succeed Gates--either inside or outside the department. However, there is no shortage of names being mentioned at Parker Center.

Locally, the list of candidates includes two men who leveled broad criticism at Gates before the Christopher Commission--former Assistant Chief Jesse A. Brewer and Assistant Chief David D. Dotson.

Brewer, who was the highest-ranking black officer in LAPD history, is considered sensitive to the problems facing rank-and-file officers, as well as the needs of an ethnically diverse city. But some observers note that he is retired and approaching 70, signs that he may not have the stamina to implement the tough recommendations laid out by the Christopher panel.

Dotson, chosen as acting chief for a brief period in April, is considered a stern taskmaster when it comes to disciplining officers involved in misconduct. But his detractors point out that he also conceded to the Christopher Commission that he is to blame for many of the department’s failings.

Around the nation, possible contenders range from Tucson Police Chief Peter Ronstadt, who is the brother of singer Linda Ronstadt, and Bill Bratton, chief of the New York City Transit Police.

Traditionally, however, the civil service examination for police chief of Los Angeles has been limited to members of the LAPD.

That changed in 1978--the last time the chief’s job was open--when 25 candidates were invited to take written examinations as the first phase of the process in selecting a new chief. Six of the applicants came from outside the department, from agencies as diverse as the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Department in Oregon to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

In the end, the three finalists for the job were all longtime LAPD members--Gates, then-Deputy Chief Robert Vernon and Deputy Chief Charles D. Reese, head of planning and fiscal operations.

Some applicants from outside agencies complained at the time that the process was weighted against them and that there was an institutional bias against any applicant other than those from within the LAPD.

“I suspected from the very beginning they were not going to go outside the department,” said Pat Murphy, a former New York City police commissioner who was asked by Los Angeles personnel officials to apply for the job that Gates eventually won. Murphy applied for the job but was never invited to Los Angeles for an interview.

“You’ve got a 40-year tradition for staying within the department in Los Angeles,” Murphy said. “There’s going to be tremendous pressure to stay within this time.”

Murphy, 71, who serves as director of police policy for the U.S. Conference of Mayors, speculated that some of the best potential candidates throughout the United States will not apply for Gates’ position for fear that they would jeopardize their present jobs if their ambitions were exposed.

Still, he thought, a specified five-year term for the chief’s job could actually be an enticement for some potential applicants. “Most chiefs do not have a term, or a guarantee that they will be on the job any length of time,” Murphy noted.

But Eric Rose, a public relations consultant who has worked closely with both Gates and his predecessor, state Sen. Ed Davis (R-Santa Clarita), said that this time around, an outside candidate might have a step up on someone from inside the LAPD.

“My personal feeling,” Rose said, “is that it’s better to get someone from within the department because then rank-and-file officers from the street cop on up know that the dream is still alive, that you can rise in the LAPD to the rank of chief.

“But the logical feeling,” he added, “is that an outsider can come in and assess the LAPD, address the problems and use sound management techniques to correct them.”

On Friday, Brewer’s name was among the first to surface.

After joining the department in 1952, he quickly rose through the ranks, earning a reputation for sensitivity and fairness in the minority community as well as a solid understanding of police operations.

In an interview with The Times earlier this week, Brewer indicated that he was no longer interested in the job of police chief, although speculation continues that he could be persuaded to return to police headquarters.

“Right now,” he said, “I do not want to be chief of police.” But he added that he favored the concept of a five-year term for the next chief.

“He’d be perfect for the healing process,” said a source inside the Police Protective League, the union representing the department’s rank-and-file officers. “He’s very sensible and very experienced. He would have the support from the union and the troops.”

But a police lieutenant described Brewer as a “sleeper” as a manager, saying he “never implemented much, rarely came up with a program and has just been one of the go-alongs down here.”

Brewer, who like Dotson was critical of Gates before the Christopher Commission, gave his former boss a grade of “D” in disciplining officers and said that Gates was often inaccessible to his command staff.

Another name being mentioned is Dotson, 58, whose stature as a potential successor to Gates rose sharply in April, when the Police Commission placed Gates on temporary leave and named Dotson as acting chief. A 33-year LAPD veteran, Dotson told The Times this week that “I have made no secret” of the fact he wants to be chief.

But he also said that, while he believes a chief should only stay in office for five or 10 years, he did not like term restrictions recommended by the Christopher Commission and instead favored a cohesive Police Commission that makes it clear what the chief’s duties are.

He is seen by some employees at Parker Center as dogmatic and a tough disciplinarian, and he is criticized for the fact that he lives outside of the city, in the Santa Clarita Valley. He is also something of an enigma. While some officers say that they seldom hear of Dotson, others recall how he is personable and often participates in extracurricular events, such as jogging with the troops.

“He’s approachable,” said one source. “He doesn’t get hung up on rank.”

Dotson also gave damaging testimony to the Christopher Commission, saying that the department under Gates had “failed miserably” in policing itself.

Four other LAPD insiders or alumni were also being discussed.

Deputy Chief Bernie Parks, 47, gets high marks for intelligence and management skills. As a black, he would be particularly sensitive to minority concerns, his supporters said. But white police officers are often heard to complain that he treats black officers more favorably. He joined the department in 1965.

“But if this is a horse race,” said one police source, “he’s the one. He’s well-educated, highly regarded and a minority.”

Vernon, 57, an assistant chief who joined the LAPD in 1954, is seen as a long shot. In recent months, questions have been raised about whether his fundamentalist Christian beliefs have interfered with his duties, and he was taken to court for using a police computer to access documents that would benefit a political candidate in Pasadena. Even Brewer, in testimony before the Christopher Commission, lambasted Vernon as being “devious” and head of the so-called “God Squad.”

In a recent Times interview, Vernon said that he would like to be chief someday but added that he realistically does not believe he would get the nod.

Other names that surfaced are Dallas Police Chief William Rathburn, who left the LAPD as a deputy chief right before the March 3 beating of King. Rathburn was out of the country Friday, but Sgt. Jim Chandler, a spokesman for the Dallas Police Department, recalled that Rathburn has said that he is “committed” to staying there.

Also mentioned is Noel Cunningham, an LAPD captain who in January became Los Angeles port warden. He said Friday that he “would be interested” in the job.

With Mayor Tom Bradley wanting a nationwide search for the next police chief, a host of names surfaced Friday--many of them recognized experts in law enforcement--after The Times queried various police agencies

The name of former San Jose Police Chief Joseph D. McNamara, who is widely regarded as one of the most innovative police administrators in the country, was commonly mentioned. But McNamara, who left his post in May, said flatly that he is not a candidate.

“I don’t want to be chief anywhere,” said McNamara, who now is a research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, charting anti-drug strategies.

But other names were not being dismissed:

* Ronstadt, chief of the 700-officer Police Department in Tucson, “says some outrageous things sometimes,” said one law enforcement observer, “but he has the wisdom to know to stand for the right thing.”

Ronstadt said Friday that while he is comfortable in his hometown and has never considered working in Los Angeles, “I’ve learned not to put things in absolute terms.”

Ronsdadt, who is of Latino and German ancestry, said that he does not believe his ethnicity would make him a more attractive candidate, however. “Common sense would dictate that any person they pick be able to see that the department works well with all segments of the community,” Ronstadt said. “Ethnicity is inconsequential.”

* Bratton, chief of the New York City Transit Police Department, is a former Boston police administrator with a reputation for turning around troubled law enforcement agencies. In the course of a year, he has taken the the 4,000-officer transit police force, which patrols New York’s subways, “from being regularly ridiculed by the New York Times for ineptness to being regularly applauded,” said one official.

A demanding “spit-and-polish” administrator, Bratton is credited with having outfitted his officers with state-of-the-art, semiautomatic pistols while the rest of the New York City Police Department remains armed with old-fashioned revolvers.

Bratton could not be reached for comment Friday, but his spokesman, Albert O’Leary, said, “If he were being considered” for Gates’ job, “he would be flattered.”

* Patrick Fitzsimons, a former New York City assistant police chief, has for the last 12 years headed the 1,250-member police force in Seattle.

“I’ve never been interested in leaving Seattle,” he said Friday. “This is a great city. We have an excellent Police Department and we have a very fine mayor.”

When asked if he would consider filling Gates’ office, Fitzsimons said, “I’m not looking for a job. I wouldn’t even respond on that question.”

* Hubert Williams, president of the prestigious Police Foundation in Washington and a former police chief of Newark, N.J., is black. He counts President Bush among his friends and is known to be a frequent White House guest.

“He is a very impressive guy who has great command presence and does terrific sound bites,” said one law enforcement consultant.

Others, however, said Williams’ image has been tarnished by what they say is the Police Foundation’s declining performance in recent years.

“He’s basically run the foundation into the ground,” said one source. “They’re not doing quality research anymore.”

Through a spokesman, Williams declined to comment on the Los Angeles opening.

* Mack Vines, former chief of the Dallas Police Department, who was accused of perjury and terminated last year after attempting to fire a police officer who had killed an unarmed man. Vines was eventually acquitted by a jury and has sued the city of Dallas for damages.

Despite his legal troubles, Vines is widely respected among law enforcement administrators as a diligent and experienced manager. He has commanded police departments in St. Petersburg, Fla., and Charlotte, N.C., worked in the U.S. Justice Department during the Ronald Reagan Administration and was the first outsider to be chosen as chief in the history of the Dallas Police Department.

“My posture has always been I’ll keep my options open,” Vines said Friday. “I’ve known Daryl (Gates) for years, and I know his department--not that well--but I know the department.”

Possible Contenders for Police Chief Jesse A. Brewer, Former LAPD assistant chief David D. Dotson, LAPD assistant chief Peter Ronstadt, Tucson police chief Bill Bratton, New York transit police chief Robert Vernon, LAPD deputy chief Bernie Parks, LAPD deputy chief William Rathburn, Dallas police chief Noel Cunningham, LAPD captain

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