Police Commissioners Urged to Block Gates : LAPD: Several City Council members call on the panel to reject chief’s bid to take personal control of community-based policing.

In a flurry of telephone calls and meetings, a number of City Council members on Monday urged the Police Commission to block efforts by Chief Daryl F. Gates to seize personal control of a new community-based policing program in Los Angeles.

Zev Yaroslavsky, Mike Hernandez, Mark Ridley-Thomas and Michael Woo were among the council members who contacted the commission after it was disclosed Friday that Gates would personally run the pilot program in five of the department’s 18 divisions.

They argued that the five-member commission, not Gates, is empowered under the City Charter to set policies for the 8,300-member department.

Gates has maintained that he was not trying to usurp the commission’s power to set policy. He said he merely is implementing the commission’s decision to install a pilot program for community-based policing.

Some council members, however, fear that the move could create confusion over who has authority in the Police Department.

“I encouraged the commission not (to) be run over by the chief of police and to stand up for its rights and authority under the City Charter,” Woo said. “I think the chief is trying to put his stamp on the program before a new chief can do it.”

Yaroslavsky called Gates’ action “bizarre and crazy.”

“The chief should have consulted the commission first,” Yaroslavsky said. “I believe the commission has the power to undo what he (Gates) did.”

Assistant City Atty. Linda Lefkowitz, who advises the city in police matters, declined to say if city officials have asked her office to investigate “whether Gates has violated the City Charter in his reorganization of divisional responsibilities.” She said such information is a matter of attorney-client privilege.

Gates is expected to explain to the commission today why he bypassed the usual chain of command to take over the community-policing program, which is aimed at fostering trust and respect between police and residents through collaborative efforts to identify and solve crime problems.

Commission members reached by The Times on Monday declined to say what action they would take against Gates, if any.

“We’re telling him to come to the commission meeting and bring whatever paperwork he can so we can find out what all the hullabaloo is about,” said Commission President Stanley K. Sheinbaum, who has accused Gates of violating the City Charter by not consulting the commission about his plan.

“The fact that he has not come to us with this is a reflection of the overall problem between the commission and the chief,” Sheinbaum said. “We were not brought in (to discuss the plan) and that is part of the problem.”

Gates could not be reached for comment Monday but said in an interview Sunday that he is only trying to ensure the success of the community-policing program and prevent it from getting mired in bureaucracy. The chief also accused critics of overreacting before they heard his reasons for assuming command of the program.

Meanwhile, a group called Coalition for Police Accountability, along with council members Hernandez, Rita Walters and Ridley-Thomas expressed concerns over why the pilot program is not being implemented in minority and high-crime portions of the city where relations between residents and police have been strained for years.

Beginning Jan. 26, Gates plans to supervise operations in divisions that already have community-policing programs--the Northeast, Southeast, Pacific, Harbor and Foothill divisions.

“I find it very insulting,” said Walters, whose 9th District includes a large swath of South-Central Los Angeles. “It looks like one more time that the chief is saying, ‘South-Central, forget you. You don’t count.’ ”

Bill Chandler, spokesman for Mayor Tom Bradley, said the mayor would not comment on the matter.

Council members Nate Holden and Joan Milke Flores, who support Gates, lauded the chief’s plan to streamline the program by working directly with area captains instead of through his commanders, assistant chiefs and deputy chiefs.

“I don’t see a problem with the person at the top rolling up their sleeves and interacting with the police force,” Flores said.

However, Flores also said Gates “might have avoided some criticism” had he first discussed the plan with the Police Commission.

In a related matter, a City Council committee on Monday voted to ask the City Council to approve ballot measures that would remove a chief of police from civil service protections, and limit a chief of police to one five-year term with the possibility of seeking a second term.

The Ad Hoc Committee, which is charged with implementing Christopher Commission recommendations for overhauling the department, turned down a proposal that would limit a police commissioner to one five-year term.

On a 3-1 vote, the committee decided instead to eliminate limits on a commissioner’s term in office. Police commissioners are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the City Council. They serve five-year terms.

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