Searching for a New Chief : Selection panel appears appropriately diverse

The slow but steady effort to make the Los Angeles Police Department be all that it can be, as one U.S. military organization might put it, is moving forward. The city has named members of the key committee that will produce a final list of candidates for the job of new LAPD police chief. The seven well-respected members are representative of the many interests and cultures of Los Angeles, and that’s as it must be if the city is to feel that the new police chief is chief of all the people.

The panel, approved by the city Civil Service Commission, includes a former police chief of Newark, N.J., and current president of the Police Foundation, Hubert Williams; president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Antonia Hernandez; business executives Tom Chu, Waldo H. Burnside and Laura Belvedere-Sanchez; leader of a council of 250 Churches of God in Christ in Southern California, Bishop Charles E. Blake, and former state Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp.

This new panel will play a crucial role because, for the first time, finalists for police chief will be ranked entirely on the basis of lengthy interviews. The field of candidates had previously been winnowed from 32 applicants to about a dozen, based on essays and a statement of qualifications. The new panel will narrow the field to six candidates from whom the Police Commission will select the new chief.

There has been grumbling that, other than Williams, law enforcement is not represented on the panel. We would suggest that critics look not at who is not on the committee but instead consider who is : a black former police chief and law enforcement expert; white, Latino and Asian-American administrators who have run large and small businesses; community activists and a religious leader. That’s a good mix. Just the right combination for a city seeking a police chief who’s more than a top law enforcement officer.

The police chief will also have to be a top administrator and a community relations expert. The Rodney King police beating incident has left many scars on Los Angeles, on its hard-working Police Department and on the community. It was one of the most horrifying and divisive events in municipal history. Now the interview panel has a chance to be an instrument of healing as it evaluates those who seek to lead the LAPD into its next crucial phase of development.