PERSPECTIVES ON WILLIE L. WILLIAMS : <i> Bienvenidos, </i> Chief; Latino Expectations Are High : The city’s largest ethnic group is waiting for doors to open at the LAPD.

Most people in ethnically diverse Los Angeles seem ready to welcome police chief-designate Willie L. Williams with a combination of relief and optimism, but none awaits him with greater expectation and reservation of judgment than the Latino community.

With a certainty of continued growth, the city’s 1.4 million Latinos have comprised a plurality--40%--in Los Angeles since 1990. This surpasses not only African-Americans at 13% and Asian/Pacific Americans at 9% but the 37% Anglo population as well. Yet most Latino community leaders and their constituents still feel they’re on the outside looking in when it comes to city government. Nowhere in the city’s departments do Latinos reflect their population status. Nowhere is this more pronounced than in the Police Department.

Chief Daryl Gates and his predecessors steadfastly ignored Latinos’ concerns. Gates fought Latino hiring goals until the department was sued. He fought Latino promotions until the department was sued. Even after the Police Commission adopted a policy that would make it easier for Latinos to advance to sergeant and above, Gates refused to implement the policy. Only 20% of the LAPD is Latino, and pitifully few are sergeants or higher. By contrast, African-Americans are 13.5% of the force, equal to their population, and better-represented in the upper ranks.

Racism is viewed in most of America primarily as a black-and-white issue. But in the Southwest, Mexicans and other Latinos are equally victimized.

Williams comes from a city that is less than 6% Latino. Can he see, understand and act on Latino concerns? Will he promote the advancement of Latino men and women in the LAPD? Will we see doors opening at Parker Center?

Bienvenidos, Chief Williams.