Weapons Permit for Williams Approved : LAPD: Commissioners give OK despite complaints that police have repeatedly turned down deserving members of the public.

The Los Angeles Police Commission on Tuesday gave Chief Willie L. Williams permission to carry a concealed weapon despite public complaints that the Police Department has repeatedly denied gun permits to “ordinary citizens.”

Commission Vice President Jesse A. Brewer and other police officials acknowledged that the action was extremely unusual because it is the first time the department has had a chief who is not automatically authorized to carry a gun.

The former Philadelphia police commissioner, who has received several death threats since he became chief last month, needs a permit because he is in the process of seeking California certification as a peace officer, which will entitle him to carry a weapon.

Williams made no comment during deliberations leading up to the commission’s unanimous action and did not take questions from reporters. Department officials have downplayed the threats against him, saying they have consisted of routine hate mail and telephone calls that many public figures receive.

Douglas Ray Hickman, a San Fernando Valley resident who spoke on behalf of the California Organization for Public Safety, urged the commission to “start considering the applications of other worthy citizens and break a 25-year refusal to issue permits.”

Hickman has filed an $11-million federal lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department, San Fernando Police Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department alleging that concealed weapons permits are issued only to celebrities and political favorites. His suit charges that he has been repeatedly denied a gun permit even though he is in the private security business.

Police Cmdr. Frank Piersol, the commission’s administrator, said he was unable to verify whether any gun permits have been issued in 25 years because old records no longer exist.

In other public comments before the commission Tuesday, gay and abortion rights activists complained about their treatment by police during a demonstration Saturday outside a downtown women’s clinic. They said Los Angeles police for years have been targeting them for harassment and arrest, while providing anti-abortion demonstrators with gentler treatment and “support.”

Cyndy Crogan, who attended Tuesday’s meeting with about a dozen gay rights activists, said all five people arrested Saturday were demonstrating in favor of abortion rights. She said they were called derogatory names by police.

One woman arrested Saturday, Tracie Simon, told the commission that police deliberately slammed on the brakes of a van carrying her and other handcuffed prisoners, causing them to fall and hurt themselves. And a 37-year-old student who was arrested said he was bullied into submitting to a blood test for the AIDS virus and quizzed about his sexual orientation without being allowed to consult a lawyer.

Commissioner Ann Reiss Lane urged group members to put their complaints in writing to lay the groundwork for a department investigation, while Williams promised a prompt written response if Crogan would provide him with specifics.

Members of the gay and lesbian community are scheduled to meet with Williams on Aug. 5 and plan to reiterate their concerns, Crogan said.

In other business, commissioners voted to ask the City Council to create the position of an executive director for the commission, a civilian post that was recommended by the Christopher Commission and contained in Charter Amendment F, the police reform measure adopted by voters in June.

The commission also agreed to ask the City Council for $5.5 million for 369 new patrol cars.