Not Seeking New Chief, Officials Say

Members of the Los Angeles Police Commission and City Council denied Tuesday that any efforts are underway to replace Police Chief Willie L. Williams, whose five-year term of office expires in 17 months, with a former LAPD deputy chief now working in Atlanta.

Rumors of Williams’ possible replacement surfaced in a Dallas newspaper, which reported that Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, who has publicly supported Williams, in fact was courting former Deputy Chief Bill Rathburn to replace him. The paper quoted unnamed sources as saying Rathburn was told that Williams’ job was his if he wanted it, a contention that Los Angeles officials ridiculed.

The Dallas story touched off a furor at City Hall, where most officials told reporters they knew nothing about any efforts to recruit Rathburn--or anyone else.

“We’re not now looking for anyone else to fill the chief’s position,” Police Commission President Deirdre Hill said during Tuesday’s commission meeting. “We have a chief of police. He is Willie Williams.”

Ridley-Thomas refused to comment publicly on the story. But a source close to the councilman said “there were no trips, no recruitment efforts” on the councilman’s part. Although the councilman has known and liked Rathburn for many years and has kept in touch with him since he left the LAPD, the source added, Ridley-Thomas has not talked to Rathburn about replacing Williams in the event that his contract is not renewed.

Ridley-Thomas did, however, send a letter to Williams, reaffirming his support for Williams and calling speculation about recruiting efforts “ridiculous.”

“Once again, fabricated and inaccurate stories centering on you are being circulated which only serve to distract attention away from the vital task of improving public safety in Los Angeles,” said the councilman’s letter, which Williams released. The letter went on to praise Williams’ “attention and leadership” during recent incidents.

“I have supported you in the past, support you today and will support you in the future,” Ridley-Thomas wrote.

Other council members said Ridley-Thomas has never spoken with them about finding another candidate for chief, not even as a fallback position if it seemed likely that Williams would go.

“Not a word, never,” said Councilwoman Rita Walters, a close ally of Ridley-Thomas and a staunch Williams supporter. She speculated that the story had been planted by someone who wanted to “destabilize the department” by stirring up controversy for the chief whenever possible.

Councilwoman Laura Chick, chairwoman of the Public Safety Committee, said she was puzzled by the story and discounted it.

“Mark and I have a very close working relationship and have had lots of conversations regarding the department and the chief, and he has never spoken about [finding a replacement for Williams],” Chick said.

Mayor Richard Riordan, who has made no secret of his disappointment with Williams’ leadership, also said he knew nothing about the supposed recruitment efforts.

Ridley-Thomas has made no secret of his admiration for Rathburn--a 27-year LAPD veteran who retired two days before the Rodney G. King beating and went to Dallas, where he became that city’s chief of police. But publicly at least, Ridley-Thomas has been one of Williams’ biggest backers as well.

“I’m 100% satisfied with the support of Mark Ridley-Thomas,” Williams said Tuesday.

Ridley-Thomas and even the City Council as a whole are not in a position to name the next chief, officials said. The city charter gives that authority to the Police Commission, whose members are appointed by the mayor.

At the commission’s weekly meeting, Hill stressed that “there are no discussions that we are aware of to find someone else to replace him.

After going to Dallas to run that city’s police department, Rathburn moved to Atlanta to take over the security efforts for the 1996 Summer Olympics. He has kept a ranch in Texas, where he and his wife raise a pair of tigers that they have reared since they were cubs. In Atlanta, Rathburn’s staff includes another former LAPD deputy chief, Lawrence Fetters.

Rathburn declined to comment on any contact with Ridley-Thomas.

Under the city charter, Williams can apply for reappointment to a second five-year term, and he has until Dec. 31 to make that decision. If Williams decides to reapply, the Police Commission has until March 31, 1997, to decide whether it would reappoint him or consider other candidates.