Chief to Review Acceptance of Airline Tickets

Police Chief Willie L. Williams, hit with inquiries Friday about accepting a pair of first-class airplane tickets to a conference last fall in Europe, said he is taking a fresh look at “the applicable rules and regulations.”

In a statement that suggested he may yet have to pick up the tab for the tickets, worth about $11,000, Williams said Friday his “representatives” are reviewing state ethical guidelines, adding that he intends to “insure that all applicable rules have been followed.”

The representatives were not identified. A police spokesman declined to answer other questions about the statement or about the trip to a November news media conference in Berlin.

The heads of the Police Commission, the department’s civilian watchdog agency, and the city Ethics Commission downplayed inquiries by reporters into the matter.

Police Commission President Deirdre Hill said the five-member panel has not launched an investigation.

“When it arose months ago, the chief and the commission discussed it,” Hill said. “The chief assured us that he has handled, and would handle, the issue properly.”

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Rebecca Avila, acting director of the Ethics Commission, said: “The office has taken no action on this matter. We would have if he had violated the gift restrictions in city law.”

However, KTTV-TV reported that the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission was investigating Williams for accepting the tickets.

Gary Huckaby, spokesman for the agency, said he could neither confirm nor deny that an investigation is under way.

At issue, sources said, is who actually paid for the tickets to the conference--put on by media organizations to examine the effects of television on news.

In his statement, Williams said he was invited in late May or early June to take part in the conference.

The Ethics Commission told him he was within bounds to accept travel expenses--such as first-class air fare--if a government news agency, such as the British Broadcasting Corp., was paying.

Such an arrangement does not violate state ethical guidelines. Separate city guidelines generally restrict only gifts from sources who do business with, or lobby, city officials.

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Believing the BBC was underwriting the tickets, Williams and his wife, Evelina, left for Europe. He said they intended to take a few days of vacation at their own expense before going to Berlin.

In London, on the fourth day of their 13-day trip, Williams and his wife flew home after receiving word that one officer had been killed and another had been hurt in a car crash. After attending the officer’s funeral, Williams flew back to Berlin for the conference--this time by himself and at his own expense, sources said.

The concern that was raised Friday, according to sources, is whether the BBC cut the check for the pair of tickets for Williams and his wife--or whether another sponsor of the Berlin conference picked up the tab.

“I accepted reimbursement of my travel expenses . . . with the understanding that the BBC had paid those expenses,” Williams said. Nonetheless, he added, “in light of the questions that have arisen,” his representatives were “reviewing the facts respecting this matter.”

Last year, Williams found himself immersed in a controversy that was sparked by a Police Commission investigation into whether he had accepted free rooms and other perks from a Las Vegas casino.

In May, the Police Commission voted to reprimand Williams for lying to the board when questioned about his acceptance of free accommodations. Later, the City Council voted to overturn that reprimand.