Parks Sworn In as LAPD Chief After 12-0 Vote

In a show of confidence and optimism, the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved LAPD veteran Bernard C. Parks as chief of police--a vote that the new chief said city officials would not regret.

“I can just pledge to you, that you have not made a bad decision and that you will be very pleased with the results,” said Parks minutes after he was sworn into office and pinned with the chief’s four stars and badge.

Then, in his first news conference as chief, Parks, 53, vowed to reorganize his top command staff, make department officials more accountable and provide incentives to improve the physical fitness of Los Angeles Police Department officers.

Parks, the LAPD’s 52nd chief, said he also plans to push forward on a pilot program modeled after a successful effort by New York City police, who use up-to-the-minute statistics to identify problem areas, better deploy officers and hold command officers responsible for their turfs. The LAPD program, Parks said, will be called “Command Accountability Strategies.”

Climbing to the top of a police department responsible for protecting and serving the nation’s second-largest city took Parks 32 years, seven months and 11 days, and occurred not a moment too soon, some city officials said Tuesday.

“I’m so thrilled,” said a beaming Mayor Richard Riordan after the council’s 12-0 endorsement of his nominee. “Chief Bernard Parks just sounds perfect, and he is going to do a great job for Los Angeles.”

Council members, who confirmed Parks without so much as asking him a single question and then jumped to a standing ovation after their vote, seemed equally pleased. Three council members--Mike Hernandez, Jackie Goldberg and Ruth Galanter--were absent and did not vote.

“It was an absolute love-in,” said Councilwoman Laura Chick of Parks’ swearing-in ceremony. “It’s a good omen. I think it’s a good beginning to have all the council members providing a foundation of support.”

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Said Councilman Joel Wachs: “Everyone really wants him to succeed. Not only for his benefit, but for all of our benefits. If he does well, the city is the big winner and that is what everybody wants.”

Parks, who was accompanied to the council’s chambers by his wife, Bobbie, his children and grandchildren, called his confirmation as top LAPD officer a humbling experience and said it was a day to savor. But, he added, he has a lot of work ahead of him to “make this department what everybody expects of it.”

City and LAPD officials say they are counting on Parks to provide the leadership and vision that, to many department observers, seemed to have been lacking under former Chief Willie L. Williams. They also said they want Parks to move forward on reforms that were proposed after the 1991 Rodney G. King beating and had languished under Williams.

“He has to make his officers genuinely desire reform,” Wachs said. “It’s a special person that can engender the support of the people he is asking to reform themselves. That will be a test of his leadership.”

To some, the swearing-in ceremony marked a coronation that should have occurred five years ago, when Parks came within one vote of getting the chief’s job. Instead, he lost out to Williams, then the chief of the Philadelphia Police Department.

Parks, who has a reputation as a strict disciplinarian and hands-on manager, is a sharp contrast to Williams, who was popular with the public but criticized by city officials as an ineffective manager.

Unlike Williams, the LAPD’s first chief from outside the organization, Parks has spent his entire career with the department. Parks also has strong ties to the city’s policymakers and an insider’s insight into the political landscape, whereas Williams had neither.

The new chief tended to his political relationships Tuesday even as he was being confirmed. He shook hands with all the City Council members, chatted with influential civic leaders and posed for anyone with a camera.

“We have an opportunity as a city, with all the departments working together, to give the citizens of L.A. the best functioning government in the United States,” he told the council.

He added that he looks forward to a “long and positive partnership” with the council, the Police Commission and the mayor’s office.

During the news conference, however, Parks acknowledged that conflicts will occur and opinions will clash.

“I don’t view conflict as being something bad,” he said. “I think it’s how it’s played out and whether we can agree to disagree but not be disagreeable,” he said.

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Later in the day, Parks videotaped an introductory message to the rank and file, who are expected to view it today.

Parks, who earned about $166,000 as deputy chief, is expected to receive $203,058 a year as chief, significantly more than Williams’ $173,000 salary.

“He’s worth it,” said one City Hall insider.

Along with increased pay, the job comes with heightened expectations.

As chief, Parks has said he should be judged, at least in part, on his ability to reduce crime. Parks has also said he wants to improve LAPD officers’ mental health because he believes many department problems develop as a result of job stress.

On Tuesday, he added that he will also focus on officers’ physical fitness, providing incentives such as medals to encourage officers to stay in better shape.

“Their physical ability has a direct impact on their self-confidence [and] their self-confidence has a direct relationship on how they may use force or may not use force,” said the lean, 6-foot-2 Parks. “I think a fundamental part of being a Los Angeles police officer [is] to be in shape and deal with any situation.”

Moreover, Parks has said he wants to increase career opportunities for minority officers, poll city residents to find out their law enforcement concerns and streamline the department’s overworked lab unit.

“There are so many positives that we can look forward to,” Parks told council members. “I think you will be very proud of the 12,000 people that you have placed on the payroll as Los Angeles police employees. I thank you very, very much for this opportunity.”

Councilman Mike Feuer said later that the gratitude goes both ways.

“Today signals a new beginning for the Police Department,” he said. “This is a very important day in the life of the city. Chief Parks will offer this city very strong leadership skills and a commitment to action.”

Times special correspondent Darrell Satzman contributed to this report.