Riordan Calls Officer ‘Racist’ for Comments

Mayor Richard Riordan on Monday called the vice president of a black police officers association “a racist” for making inflammatory accusations in letters to city officials, suggesting that race relations would suffer if Deputy Chief Mark Kroeker became the next chief of the Los Angeles Police Department.

During a dedication ceremony for the new North Hollywood police station, Riordan defended Kroeker’s reputation and accused LAPD Sgt. Ronnie Cato of making inappropriately divisive and insulting comments against one of the six semifinalists for the chief’s job.

Riordan also asked that an internal LAPD investigation be launched into Cato’s actions.

Cato, in an interview, responded by calling the mayor’s comments “political” and “uninformed,” and said he stands by the statements he made in his letter, which was sent to Riordan, the City Council and the Los Angeles Police Commission.

In that July 6 letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Times, Cato accused Kroeker of being “a great deceiver of people . . . [and] one of biggest hypocrites on the department.” Specifically, Cato criticized Kroeker for not sufficiently punishing white officers who allegedly mistreated several black officers in two separate instances under his command.

“I fear that if this man becomes chief of police, minorities will become a permanent underclass, not only within the department, but in our communities as well,” Cato wrote. Despite the strongly worded letter, Cato did not use the term “racist” to describe Kroeker.

Cato’s letter was not officially endorsed by the Oscar Joel Bryant Assn.--which represents about 700 black officers--but the president of the group reiterated Monday that many members shared the same concerns about Kroeker and the department. The association endorses LAPD Deputy Chief Bernard Parks, the other leading candidate for the chief’s job.

LAPD Sgt. Leonard Ross, the president of the association, said he was surprised by the mayor’s attack on Cato.

“As far as I know he’s never met Sgt. Cato,” Ross said. “I find it very interesting and unfortunate that the mayor would use such language and terminology.”

Kroeker, who was returning from a business trip in New York and was unavailable for comment, said last week that he was “deeply hurt and pained” by the comments, but dismissed them as the comments of a “disgruntled employee.” Cato has acknowledged having been disciplined while under Kroeker’s command.

Several minority leaders, City Council members and LAPD colleagues including Parks have defended Kroeker’s reputation, saying they never witnessed him to be biased against minorities.

The letter was the first overt airing of racial politics in a selection process in which race is likely to be, at the very least, an unspoken factor. Kroeker is the only white candidate among six semifinalists to replace the city’s first black chief, Willie L. Williams. Parks is black and the other four contenders are Latino.

Riordan, who is said to be leaning toward selecting Parks for the job, was “very disturbed” by the “racial rhetoric” in Cato’s letter, according to Noelia Rodriguez, the mayor’s spokeswoman.

“He feels that there is no place for this in the LAPD or the city,” she said. “He said it is irresponsible, demeaning and insulting.”

Special correspondent Dade Hayes contributed to this story.