Kroeker Cites Lessons of Previous Chiefs in Seeking to Lead LAPD

After 32 years on the job, Deputy Chief Mark Kroeker believes he is in a position to take advantage of history if he is chosen to head the Los Angeles Police Department.

The department, he says, needs the integrity of William Parker, the perspective of Ed Davis, the conviction of Daryl Gates and the peace-making talent of Willie Williams--describing what he believes were the best characteristics of the chiefs he has served since joining the LAPD in 1965.

“The chief’s job takes a leader and a manager, a charismatic motivator and a businessman,” Kroeker said during an interview in his sixth-floor office at the department’s Parker Center headquarters. “I’m convinced this is something I can do.”

Kroeker is among six semifinalists for the chief’s job. The Police Commission will send three names to Mayor Richard Riordan, who will select one for confirmation by the City Council.

Kroeker, 53, says he appreciates the relatively fast pace of the selection process. For too long, he says, the department has been mired in internal problems and outside attacks.

Keeping in character, Kroeker does not directly attack his former boss from Philadelphia, saying only that Williams’ style did not fit Los Angeles. He believes Williams failed to tap the “deep reservoir of knowledge and goodwill” of the department’s command staff, leading to disloyalty and infighting.

Kroeker, the son of Mennonite missionaries who was raised in Africa and Europe, said he envisions an LAPD that “emerges from our past doldrums into a position of preeminence in national law enforcement.”

When articulating his vision, Kroeker speaks quickly and intensely, barely pausing to breathe, talking about a future department that is “a magnet for other police agencies--one they wish to emulate. One where chiefs of police elsewhere are jealous of our working and command staff. One which has at its core police officers who are tough yet compassionate who . . . work with state-of-the-art equipment, the latest technology at their disposal . . . under competent supervisors who support them, direct them, train them.”

Lofty goals, perhaps, but not unattainable, he said.

“I intend to make a zillion decisions in the first year,” he said. “If it’s a good idea, let’s do it--now.”

His energy and passion is contagious, say many officers who have worked for him. They describe him as a cop’s cop--ready to act at all times in the best interests of the department.

“His heart and soul is with police officers,” said Dennis Zine, a police union director who worked with Kroeker in the San Fernando Valley. “He has trust and confidence in people and he lets you do your job. He really walks the walk and talks the talk.”

Lobbying for Kroeker began early. He has enthusiastic supporters on the City Council, and among rank-and-file officers and community leaders, particularly in the Valley. He is favored for the job by 75% of officers who responded to a a Police Protective League survey.

John Mack of the Urban League said: “He’s received high marks from people in the Valley and the South Bureau. He’s provided leadership and he’s been very active in community policing.”

Despite that endorsement, as well as those from other minority leaders, Kroeker has come under attack from an official of the African American police officers association. In a recent letter to the Police Commission, Sgt. Ronnie Cato said that race relations in the LAPD and community would suffer if Kroeker were selected chief, charging that Kroeker has failed to sufficiently punish white officers who allegedly mistreated black officers under his command.

Kroeker vehemently denies the charges. “I treasure my reputation and my values very, very much,” Kroeker said. “Racists and hypocrites are the two things I abhor the most.”

Riordan, speaking in defense of Kroeker, has publicly labeled Cato a “racist.”

The exchange is ironic considering that Kroeker’s career has not been marked by controversy or complaint. On the contrary, Kroeker earned wide recognition for his efforts to soothe relations when assigned to command the Valley Bureau after the 1991 Rodney G. King beating.

During his tenure in the Valley, Kroeker impressed minorities and whites alike during large community meetings and in private conferences. He left four years ago to run the South Bureau, where he again has appeared to help ease the traditional distrust between residents and police.

Kroeker is unabashedly proud of his support and is not afraid to solicit more.

Indeed, his efforts in that regard have caused him some problems in the past. When Kroeker transferred to the Valley, former Chief Gates ordered him to cut a public relations job he created.

Critics say the assignment of one of his officers to handle public relations shows how Kroeker “gets tied up with all that publicity,” said one command officer.

“He can be seen as somewhat superficial,” said the officer, who declined to be identified.

Kroeker responded to his anonymous critic by saying: “That’s a criticism I’ll take. The result [of public relations] is that the community responds . . . people know what you’re doing and why.”

In fact, Kroeker’s name became almost synonymous with community policing, a cornerstone of the Christopher Commission report. Kroeker initiated the effort in the Valley six months before the City Council adopted a pilot program.

He believes police must work closely and cooperatively with the communities they serve.

To do that, Kroeker said, one of his first jobs as chief would be to create a specific budget for community policing, and then order it put in place citywide.

“I believe in it because I think it helps reduce crime--not for some academic, sociological reasons,” Kroeker said. “Let’s not kid ourselves. We’re about reducing crime and the fear of crime.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Candidate Profile: Mark A. Kroeker

Age: 53

Residence: Santa Clarita

Education: Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Cal State L.A.; master’s in public administration from USC

Career highlights: Has had a wide range of LAPD assignments, including patrol, narcotics and detectives; promoted five times, including to deputy chief, and commanded the Personnel and Training Bureau, the Valley Bureau and South Bureau.

Interests: Languages, classical music, reading, running and hunting

Family: Married, with three adult children, two sons and a daughter

Quote: “We’ve been sitting around too long waiting for someone to make a decision. I’m sick of meandering. I think the officers are too.’

Q&A;

Define community policing. What would you do to implement it?

“Community policing is a style of policing that focuses on the community’s interests ... using a problem-solving strategy that mobilizes the community in bonded partnership. I’ve said until I’m tired of saying it that community policing doesn’t mean you don’t lock up bad guys or remain tactically superior in a gunfight. Nor does it mean that all you do is gunfight. We need to have an honest-to-goodness, clearly defined budget for it ... establish a structure and chain of command ... identify community needs ... and implement it citywide.’

How would you gauge police productivity? What role do arrests play in that area?

“We need clearly identified goals that everyone understands and articulates.... Arrests are like nails when you’re building a house. If the house turns out well, you don’t say to the contractor: That’s a fine house, how many nails did you use? But if it’s a lousy job, you say: didn’t you use any nails? Nails are a measure of efficiency, not effectiveness--same as arrests. They are indications. If officers are doing their jobs, there should be arrests. But the true test is the absence of crime and the fear of it.’

What would you hope to accomplish in the first year of your administration? What key reforms still need to be made?

“First, I would get the department organized correctly. I would restructure the layers and then get the budget for the new organization approved by the Police Commission, mayor and City Council. I would get the first year’s strategic plan firmly in place and get the organization fully informed on the direction we hope to take ... have a spring cleaning. Clean out the old and bring in the new ... take a good clear measurement of everything internally and externally--where we are with complaints, sexual harassment, crime data.... I intend to make a zillion decisions in the first year.’

How would you deal with racism, sexism and discrimination within the department?

“The foremost way to deal with these problems is to first engage in a constant introspection personally as a leader and to create the same introspection in the top staff ... hold open and candid dialogues. Communicate that throughout the department through more training ... and establishing by clear imposition of discipline that you mean what you say.’

How would you hold captains, lieutenants and sergeants accountable for police effectiveness?

“The entire organization should follow the strategic plan with the budget and training necessary. We need a sound business approach with a chief of police who provides oversight and direction with the whole focus on crime and the fear of crime. We need a system to clearly identify problem areas ... a very sophisticated and timely pin-mapping approach to give us empirical data not just anecdotal [information].’