Perez to Head Police Commission; Vows to Boost Morale, Cut Crime

Los Angeles Police Commissioner Edith R. Perez was unanimously elected president of the five-member civilian panel Tuesday and immediately unveiled an ambitious agenda aimed at improving the Police Department’s morale, reducing crime, increasing officer accountability and pressing forward on key LAPD reforms.

Perez, a 43-year-old real estate attorney, takes over from Commissioner Raymond C. Fisher, who is leaving the panel after being nominated for the No. 3 post in the U.S. Justice Department. The commission also elected Commissioner T. Warren Jackson as vice president, succeeding Art Mattox, whose five-year term was not renewed by Mayor Richard Riordan.

Riordan, who appoints the panel, said Tuesday that he was pleased to learn of the results of Tuesday’s votes.

“Edith and Warren have worked countless hours on behalf of the commission, the men and women of the LAPD and, most important, the millions of Angelenos who count on our police officers to keep our city safe,” the mayor said.

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He added: “Edith, Warren and their fellow commissioners have been instrumental in managing the expansion of the LAPD, overseeing the department’s day-to-day operations and ensuring that the Christopher Commission recommendations continue on track.”

Although the commission’s president does not have any additional powers, the president is generally recognized as the leader and spokeswoman for the civilian body, which sets and oversees policy matters for the LAPD.

Among her colleagues and department officials, Perez has a reputation for taking a no-nonsense approach to commission business and for her ability to ask tough questions of department officials. Perez becomes commission president at a time when the LAPD is awaiting the mayor’s decision on who will become the 12,000-employee organization’s next chief.

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Jackson, who nominated Perez, said Riordan had better appoint a “tough chief” because Perez will be “one tough president.”

“I think that you need somebody that is strong to ask the hard questions and give the answers to the public,” Perez told reporters after the meeting.

Appointed to the commission in August 1992, Perez has participated on a number of committees and task forces addressing facilities planning, language policies, curfews and budget issues. Recently, she played an instrumental role in developing an anti-discrimination policy for the LAPD.

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Before electing Perez and Jackson, commissioners praised Mattox for his five years of service on the panel and hailed Fisher as the “perfect president” during a time in which the commission went head to head with former Chief Willie L. Williams and decided not to renew his contract.

Fisher and Mattox are expected to be replaced on the panel by attorneys Gerald Chaleff and Dean Hansell. Both men are awaiting confirmation by the City Council.

After Tuesday’s election, Perez released a two-page statement spelling out what she hopes to accomplish during her one-year term. Among her goals:

* Establishing a greater uniformed presence in the city.

* Instituting a crime-fighting program similar to one practiced in New York City, which uses up-to-the-minute crime statistics to help identify problem areas and better deploy department resources.

* Implementing “more measurable, effective and inclusive community-based policing programs.”

* Developing a stronger working relationship among the commission, LAPD and the City Council.

* Completing departmental reforms recommended in the 1991 Christopher Commission report and the 1997 investigative report on Det. Mark Fuhrman’s allegations of police misconduct.