Defense Attorney Chaleff to Lead Police Commission

Criminal defense attorney Gerald L. Chaleff was unanimously elected president of the five-member Los Angeles Police Commission on Tuesday--a selection Chief Bernard C. Parks has told confidants he did not support.

Chaleff, a well-known lawyer and former Los Angeles County Bar Assn. president, said he has heard reports that the chief opposed his election, but has not paid much attention to such comments.

“We will all proceed and perform our functions professionally,” said Chaleff, who takes over the civilian panel’s presidency from former Commissioner Edith R. Perez, who forged a close working relationship with Parks but was not reappointed to the commission.

Although Parks has not spoken publicly about his opposition to the new president, he has told a number of people that among his reservations about Chaleff is his belief that a criminal defense attorney should not lead a panel that determines LAPD policy and evaluates the chief’s performance.

“I’m aware that the relationship between the chief and Gerry is strained,” said Commissioner Dean Hansell. “With change comes nervousness and apprehension about what the future will bring, but I hope over time they will develop a good working relationship.”

Many department observers, within and outside the LAPD, expect the interaction between the chief and his civilian bosses to change from the way it was under Perez, who worked closely with Parks but was criticized by some for not maintaining an appropriate distance from an official who, under the City Charter, is accountable to the commission. The chief is publicly correct with Chaleff, but the two do not have warm exchanges or a close working relationship.

“That warmth is not there,” Hansell said.

Parks was out of town Tuesday and unavailable for comment. His spokesman, Cmdr. David J. Kalish, denied that the chief harbors any resentment toward Chaleff. “The chief’s neutral. He’s a professional. The chief has clearly demonstrated that he works with everyone. I don’t see this as that big a deal. It’s full steam ahead.”

Department sources, however, say Parks distrusts Chaleff--who is frequently called upon by national news organizations to comment on and analyze legal matters--because the chief believes he has provided information on the LAPD to The Times.

Paradoxically, similar criticisms were leveled at Parks several years ago. During former Chief Willie L. Williams tenure, then Deputy Chief Parks was alleged by Williams and others to be a source for reporters with whom he has developed close ties over the years.

Although the commission’s president does not have any additional powers compared to other board members, the president is generally recognized as the leader and spokesman for the panel.

Chaleff, 57, gained visibility in the early 1980s as the defense attorney for “Hillside Strangler” Angelo Buono, one of a pair of serial killers who terrorized the city in the 1970s. He has served on the Police Commission for the past two years and served as a deputy general counsel to the Webster Commission, which analyzed management failures related to the Police Department’s dismal initial response to the 1992 riots.

Chaleff’s work as a defense attorney has been a particular source of concern for several top LAPD command officers. He is a partner in the firm of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, where he leads a white-collar criminal defense group.

“We live in a dangerous time if we assume that because of somebody’s occupation they are not entitled to perform public service,” said Chaleff, who also worked as a prosecutor and at various times in his career has been active in the American Civil Liberties Union.

Chaleff, a graduate of Harvard Law School, added that his training as a criminal defense lawyer is “an advantage, not a disadvantage” for his work as police commissioner. Other defense attorneys have served on the commission, including Robert Talcott, who served as the board president when former Chief Daryl F. Gates was in office, and Michael Yamaki, who served as a commissioner during Williams’ term.

Despite what many consider his liberal credentials, Chaleff has assumed a relatively quiet role on the Police Commission over the past two years. His votes on most matters fell in line with his fellow commissioners, including conservative businessman Bert Boeckmann, who nominated Chaleff for the one-year leadership position. And, Chaleff has been far less proactive in pursuing a police reform agenda than Hansell, who joined the panel at the same time as Chaleff.

“Gerry is more moderate than people think he is,” Hansell said.

Chaleff, in fact, says he brings no agenda to his position on the commission. As president, he said he wants to ensure that the LAPD treats everybody fairly, both throughout the community and within its ranks. He also wants to ensure that the department receives the resources it needs to provide quality public service.

Some advocates of police reform are hopeful that the quality of civilian oversight of the LAPD will improve with the change in leadership and with the addition of commission member Raquelle de la Rocha and the hiring of former federal prosecutor Jeffrey C. Eglash, the commission’s inspector general.

“I hope this new Police Commission will really be interested in hearing from police reformers,” said Ramona Ripston, executive director of the ACLU of Southern California. “Certainly the police chief isn’t interested in hearing from us. I don’t think the voices of police reform have been listened to in several years.”

The rift between Chaleff and Parks has put Mayor Richard Riordan’s office in an odd position. Both men have the support of the mayor, who is responsible for naming them to their respective roles. Though the commission elects its own president, the balloting amounts to an endorsement of the mayor’s candidate for the post; the chief does not have a role in the process. Both Chaleff and Parks also are close friends of lawyer Bill Wardlaw, who is Riordan’s best friend and most trusted advisor.

Kelly Martin, the mayor’s chief of staff, said that Chaleff, as president, will bring a level of credibility to the panel’s oversight role similar to the tenure of Raymond C. Fisher, a highly regarded liberal attorney who led the commission when it decided not to give Chief Williams another five-year term in office.

“Gerry is just like Ray, except that Ray had corporate clients and Gerry has criminal ones,” Martin said. “It’s better to have a voice that challenges the department to continually improve.”

Fisher said he has “the greatest respect” for Chaleff. He said Chaleff’s work as a criminal defense lawyer is irrelevant to the job he performs on the commission. “It really depends on whether a person is fair-minded and objective.”

At Tuesday’s meeting T. Warren Jackson was elected to his third term as vice president.

Times staff writer Jim Newton contributed to this story.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Gerald L. Chaleff

Chaleff, a well-known criminal defense attorney, was elected president of the Los Angeles Police Commission on Tuesday.

Age: 57

Residence: Los Angeles Education: Graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School.

Career highlights: Defense attorney for Angelo Buono in Hillside Strangler case; deputy general counsel to the Webster Commission, which investigated the actions of the LAPD during the 1992 riots; former Los Angeles County Bar Assn, president, lecturer at Harvard Law School and for the American Bar Assn., and California Trial Lawyers Assn.