Parks Proved His Leadership

During the tenure of Police Chief Bernard Parks, I have been neither his most staunch supporter nor his harshest critic. We have agreed on some matters and we have disagreed on others, but on balance I believe he has what it takes to continue the now thankless job of transforming the Los Angeles Police Department.

My working relationship with the chief is defined by the issues we both deem top priorities: improving public safety and enhancing the quality of life for Angelenos. To be sure, we have debated some of the ways to realize those changes, but the discussion has been constructive, candid and one hopes beneficial to the community.

During his first term as chief, Parks has been accessible to the entire city. He supports the efforts to improve public safety through neighborhood walks for nonviolence and against violent crime, citywide community town hall gatherings and meetings with civic, religious and business leaders to ensure that crime fighting and prevention remain our priorities.

Parks has confronted the issues of objectionable police tactics and street crime head-on and that has made a significant impact on how many residents throughout the city view the Police Department. I now hear more testimonials from my constituents that they are less likely to be harassed by officers.

The culture of discriminatory policing does not change quickly. Parks not only has laid the groundwork but has aggressively pushed to achieve a zero-tolerance policy in this area. For this, he is damned as inflexible by some and heralded as resolute by others.

Regrettably, two of Parks’ most important qualities have been devalued or forgotten in this highly politicized environment of chief-bashing. We must be reminded that his work ethic is unmatched and his competence unparalleled. You can’t kick a 37-year veteran to the curb.

Many educators, health professionals and religious leaders believe that a critical value in public safety should be a commitment to crime prevention and crime intervention. But too often these concepts are left out of typical one-dimensional approaches. Parks has championed prevention efforts, such as the LA Bridges gang prevention/intervention program and the LA’s BEST after-school program. If one accepts the FBI projections that crime will increase in the near future, then we must invest in such programs, not just crime suppression.

Without a doubt, Parks is a proven leader whose efforts to improve public safety have at the very least been hampered by the overbearing campaign by the Los Angeles Police Protective League to drive him out of office. The league’s ugly attacks on the chief only serve to undermine the very officers it claims to represent.

According to recent reports, many LAPD officers have indicated that they would prefer being represented by another union. But even in the face of the league’s hypocritical evaluation, Parks has continued to push forward to create a new and improved LAPD. Sadly, he has had to do this without the assistance of the Police Protective League.

Addressing systemic problems in the LAPD does not happen overnight. Change may not be popular when it means being held accountable for one’s actions. It must be worked toward consistently and over the long term. Parks has taken the difficult stance of remaining true to providing leadership for that change. He is to be commended for not attempting to win a popularity contest with the unbridled police union, the entity that historically has resented reform.

We have to place a premium on the progress we need to make in public safety over the next five years, and a hard-working, capable and well-regarded leader can help further those goals. None of us should underestimate the need for continuity in leadership. That is why terminating Chief Parks’ service to the city of Los Angeles is not only preemptive and untimely, it is unwise and may ultimately set back public safety and police accountability.