Another Top LAPD Advisor to Chief Bratton Is Leaving

Another top advisor to Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton has quit: This time Deputy Chief Michael Berkow has accepted the job as chief of the Savannah-Chatham Police Department in Georgia, officials announced Monday.

Berkow, who heads the Los Angeles Police Department’s Professional Standards Bureau, announced his departure a month after Assistant Chief George Gascon left to head the police department in Mesa, Ariz.

Bratton, who recruited Berkow in 2003 from a job heading the Irvine Police Department, did not name a replacement.

At the LAPD, Berkow led the office charged with investigating officer-involved shootings and complaints against officers.

He developed a courtrequired program of sting operations to test officers’ honesty and helped create new guidelines for reviewing the use of force.

“Chief Berkow has done a superb job reorganizing Professional Standards Bureau, especially in establishing protocols for investigating officer-involved shootings,” Bratton said.

“I wish him well in his new position.”

Berkow will take over the police agency in Savannah in November, taking a substantial cut in pay, his office said.

“In my life, it’s never been all about the money,” Berkow said. “For me, it’s about the fit of the community, the fit of the job with my talents and abilities.”