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Bratton to Stay as LAPD Chief

By Jeralyn, Section Other Politics
Posted on Thu May 19, 2005 at 05:02:01 AM EST
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Los Angeles has a new mayor-elect, Antonio Villaraigosa. Villaraigosa beat current mayor James Hahn. In 2001, it was the other way around.

By overwhelming margins, Villaraigosa captured Democrats, liberals and younger voters, according to a Los Angeles Times exit poll. He also won a majority of San Fernando Valley residents, union members and Jewish voters. His support among blacks more than doubled from what he won in his 2001 mayoral contest against Hahn -- though it fell just shy of half.

But it was Villaraigosa's huge support among Latinos that turned his victory into a landslide, ushering Hahn out of office after a lone term. The city councilman sparked a surge in Latino turnout and won 84 percent of the Latino vote.

It was James Hahn who hired Bill Bratton to run the LAPD. Many thought if Villaraigosa won, Bratton would return to New York and run for Mayor. But today, after a one hour meeting between Bratton and Villaraigosa, Bratton announced he is staying on as Chief.

The relationship between the two men may prove crucial to Villaraigosa's tenure as mayor, as well as Bratton's reputation as a turnaround specialist.

The $64,000 question: Will Villaraigosa be any more successful than Hahn at getting the city to pony up funds for more cops?

If Villaraigosa succeeds in expanding the force and pushing a reform agenda, Bratton could get the chance to fundamentally reshape policing in Los Angeles. With a wave of retirements beginning in 2007, Bratton sees what he calls a "ground zero" opportunity to promote one-third of the department's top commanders, creating a new generation of like-minded officers who could carry his reform legacy forward.

Bratton relishes chances to promise steep crime reduction, saying in February that if he had a force of 12,500 -- about 3,400 more officers than he has now -- he could reduce crime by 50 percent and dismantle gangs.

Here's more on Bratton's theory of policing, as I remember him expressing at his swearing in ceremony in 2002:

Bill said the cops would have to stop driving around in their cars waving and smiling at people and get back into the streets, interacting with the public and making arrests where warranted. He said the police have to learn to work with the community. He said the department can't succeed at fighting crime unless there is a partnership between the police and and the community. He said they would go into the streets and take them back from the gangs and that he would make sure the officers were safe by providing them with a lot more training.

Villaraigosa has his work cut out for him. He made a lot of promises during the campaign. I won't be surpised to see Bratton running for Mayor of LA in the next election if he doesn't deliver.

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    Bratton to Stay as LAPD Chief | 1 comment (1 topical)
    Re: Bratton to Stay as LAPD Chief (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:12 PM EST
    Consensus is that Hahn didn't impress anyone as a mayor -- he was trying to be a supervisor, which isn't the same thing. He didn't come out from behind his desk, and people saw that as a lack of interest in their neighborhoods. Bratton has shown himself to be an excellent chief, so he is being rewarded (by V. 's election). On the immediate plus side, Villaraigosa's election and popularity is worldwide news. He just made Los Angeles millions in tourism, just by smiling and being outgoing rather than Hahn's pilot biscuit approach to the job.

    Bratton to Stay as LAPD Chief | 1 comment (1 topical)