Patterico's Pontifications

11/5/2009

A New Chief for the LAPD

Filed under: General — Jack Dunphy @ 11:34 am



[Guest post by Jack Dunphy]

My column on Charlie Beck’s appointment as LAPD’s next chief is up on Pajamas Media today. I point out the welcome differences between Beck and his predecessor, differences also discussed in today’s Los Angeles Times.

I was surprised to read, in Wednesday’s L.A. Times, that Deputy Chief Michel Moore had made such a strong impression on the police commission as they narrowed the field of contenders down to three. It was generally assumed within the department that the three finalists would be Beck, Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell, and either the department’s highest-ranking black officer, Earl Paysinger, or one of the two high-ranking women, Assistant Chief Sharon Papa or Deputy Chief Sandy Jo MacArthur. This is Los Angeles, after all, where one has come to expect identity politics to play a role.

So while it was surprising to see Moore among the finalists, I was all the more taken aback to read that the commission had ranked him ahead of Beck and McDonnell when they submitted the names to Mayor Villaraigosa, and that Villaraigosa had been “bowled over” by Moore during their one-on-one interview. This points out a flaw that has long plagued the LAPD’s promotion process. The department’s upper ranks are liberally supplied with people who know how to take tests and give great interviews, but who nonetheless are ineffective leaders. I have no doubt that Moore was impressive in his talks with the police commissioners and the mayor, but when it comes to leading a police department he isn’t in the same league with either Beck or McDonnell, a fact plainly obvious to the department’s rank and file but not, apparently, to the commission and the mayor.

The Huffington Post discussed Beck’s solid reputation with the rank and file, pointing out that “[i]n 2003, Bratton appointed Beck captain of the Rampart Division, which was struggling with fallout from a 1999 corruption scandal in its anti-gang unit.” What wasn’t mentioned was that Beck had been preceded as Rampart’s commanding officer by Michel Moore, who was installed by former Chief Bernard Parks following the explosion of the Rampart scandal. The officers at Rampart had already been demoralized by the scandal, which, we must remember, was confined to a handful of officers. But Moore’s tenure at Rampart made things even worse, exemplifying the excesses of the Parks years that brought the LAPD close to ruin. Discipline was unduly harsh and capriciously meted out, with officers suspended for petty infractions that would ordinarily have resulted in nothing more than a chewing out from the watch commander.

Moore’s departure from Rampart was celebrated, and Beck’s tenure there was marked by improved morale and falling crime, all accomplished without even a hint of corruption. When Beck received his well-deserved promotion to commander, a huge contingent of Rampart officers filled the Parker Center auditorium to see him receive his new badge and be sworn in. Such displays of support for someone so high in the chain of command are all but unheard of. Moore’s promotion ceremonies could have been held in the men’s room with plenty of room to spare.

I think most in the LAPD would have been just as pleased had Jim McDonnell been selected, but it’s frightening to know that Moore, who has 90 percent of William Bratton’s arrogance but only five percent of his talent, came so close to being chosen.

–Jack Dunphy

9 Responses to “A New Chief for the LAPD”

  1. “Moore’s promotion ceremonies could have been held in the men’s room with plenty of room to spare.”

    A men’s room would have been a waste of space,a phone booth probably would’ve been more suitable and still have had room left over.

    firefirefire (81ecb9)

  2. OT (and take this down if you wish) but they are reporting a mass shooting incident at Ft Hood in Texas. two shooters, one in custody, seven dead and 12 wounded.

    Have Blue (854a6e)

  3. I was concerned that Villaraigosa was incapable of doing this right.
    I am pleasantly suprised

    SteveG (97b6b9)

  4. My personal contacts wit the LAPD are, fortunately, very limited. I had family members in the Chicago PD going back to the 1940s and my brother-in-law is a retired CPD cop. In the bad old days of the CPD, outstanding officers like Frank Flanagan, a family friend, were recognized and protected from the rampant corruption. He still supported his family on the crappy salary they got. That was to reduce any resistance to graft. But, in those days, they still saw that the incorruptible ones who were good got jobs out of the line of fire from the Mob. Frank became chief of the hit and run section. Eventually, after he had set up the only crime lab in Chicago, and after one more scandal, the city brought in OW Wilson to clean things up and Frank became chief of Homicide.

    I don’t know if the city of Los Angeles cares that much any more. The renaissance of New York City seems to have brought appreciation for good policing again. Will it last ?

    Mike K (2cf494)

  5. It all depends on whether Special Order 40 continues or not.
    As long as we are going to coddle a very large class of offenders, we will have a continueing crime problem.
    What’s the old saying:
    If you tax something, you’ll get less of it;
    and when you subsidize it, you’ll get more.
    Well, SO-40 subsidizes crime in that it removes the penalties (taxes) for breaking some laws.

    AD - RtR/OS! (0a796c)

  6. If the man’s good enough for Officer Jack, he’s good enough for me.

    Good luck, Chief Beck.

    Scott Jacobs (d027b8)

  7. Chief Beck gets great marks from all that I have talked to, who have had the privilege to work with or for him. I look forward to working for him and helping him keep our city safe. I’m sure Beck will put some of these professional administrators in check and promotes some folks that have been in the field and done real live Police work, not just waxed and embellished about it in their promotional orals. Quite a few of the folks above the rank of Sergeant have been playing hide and seek since probation, and that cannot continue to be rewarded with promotions. We do have quite a few that are ready, willing & able. We all know that Chief Beck will surround himself with a command staff that understand what kind of world we live in nowadays. Their sure are a few Captains, Commanders and Deputy Chiefs out there that have ZERO business being Police Officers, let alone in charge of a Division or Bureau, the people of Los Angeles will be better served when these people are shown the door. Good luck to Chief Beck and we all look forward to the positive changes that his future Command staff will hopefully make.

    Assistant Chief McDonnell, is a stand up man who I hope will remain in his current position and stay with us. He is a man of Character and would be greatly missed by all, if he is lured away by another department. So I hope we can keep him here.

    Mike Moore on the other hand, is a miserable human being and a poor excuse for a Police Officer, let alone a Chief of Police. The man is a class A “Adam Henry”, philanderer and abuses his power in more ways than one. Ask his ex-wife who has left him for, among many things, his “swinger life style” sexual exploits, cheating, etc…. The city will soon be paying out MILLIONS because of it’s inability to protect it’s female officers, or Officers wives from Moore, and he was a finalist for Chief??? I guess the vetting process needs a little tweaking. I am sure that the Police Commission didn’t have all the information that it should have. I also am sure that was not a fault of their own, but I would bet the farm that certain information was kept out. Moore went into a Rampart roll call and called his Officers canon fodder, telling them the sooner they realized that, the better off they would be. If Chief Beck is as smart and able as he is said to be, Moore will be on lock down. If not Moore will sabotage Beck’s tenure at every chance he gets, by the way he consistently mistreats Patrol Officers and chases skirts. His morale compass is stuck on stupid, and will cost us Los Angelenos more than just money if he is allowed to continue. I’ve heard there will be far more incriminating information coming out about Mike Moore here in the near future. I’m sure he can find a job selling used cars some place. And it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

    But good luck, and congratulations Chief Beck.

    Great piece Mr. Dunphy.

    Ed (9d1bb3)

  8. I knew Moore when he was a sergeant, and he was an ass then. I watched him climb the ladder with…well, not astonishment, it is the LAPD after all, but dismay. I have never had a problem with a tough CO, but he was as arrogant a person as I have ever met. He was well known for being a “hatchet man” for the dept, just the guy to handle things for Parks. I suspect that he blew away the police commissioners because he told them that he would be tough on the rank and file, which means to severely punish every infraction no matter how small. Don’t know anything about the skirt chasing, though. Hope the new Chief does well, both for the city and the department.

    415woman (654ef8)

  9. There’s always plenty of room over DWP?

    AD - RtR/OS! (0a796c)


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