Results tagged “jim mcdonnell” from Ron Kaye L.A.

Now that the formality of naming Charlie Beck as Chief of Police is over, the Times tells us it was always a done deal, that Bill Bratton lobbied hard for months for his favorite son and it was only at the last minute that the mayor actually gave it any thought.

After the fact disclosures of what was going on behind the scenes is amusing but does nothing to enlighten or enhance the public debate.

In fact, the debate, such as it was. was all in private and, in the end, made no difference whatsoever.

The mayor whose sole actual achievement -- as opposed to greening LA, fixing the schools and building the subway to the sea which won't come to fruition for years -- is reducing crime. Of course, the real credit for that goes to Bratton.

With his public standing so low he can't run for governor, was the mayor really going to take the risk of choosing his own chief instead of Bratton's?

Joel Rubin in the Times tells us the mayor actually paid attention to the question over the weekend after the Police Commission had recommended Michel Moore, Jim McDonnell ahead of Beck.

Moore, the Valley chief, is smart, studied hard in Bratton's school of police and hard-working to the point his subordinates call him Micro-Mike. He was the star of the auditions and his performance appear to have forced the mayor into the uncomfortable position of thinking about his choice rather than just doing what Bratton told him.

McDonnell, the LAPD's No. 2 cop, has the most experience, actually was running the department during Bratton's many absences and was far and away the most popular choice with the public and police.

But it was always Beck's job because he was Bratton's choice.

"I was certain Bratton's endorsement would be crucial. But he went too far. He became an albatross," someone closely involved in the selection process told the Times.

Really, Bratton went too far? Hard to believe since he went as far as he wanted whenever he wanted for the last seven years.

The real question now is who's chief is he? Bratton's? The mayor's? The LAPD's?

Beck has a tough act to follow.

Back in the spring, LAPD Chief Bill Bratton took Chief of Detectives Charlie Beck with him on a trip halfway around the world to check out what he wants as the next generation of patrol car: The Australian-made Holden Commodore.

Beck, now a near certainty to be named Bratton's successor on Monday, has been the point man in pushing the Commodore as the replacement for the US-made Ford Crown Victoria that has been that standard police vehicle for years.

It's a curious case why the head of detectives would be in charge of steering this deal while the motor transport experts within the LAPD would be left out in the cold, not even given the chance to test the car's performance.

Yet, the Commodore was put on display Saturday at the grand opening of the LAPD's lavish but unnamed new Police Headquarters (although it was moved to the back of the building instead of being part of the ceremonies despite Bratton's wishes).

So at 11 a.m. today, the chief will formally unveil the foreign-made car of his choice - a strange choice indeed when America's car industry has collapsed even though Holden, based in Melbourne, is owned by GM.

Back in March, the Commodore with LAPD decals on it created a stir at the Australian auto show in Sydney with rampant speculation that a deal with LAPD would legitimize the car for police uses and lead to exports of as many as 40,000 vehicles a year to US law enforcement agencies.

Beck's role in the car deal, his appearances in place of the chief at budget hearings and Bratton's favoritism toward him has made it clear to nearly everyone involved that he will get the chief's job on Monday over lesser Bratton favorites Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell and Valley Deputy Chief Michel Moore.