32 COMPETE FOR LAPD'S TOP JOB.

Byline: Patrick McGreevy Daily News Staff Writer

Thirty-two people, including seven from inside the Los Angeles Police Department, want to be the city's next police chief.

Police Commission President Ray Fisher said Monday that the number of applications filed by Thursday's deadline is a sign that there is confidence the selection process is open, despite reports that Mayor Richard Riordan already is leaning toward appointing Deputy Chief Bernard Parks.

``That's a good, healthy number,'' Fisher said. ``I'm glad people weren't dissuaded from the competition.''

Some officials predicted at least 50 people would apply. And one outside candidate who did not apply, former New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton, said he believed the next chief will be an insider after five years with former Philadelphia Chief Willie L. Williams at the helm.

Los Angeles police Commissioner Bert Boeckmann said the pool of candidates is ``higher'' than he expected. ``My fear was that there would be a large number of people who would not feel competitive,'' he said.

The city Personnel Department refused to identify those who filed applications by Thursday, but sources and interviews identified the LAPD insider candidates as:

Deputy Chief Mark Kroeker. The 32-year veteran heads the Office of Administrative Services. He formerly headed the South and Valley bureaus and is highly thought of by Riordan.

Parks. The 32-year veteran is commanding officer of the Office of Operations, after previously heading the Bureau of Special Investigations.

Deputy Chief David Gascon. The 26-year veteran is the chief of staff for interim Chief Bayan Lewis and most recently commanding officer of the Human Resources Bureau.

Deputy Chief Robert Gil. The 29-year veteran is commanding officer of Operations Central Bureau, and he previously was in charge of press relations.

Cmdr. Art Lopez. The 24-year veteran is assistant commanding officer of Operations Headquarters Bureau, which has put him in charge of the proposed merger of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority police with the LAPD.

Assistant Chief Ronald Banks. The 31-year veteran is serving as commanding officer of the Human Resources Bureau after serving as Williams' chief of staff. Banks is fighting a demotion by Lewis to deputy chief.

An unidentified police officer, whose low rank disqualifies him from effectively competing for the job.

Despite Banks' current battle with Lewis over a demotion, as well as an investigation by the inspector general into an ineligible request for a pay hike, the assistant chief said he was not going to miss the opportunity to compete to head the department.

``I've never been one to let a promotional test go by and not submit an application,'' he said. ``Obviously, I think I'm qualified. I thought the field should be a little wider. I didn't think I should be dissuaded by the events of the last few weeks.''

Gil also threw his hat in the ring when it appeared the field of contenders would be small.

``The pool didn't seem to be as big as it should have been,'' Gil said.

The only announced candidate from outside the LAPD is Lee Baca, a division chief with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The applications of Baca, Gascon, Gil and Lopez mean that half of the announced candidates are Latino.

In a city where 40 percent of the population is Latino, some civic leaders are hopeful that a Latino candidate will come out on top for the first time in the department's history.

Fisher said public hearings held by the commission have found a lot of support for the next chief to be familiar with and sensitive to the issues important to Latinos. However, Fisher said it is not appropriate to limit the search for the next chief to one group based on their percentage of the population.

``We need someone who can relate to everybody, regardless of their culture or ethnicity,'' he said.