BRATTON VIDEO RECAPS GAINS, SETS GOALS.

Byline: Mariel Garza Staff Writer

Police Chief William Bratton released a videotaped message Monday to rank-and-file officers, spotlighting a falling crime rate and other changes in his first six months as chief - as well as his goals for the rest of the year.

In the six-minute video, which is airing at roll calls, Bratton noted his recent reorganization of the Los Angeles Police Department and the resulting changes, including the movement of many commanders and captains in the department's 18 area divisions.

``I'm asking all of you - commanders, cops, civilians - to embrace the change and help propel it forward,'' Bratton said.

Bratton also noted how the crime trend has turned around during his tenure, with serious crimes down 5 percent and homicides down 16 percent. Since the beginning of the year, homicides have dropped even more dramatically, by 28 percent.

The goal is to hold the serious crime rate down overall this year by 10 percent and homicide by 25 percent.

Mostly, the chief underlined his commitment to building a creative and innovative department, and encouraged officers to take part.

``This department is a group of high-performing individuals held back by a low-performing organization,`` Bratton said in the video. ``The people of the LAPD have been stifled too long by an organization that did not encourage creativity and risk-taking.''

LAPD spokesman Officer Jack Richter said the videos began going to divisions Monday to be aired at roll calls. He said Bratton's videos have been a very effective tool, much more so than memos, for getting departmental information out to the troops.