LAPD TROOPS MEET NEW CHIEF BRATTON VOWS TO SHINE 'MOST FAMOUS SHIELD'.

Byline: Mariel Garza Staff Writer

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - During a televised address to Los Angeles residents and the officers he hopes to command, William J. Bratton vowed Thursday to return the troubled Los Angeles Police Department to its former glory when he takes over as chief.

During a news conference at the North Hollywood station, Bratton outlined his plans for reviving community policing. He also promised the mayor, city leaders and residents he would not let them down in their quest to reform the LAPD.

``Together we will build on the legacy and the traditions and the skills,'' said Bratton, whose expected confirmation by the City Council could come within a week. ``And we will take that - the most famous shield, the most famous badge in the world - and whatever little tarnish exists, it will be wiped clean, and it will be the most brilliantly shining badge of any in the United States.''

Bratton's speech, delivered in his heavy Boston accent, came during his first of several stops as Mayor James Hahn's nominee for chief.

``William Bratton is the right person at the right time to lead the LAPD into a new era,'' Hahn told the council members and selected civic and business leaders assembled to get the first look. ``William Bratton best embodies the leadership qualities needed to make Los Angeles the safest big city in America.''

Known as a reformer who oversaw a double-digit drop in crime during his two-year tenure as commissioner of the NYPD, Bratton beat out 50 other candidates, then two other finalists - Oxnard Police Chief Art Lopez, a former LAPD deputy chief, and John Timoney, former commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department - for the nomination.

In his first public appearance, Bratton showed he had done his homework on Los Angeles.

He talked about growing up watching ``Dragnet'' and ``Adam-12,'' which gave him his idea of what a police officer should be. He described how the model of policing - rapid response, random patrol and reactive investigation - that was developed in Los Angeles has now given way to community-based policing.

He also spoke of the year he worked as a monitor for the federal consent decree that now oversees LAPD operations, describing it as ``an opportunity to get into the LAPD in a very intimate way.''

``That intimacy is what propelled me to apply for this position,'' he said. ``The intimacy with just how good this department is, how truly extraordinary the men and women of this organization are.''

Bratton's off-the-cuff eloquence - particularly following Hahn's introduction, which he read from notes - and his Los Angeles-friendly remarks made him a hit with city leaders.

``I've never seen anyone do that, with no notes,'' Councilman Tom LaBonge said afterward. ``Absolutely impressive.''

LaBonge said: ``Bratton was hitting all the bases - consent decree, community policing, crime.''

``See why I like this guy so much?'' Hahn blurted after Bratton's speech, giving his chief pick a one-armed hug.

During a brief question-and-answer session afterward, Bratton said the LAPD's need for 1,000 additional officers, along with continuing reform, are among his biggest challenges.

Asked what he will do to address the criticism about public safety gaps that have driven the San Fernando Valley secession movement, Bratton first responded to the overall issue.

``I can't even begin to imagine why they want would want to secede from L.A. Seriously,'' Bratton said. ``This is one of the great cities of the world.''

But he said he would do what he has done in his previous jobs to drive down crime: deploy officers where crime is worst.

``All my career has been about putting police where the problems are,'' Bratton said.

``The approach I would seek to embrace here would be to use some of what worked in New York modified with what would work here in Los Angeles - two very different cities, two very different departments, in many respects,'' Bratton said.

During his address, Bratton described Los Angeles as a city of ``very few police officers,'' and in a brief interview later, he said the force of 9,000 officers is small compared with many other cities. But he wasn't prepared to say whether the allocated strength of 10,000 is the right number either.

``First I have to find out where the existing 9,000 are,'' Bratton said, adding that one of his first projects will be to examine deployment.

Hahn and Bratton will continue their L.A. tour today, with a 7:30 a.m. appearance on KTLA (Channel 5)'s ``Morning Show,'' a community forum on gang violence in Boyle Heights, and later attendance at two awards ceremonies.

Although Bratton must appear before the Executive Employee Relations Committee, his appearance before the council's Public Safety Committee will be waived, said committee Chairwoman Cindy Miscikowski. That means Bratton's nomination could come before the City Council within the next week.

Hahn has offered Bratton an annual salary of $239,039, less than the $247,000 paid to Chief Bernard C. Parks, whose bid for a second term was rejected by Hahn. Other perks of his employment are yet to be worked out.

Bratton said his wife, Court TV anchor Rikki Blieman, will join him in house-hunting this weekend, and that they will consider a number of the city's communities.

Whether it's Brentwood or Woodland Hills, he said, ``it's completely her decision.''

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Photo:

(color) William Bratton, nominee for LAPD chief, shakes hands with officers during a visit to the North Hollywood station.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer