LAUSD SAYS 38 APPLIED FOR TOP COP DECISION EXPECTED IN SPRING.

Byline: Holly Edwards Staff Writer

Thirty-eight people applied to serve as the Los Angeles Unified School District's new police chief by Friday's deadline, but officials say additional resumes postmarked Feb. 8 are expected to arrive by mail throughout next week.

Wesley Mitchell, the former police chief, retired in January after 31 years of service, prompting the school district to launch a nationwide search for his replacement.

School board member Julie Korenstein, chairwoman of the School Safety Committee and Campus Environment Committee, said she hopes the new chief will have experience in law enforcement as well as education.

``My preference is leaning toward school experience, but ideally there should be a combination of school and law enforcement experience,'' Korenstein said, adding that it will ultimately be Superintendent Roy Romer's job to pick the new chief. ``The school background is important because dealing with juveniles is very unique.''

However, the president of the union representing the district's 300 police officers said he believes the new chief should have on-the-street law enforcement experience and come from outside the district.

``The new chief should come up from the rank-and-file officers like every other police chief,'' said Paul Quezada, president of the Los Angeles Police Officers Association. ``To gain the respect of the 300 officers you lead, you need to be a competent police leader, be totally independent of the district and have an open mind.''

At least five years experience as a police chief or as a commander of an agency comparable to the LAUSD is required for the position, which pays $96,161 to $119,574 annually, school officials said.

The chief is in charge of law enforcement for 910 campuses and oversees a department that responds to more than 7,000 crimes annually, ranging from vandalism to murder, according to school district records.

LAUSD personnel director Anita Ford said she will assemble all the applications next week and the district will then form an application review panel to examine them. A separate interview committee will then be formed to compile a list of finalists for Romer to review.

Both committees will be composed of high-level administrators from within the LAUSD as well as local law enforcement agencies, Ford said.

The district has hired a consulting firm for $24,000 to help with the application process, she said.

Romer is expected to hire the new chief this spring.