MAYOR QUESTIONS POLICE BOND STUDY.

Byline: Patrick McGreevy Daily News Staff Writer

Mayor Richard Riordan on Wednesday challenged a consultant's conclusion that the LAPD needs up to $1 billion over the next 20 years, saying the price tag is too high and that existing buildings have extra space.

"We have, for example, (existing) substations which are only partly occupied," Riordan said, adding that he will question the $1 billion price tag "all the way up and down the line."

Riordan also proposed that a private-sector project manager and board of directors evaluate the consultant's report and work on developing a police construction plan.

The mayor said some bond measures may be required in the future, but he said he is not yet certain that he can support consultant Larry Kosmont's recommendation to ask voters in November to approve a $300 million to $432 million measure, which would include a sixth Valley station.

Kosmont estimated the cost of the bond measure would average about $26 per household per year.

LAPD officials said they believe the consultant's report reflects the potential needs of the department, but added that the eventual cost may be less than $1 billion.

"The review is still continuing involving the mayor, the chief of police and others," said LAPD Cmdr. Tim McBride, a department spokesman. "As they go along there may be some revisions and there may be some things deemed less important than others."

While Riordan said he believes voters will support future bond measures if the LAPD's needs are made clear to them, he said city officials need to take into consideration voters' narrow rejection of a $171 million police facilities bond measure defeated last June.

"I have to look at that and think really hard about it," Riordan said of the proposal to go back to the voters in November.

Councilman Alarcon - who led the drive for the bond measure last June - proposed several motions Wednesday that he said are aimed at restoring voter confidence.

In one, he asked the council to reject buying a piece of Granada Hills property owned by the Department of Water and Power for $5 million to build a police driver-training facility.

Instead, he said the LAPD should lease the land for $1 a year, as originally agreed to by the DWP.

The $5 million in voter-approved bond money could be spent better to develop a substation on the former General Motors property in Van Nuys and to improve the West Valley detective office in Reseda, he said.

Alarcon said he envisions a 100-officer patrol station on the GM property - larger than traditional substations but smaller than normal police stations that have 250 officers or more.

"Basically we need patrols in the area of Panorama City, Van Nuys and North Hills," Alarcon said.

Alarcon submitted a second motion requesting the city explore hiring an inspector general to oversee city construction projects.

The Kosmont report, submitted recently to Williams, concluded that 30 years of neglect have resulted in the need for a "massive comprehensive facilities program."

Kosmont concluded that to accommodate Riordan's public safety plan of hiring 2,855 officers, the city needs to provide an additional 500,000 square feet of police patrol facilities by 1998.