PARKS' HARD LINE PUTS OFFICERS ON FIRING LINE.

Byline: Patrick McGreevy Daily News Staff Writer

The LAPD has fired 14 officers so far this year, more terminations than during all of last year or the year before, a fact causing concern among officers that Police Chief Bernard C. Parks may be too tough of a disciplinarian.

Less than four months into 1998, the Police Department already has exceeded the 11 firings in 1997 and 13 in all of 1996.

Compared to former Chief Willie L. Williams, Parks has been less likely to turn firing recommendations into long suspensions, said Los Angeles police spokesman Lt. Anthony Alba.

``He believes in holding officers accountable to a higher standard than we hold people in public to,'' Alba said. ``He's basically a discipline-minded person.''

The change in style isn't going unnoticed.

``It sends a warning flag up that something has changed,'' said Dave Hepburn, president of the Police Protective League. ``I don't think it's because officers are committing more misconduct. I think it's because the chief has a different philosophy, that he wants to see officers terminated for certain offenses.''

Hepburn said the police union is not going to defend officer misconduct, but ``the penalties are more extreme than they were and perhaps more extreme than necessary.''

Councilwoman Laura Chick, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, said she wants to make sure officers are not engaging in misconduct, but also that they receive fair treatment.

``I want reduced liability (for the city) and clear consequences for misconduct, but I also want to know that it's a fair system,'' said Chick, who said she has not heard any complaints of inappropriate dismissals.

When Parks took over as chief in August 1997, it was understood that a tough disciplinarian was taking the helm of a department criticized at times for not sufficiently punishing officers for misconduct.

Alba said he thinks it's premature to identify a trend about Parks from the firings he has ordered so far.

``I think it's too early for an analysis of the chief's disciplinary practices,'' he said.

Alba also noted that the chief only fires officers who first have been recommended for termination by a disciplinary board of two command officers and one civilian. A chief can only approve a board's disciplinary recommendation or lessen the penalty, not increase it.

However, Hepburn said Parks has intimidated command officers who sit on the boards by calling some into his office to explain decisions he didn't like and making statements at staff meetings that he has no tolerance for certain offenses, including honesty issues.

``I think it's the chief of police's disciplinary philosophy which has been very strongly communicated to commanding officers serving on boards of rights,'' he said. ``There is a zero tolerance for certain kinds of misconduct, and penalties are going to be stiffer.''

Those fired so far this year by Parks include:

A police officer who allegedly engaged in shoplifting.

An officer who offered to refrain from writing a traffic ticket for a motorist if the motorist would give him Dodgers tickets.

An officer accused of stalking young, single women whom he had pulled over, by following them home afterward, although no physical contact was made.

At least two officers who allegedly committed domestic violence offenses.

An officer said to be involved in a pyramid scheme to earn money.

The officer allegedly involved in the pyramid scheme was one of the 44 identified by the Christopher Commission in 1991 as ``problem officers'' who had been the subject of numerous complaints. That officer is suing the department to challenge his dismissal.

``They were all substantial offenses, and the chief felt people should be fired,'' Alba said of the 1998 terminations.

Alba acknowledged that Williams ``exercised his option more than Parks in terms of turning (board-recommended) firings into long suspensions'' during his tenure as chief.

Hepburn said he did not know enough about the firings this year to judge whether some of the offenses previously might have resulted only in long suspensions.

``There are some officers who could receive suspensions and whose careers could be salvaged,'' he said.

Hepburn and Alba said Parks has made it clear that there are certain offenses that he will deal strongly with, including dishonesty and domestic violence.

``The chief's position is very evident,'' Alba said. ``It's vital that we maintain our integrity and have reverence for the law.''

LAPD records indicate that under Williams, there were some domestic violence and dishonesty incidents that resulted in suspensions or even admonishments rather than firings.

In January 1997, two officers accused of making false and misleading statements to investigators were suspended. That same month, another officer received an eight-day suspension for agreeing to a sex act for money with an off-duty female officer, leading to the arrest of the male officer.

Others received suspensions under Williams for battery and vandalism, knowingly using a cloned cellular phone, and domestic violence in which physical violence was used. However, Williams fired other officers for theft, drug use and sexual misconduct.