PARKS TARGETS UNION FLIER; LAPD CHIEF WANTS HANDBILL URGING PROTEST REMOVED FROM STATIONS.

Byline: Patrick McGreevy Daily News Staff Writer

A dispute between LAPD Chief Bernard C. Parks and rank-and-file officers over work schedules escalated Monday when the new chief's office ordered the removal of fliers from police stations that called for a protest rally at a reception honoring Parks.

The Police Protective League union has gone from being a co-host of the reception honoring Parks on Friday at the Sheraton Universal Hotel to the organizer of a protest rally aimed at voicing the rank-and-file's displeasure with Parks' decision to kill a compressed work schedule.

``The league wants to show the chief how important this issue is to our members,'' said Dennis Zine, police union director.

Zine accused Parks of heavy-handed tactics to silence dissent.

``The chief is trying to use his authority to subvert what we're trying to do,'' Zine said.

The official union announcement said Parks is not open to reconsidering his decision to disband the program, which allowed officers at the Van Nuys Division and five other stations to work three days a week, 12 hours a day.

``The league feels the chief of police needs the support of the rank-and-file of this department to be successful and toward this end, the league feels further `good faith' discussions are necessary to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion or compromise,'' the union statement said.

Some officers began tacking up an unofficial flier in stations last week that called for all officers to attend the rally, beginning at 5 a.m. in front of the Universal Sheraton Hotel.

``Let's show the chief we mean business and he needs to be concerned with his troops' morale,'' the flier said.

Inside the hotel, Parks is set to be honored at an event organized by the California Peace Officers Association, the Oscar Joel Bryant Association, a group representing African-American police officers, the Command Officers Association and the union.

The dispute over the rally escalated Sunday when the chief's duty officer and chief of staff, Dave Gascon, sent a message to all watch commanders, ordering an inspection of all police stations throughout the city.

The order called for watch commanders to ``remove any handbills that are posted anywhere in their facilities that discuss a rally regarding compressed work schedules.''