PERSISTENT OFFICER RESIGNS AS POLICE UNION'S LEADER.Byline: Patrick McGreevy Daily News Staff Writer Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. police union president Bill ``In Your Face'' Harkness will no longer be in the City Council's face. Union officials said Harkness resigned as president Wednesday, a year after the assertive as·ser·tive adj. Inclined to bold or confident assertion; aggressively self-assured. as·ser  tive·ly adv. union leader won officers a lucrative salary
contract from the City Council and mayor.
The union board voted to elect Lt. Dave Hepburn as the Police Protective League's new president, Hepburn said. Harkness had the option of seeking another year's term but chose not to keep the presidency, said Hepburn, who is viewed by several officials as more moderate than his predecessor. Harkness did not return calls for comment. Union sources said Harkness will stay on the board until he can arrange to return to active duty in the department. He is considering retirement, however, in the near future. ``He had a bellyful bel·ly·ful n. Informal An undesirable or unendurable amount: a bellyful of criticism. bellyful Noun 1. ,'' said one league official, referring to the highly charged political climate of serving on the union board. Added another union official: ``He was off for a month, and I guess he just had a change of focus. He wants to move on.'' Hepburn said he plans to build on the union's recent successes. ``I think we've accomplished a lot in the last year under the leadership we have had,'' said Hepburn, a 24-year veteran who has mostly worked patrol assignments. ``I think the Protective League has more influence in the city now than it has ever had, and I would like to see that continue.'' Hepburn said he expects the union to endorse candidates in the council and mayoral elections in April. Harkness earned his ``In Your Face'' nickname (1) An alternate name used to identify yourself in a chat room. (2) A shortcut for identifying a recipient in an e-mail address book. from other officers for an aggressive style as a motorcycle motorcycle, motor vehicle whose design is based on the bicycle. The German inventor Gottlieb Daimler is generally credited with building the first practical motorcycle in 1885. The motorcycle did not become dependable and popular, however, until after 1900. officer. That may have been a factor in his making the Christopher Commission's 1991 list of 44 problem officers with significant numbers of citizen complaints. The style carried over to his work on the police union board. He was part of a militant faction fac·tion 1 n. 1. A group of persons forming a cohesive, usually contentious minority within a larger group. 2. Conflict within an organization or nation; internal dissension: that organized sickouts and other job actions during the bitter contract dispute of 1994. When talks stalled stall 1 n. 1. A compartment for one domestic animal in a barn or shed. 2. a. A booth, cubicle, or stand used by a vendor, as at a market. b. last year over a new contract, the union board removed its president and installed Harkness, who quickly wrapped up negotiations for a contract that gave police officers 18 percent in raises over four years. ``He has a reputation of being a hard-liner,'' said Councilwoman Laura Chick chick abbreviation for chicken (1). . ``I always knew him as `In Your Face.' ``But I've gotten to know him better, and I don't think of him as that kind of hard-liner . . . person,'' Chick added. ``I'm sure his reputation is well-earned, but I found him to be thoughtful and open to other perspectives and really good to work with.'' Chick said she does not expect the change in the presidency to have much effect on the activism of the union. |
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