POLICE COMMISSIONER TO TAKE JUSTICE JOB.

Byline: Rick Orlov Daily News Staff Writer

Police Commission President Ray Fisher has been selected to take one of the top jobs in the U.S. Justice Department as the No. 3 official to Attorney General Janet Reno, sources said Wednesday.

Fisher, of Sherman Oaks, refused comment, but city sources said he had received word of his selection after a visit to Washington, D.C., earlier this week.

A formal announcement could come as early as today.

Aides to Mayor Richard Riordan said they also would not comment on Fisher's potential departure or possible successor.

A founding partner of the law firm of Heller, Ehrman, White and McAuliffe, Fisher has been Police Commission president since August 1995 and headed the panel when it decided against renewing the contract of former Police Chief Willie L. Williams.

Fisher has a long history of civic involvement, having served as the general counsel to the Christopher Commission, which made a number of reform proposals for the Los Angeles Police Department that included creating the system that allowed the hiring of Williams on a five-year contract.

Fisher also served on the Los Angeles Civil Service Commission.