RIORDAN PRODDING COMMISSION TO OUST WILLIAMS, LAWYER SAYS.

Byline: Patrick McGreevy Daily News Staff Writer

A lawyer for LAPD Chief Willie L. Williams charged Monday that Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan is behind a Police Commission plan to dump the chief for his refusal to reshuffle police command staff.

And if the commission fails to give Williams a second five-year term, lawyer Johnny Griggs said, the chief does not expect that the City Council would overturn the decision.

``It is not something he is counting on,'' said Griggs.

Police Commission President Ray Fisher and a spokesman for Riordan both denied Monday that the mayor is exerting pressure on the commission to give Williams the boot.

``Obviously charges like that I don't think are accurate or are helpful for what the commission is trying to do, which is evaluate the chief on the merits,'' Fisher said. ``The answer is no, the mayor has not (pressured the commission). He has expressed at times in a mild way a concern about the effectiveness of management.''

Mayoral spokesman Steve Sugerman said: ``The mayor has the utmost confidence in this fine group of people, who are doing their work independently as mandated by Charter Amendment F.''

In escalating claims by the chief that the commission review amounts to ``window dressing,'' Griggs told the Daily News that he believes Riordan has forced the commission's hand because of Williams' refusal to act on a request two years ago.

The lawyer claims that a Riordan aide asked the chief to get rid of some of his top command officers and put others in their place. Griggs declined to identify who the mayor wanted to replace, saying: ``These details may be made public at some point in time.''

Sugerman said the mayor has been frank about his concerns about the shortcomings of the Los Angeles Police Department management but he denied that anyone on the mayor's staff attempted to dictate who should be on the chief's command staff.

``The mayor made it clear what some of his concerns were, but the mayor has a good working relationship with the chief,'' Sugerman said.

Fisher, who joined the commission less than two years ago, said he is not aware of any claims that Riordan or the Mayor's Office attempted to dictate staffing decisions in the department.

``In the time I've been on the commission, there has been no pressure to get rid of anybody,'' Fisher said. ``There have been some concerns about whether the department is being managed effectively. The mayor has voiced some of that. But we have not been pressured.''

The commission is deliberating Williams' fate after meeting twice with the chief and evaluating his performance on a number of criteria. A decision is expected later this week or next.

Griggs comments drew concern Monday from some city officials who worry that the war of words between the chief and the Police Commission is increasing the chance that the issue will end up in court.

``I think to start engaging in accusations is not productive to the process,'' said City Councilwoman Laura Chick, chairwoman of the council's Public Safety Committee.

Chick also confirmed that the chief may not have the 10 votes on the 15-member City Council needed to overturn any action by the Police Commission.

The Christopher Commission recommended that the Police Commission receive complete discretion to decide whether the chief should get a second term, but the council drafted Charter Amendment F to retain its ability to overturn the commission on a two-thirds vote.

The council already has used its power once, in 1995 to overturn the Police Commission's reprimand of the chief for allegedly lying about accepting free lodging in Las Vegas.

Would they again?

``I think certainly the majority of the council, if not the entire council, takes very seriously Charter Amendment F and the voters intention to mandate that the Police Commission have jurisdiction over renewal or non-renewal of the chief's contract,'' Chick said. ``For us to override that we would have to have an extremely good reason why, and thus far I don't think there is one.

``The commission is being impeccable in its process,'' she said, ``and I can't imagine on what grounds we would attempt to override it.''