SOME SAY PROBLEMS WOULD FESTER UNDER INSIDER POLICE CHIEF; TO SILENCE CRITICS, WILLIAMS' SUCCESSOR MUST MOVE FAST TO SEE REFORMS THROUGH : UNFINISHED BUSINESS.

Byline: Earl Ofari Hutchinson

THE selection process for the next LAPD chief is in the final stretch. There are presently six candidates for the post. Last week the Police Commission forwarded the names of three of the candidates to Mayor Richard Riordan. He will choose one of them to fill the position. The City Council then must approve his choice.

The smart money is betting that Riordan will pick an insider, either Deputy Chiefs Bernard Parks or Mark Kroeker.

This has raised fears by some that the LAPD will return to the bad old days of Daryl Gates. This is not a totally false fear. The much-cited accusations of abuse, insensitivity, racism and sexism that plagued the LAPD during Gates' years accelerated after the beating of black motorist Rodney King and the L.A. Riots. Public confidence plunged to a disastrous low and racial polarization in the city deepened.

This had a devastating impact on business. More than 1,000 businesses were burned and $550 million in property damaged during the riots. This put a huge short-term crimp on tourism, commercial and industrial development. To this day more than 200 stores still have not been rebuilt.

The riots reinforced the public perception that L.A. was a dangerous and chaotic place. City officials, desperate to calm a fearful public, placate the African-American community, appease the media and put a fresh sheen on the badly tarnished image of the LAPD, appointed Willie Williams to reform the LAPD.

It didn't completely work out.

After much personal bickering and political maneuvering, the Police Commission dumped Williams. Despite his ouster, many of his severest critics concede that he made an honest and modestly successful effort to improve the LAPD. Crime and the number of police abuse complaints have dropped. More officers have been hired. A community policing plan has been drawn up. There are units within the department to handle citizen complaints, as well as investigate sex and discrimination complaints.

While these are major assets that Parks or Kroeker can build on to further improve the performance and image of the LAPD, the critics are still worried that as insiders they may well do little or nothing to deal with these lingering problems:

Gates was popular with rank-and-file officers, and the top brass were the former chief's appointees and supporters. That included Parks and Kroeker, both of whom are 30-year veterans. Many officers quietly resisted or openly rebelled against Williams' reform and reorganization policies. They publicly blamed him for single-handedly dragging down the morale of the department. The bitterness and divisiveness from Williams' reign has not disappeared.

A rigid civil service system that makes it nearly impossible to remove police officers proved incompetent or brutal.

The continuing ambivalence and suspicion of many blacks and Latinos about the LAPD. The black and LAPD press and community leaders have been conspicuously silent about whom they want to be the next chief.

The court-ordered mandate to hire and promote more women and minorities.

The lack of clear guidelines, timetables and money to implement the Christopher Commission reforms.

The lack of funds to hire more police as well as upgrade and replace outdated lab equipment, computers, fingerprinting identification and communications systems.

If that's not enough, Kroeker was recently accused by some black officers of being a racist. The implication is that he would not firmly discipline abusive officers, eliminate sexual harassment and racial discrimination within the LAPD, and would be soft on enforcing affirmative action policies. The charge is especially puzzling since Kroeker has consistently been given high marks by black and Latino leaders for fair and effective policing when he was commander of the South Bureau, which serves the mostly black and Latino neighborhoods in South Central Los Angeles. He also has been an outspoken advocate of community policing.

Riordan stigma

Since Riordan has stated in the past that Parks is his choice for chief, Parks has been dogged by charges that he is a compliant tool of the mayor, and will jump at his command. Even if true, this assumes that what Riordan and Parks want, and what the public wants, are alien to each other. Both men have expressed their concern with hiring more officers, fully developing community policing, and speedier implementation of the Christopher Commission reforms.

In a recent interview with this writer, Parks expressed irritation with the criticism that he's the mayor's crony. He noted that Riordan's major complaint with Williams was that he had not moved fast enough to set goals and a timetable for implementing the reforms.

The big question is will Parks or Kroeker move fast enough to silence the critics who claim that the LAPD is poised to return to the past? From the few personal contacts I have had with both men, I say they will. They have never hesitated to meet with community leaders and residents to discuss their problems and to appear at community events. Both have publicly and privately affirmed their intention to make community policing work. They have impressed me with their sincerity, personal integrity, and dedication to making the LAPD a top-flight professional force.

I'm convinced that once behind the chief's desk, either one will prove to be an effective public servant - and their own man.

Still they must publicly pledge to work hard to complete the Christopher Commission reforms, establish an effective policy to deal with problem officers and citizen complaints, recruit and promote more women and minorities within the department, and adhere to a rigid personal standard of honesty and integrity in dealings with city officials and the public.

This is the surest way to make the LAPD the best crime-fighting force possible and reassure the public that Los Angeles is a safe place to work, live, visit and most importantly do business.