LAPD Assistant Chief Offered Top Job in Mesa

Assistant Police Chief George Gascon has been offered the job of leading the Mesa, Ariz., Police Department but has not indicated whether he will take it, Police Chief William J. Bratton said Tuesday.

Bratton credited Gascon, who heads the Office of Operations, with playing a key role in developing the strategy that has significantly reduced crime in Los Angeles.

"My preference certainly is that he stay," Bratton told the Police Commission. Gascon told The Times that he was still weighing the offer.