The search for Los Angeles' next police chief is unlikely to be completed before the LAPD's outgoing leader, William J. Bratton, departs at the end of October, according to the schedule laid out by city officials overseeing the process.
The expected timeline means it is likely that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will be forced to appoint an interim chief -- a move he has said he is loath to make -- or leave the department without a head for a few weeks.
That realization comes as the field of internal LAPD candidates planning to compete for the job widens significantly. At least 11 of the department's dozen deputy and assistant chiefs have decided to apply.
Bratton, 61, shocked the city earlier this month with word that he would step down Oct. 31 to join a private security firm. Villaraigosa, who must select a replacement from finalists who emerge after a lengthy application process, said he wanted to be able to name the new chief by the time Bratton left.
Application reviews, interviews, background checks and deliberations, however, are expected to take too long to meet that goal, said Phyllis Lynes, assistant general manager in the city Personnel Department. The names of three finalists are scheduled to be given to the mayor in the third week of November, she said.
Through a spokesman, Villaraigosa reiterated his wishes Wednesday, saying he still believed Oct. 31 was "a perfectly reasonable deadline." Lynes said that the Personnel Department, which runs the search, is aware of the mayor's hopes and that it is possible some time might be saved. The department's timeline, however, is already "a bit aggressive," she said.
Candidates for the job, whether they come from inside the department or elsewhere, are expected to have a three-week window to submit their applications beginning Sept. 1, Lynes said. The names of about 12 of the strongest applicants will probably be forwarded to the Police Commission, the civilian panel that oversees the LAPD, in early October. The commission will narrow the pool to the three finalists from which the mayor selects a chief.
From the outset, a few of the more senior members of Bratton's command staff -- Assistant Chiefs Jim McDonnell, 49; Sharon Papa, 51; and Earl Paysinger, 54; and Deputy Chief Charlie Beck, 56 -- surfaced as obvious candidates to replace him. All four confirmed in brief interviews Wednesday that they would pursue the post.
