William J Bratton

Dressed in a black suit and white collar, father David O'Connell looks as if he's just stepped off the set of the "The Bells of St. Mary's" for a quick smoke with Bing Crosby. Ruddy-faced, with gray hair, a full beard and a lilting Irish brogue, O'Connell has been a Los Angeles priest for 23 years and currently is pastor of two Catholic churches in South Los Angeles. It's a Christmas season Monday afternoon, and O'Connell and 24 other members of a community federation known as L.A. Metro-I.A.F.

James Q. Wilson, a social scientist who helped launch a revolution in law enforcement as the co-inventor of the "broken windows" theory — the idea that eradicating graffiti, public drunkenness and other signposts of community decay was crucial to making neighborhoods safer — died Friday in Boston. He was 80. The cause was complications of leukemia, according to his son, Matthew Wilson. Often called the "father of community policing," Wilson, who taught for many years at UCLA and Pepperdine University, was a widely admired public intellectual who wrote more than two dozen books on American government, criminal justice and moral issues.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will announce his selection of the city's next police chief Tuesday, the mayor's staff said Sunday evening. After summoning the three finalists for a second round of interviews Sunday, Villaraigosa decided to take an additional day to mull over the weighty choice. The mayor had tentatively planned to name his choice for chief Monday. Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Charlie Beck, Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell and Deputy Chief Michel Moore returned Sunday to Getty House, the mayor's official residence, to meet one-on-one with Villaraigosa for about an hour each.

News that Prime Minister David Cameron had asked former Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton to be an unpaid advisor in the wake of riots in Britain's major cities recently has rankled some among the law-and-order ranks, who complain that the government was ignoring their homegrown expertise. Cameron's office confirmed Saturday that Bratton, who served as Los Angeles' police chief from 2002 to 2009, had agreed to consult with British law enforcement on gang violence and the social unrest behind the riots.

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.

The Los Angeles Police Commission has completed its work and forwarded to the mayor three capable candidates to succeed William J. Bratton as chief of police. The matter now rests with Antonio Villaraigosa, who must decide what he wants in a chief. This is a moment of great consequence: The mayor will not likely make another appointment with more serious ramifications for the city or his legacy. Bratton's tenure offers many indicators of what qualities are important for a chief's success -- as well as a few where improvement is in order.

James Q. Wilson, a social scientist who helped launch a revolution in law enforcement as the co-inventor of the "broken windows" theory — the idea that eradicating graffiti, public drunkenness and other signposts of community decay was crucial to making neighborhoods safer — died Friday in Boston. He was 80. The cause was complications of leukemia, according to his son, Matthew Wilson. Often called the "father of community policing," Wilson, who taught for many years at UCLA and Pepperdine University, was a widely admired public intellectual who wrote more than two dozen books on American government, criminal justice and moral issues.

Re "Bratton Lays Out Ambitious Set of Goals for LAPD," Oct. 4: William J. Bratton said graffiti falls under "quality of life." I agree. Those creating graffiti usually do not have a quality of life. Most of them were denied middle-class opportunities for success. Here is where I challenge Bratton. Graffiti marks an individual's expression of thoughts. Why not turn it into an art fair? Provide portable blank canvases throughout the city. Establish a display area for public viewing of finished canvases.

It was all pomp and pageantry at the LAPD's downtown headquarters Thursday as newly appointed Chief Charlie Beck was sworn in to office -- for a second time. Beck officially became the department's leader a few weeks ago when the City Council unanimously approved his nomination by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Beck, 56, took the oath of office in a brief ceremony after the council vote. Thursday's event was for show and celebration. Against the backdrop of City Hall, elected officials, department brass and a few hundred other guests filled the courtyard outside the Los Angeles Police Department's gleaming new headquarters.

In announcing his decision Wednesday to step down as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department and reenter the private sector, William J. Bratton turned a spotlight on the firm that has hired him. Altegrity is a company with several thousand employees and a significant presence in a secretive industry that, among other things, provides businesses and government agencies with intelligence-gathering and other investigative services.

It was all pomp and pageantry at the LAPD's downtown headquarters Thursday as newly appointed Chief Charlie Beck was sworn in to office -- for a second time. Beck officially became the department's leader a few weeks ago when the City Council unanimously approved his nomination by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Beck, 56, took the oath of office in a brief ceremony after the council vote. Thursday's event was for show and celebration. Against the backdrop of City Hall, elected officials, department brass and a few hundred other guests filled the courtyard outside the Los Angeles Police Department's gleaming new headquarters.

The City Council's Public Safety Committee on Monday unanimously confirmed Charlie Beck's nomination to be the next Los Angeles police chief. The vote came after a hearing in which community leaders and council members praised Beck's work at the Los Angeles Police Department and called him the right man to take over the department right now. Beck made his own presentation, saying his top goal was to extend the reforms begun by former Police...

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will announce his selection of the city's next police chief Tuesday, the mayor's staff said Sunday evening. After summoning the three finalists for a second round of interviews Sunday, Villaraigosa decided to take an additional day to mull over the weighty choice. The mayor had tentatively planned to name his choice for chief Monday. Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Charlie Beck, Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell and Deputy Chief Michel Moore returned Sunday to Getty House, the mayor's official residence, to meet one-on-one with Villaraigosa for about an hour each.

The Los Angeles Police Commission has completed its work and forwarded to the mayor three capable candidates to succeed William J. Bratton as chief of police. The matter now rests with Antonio Villaraigosa, who must decide what he wants in a chief. This is a moment of great consequence: The mayor will not likely make another appointment with more serious ramifications for the city or his legacy. Bratton's tenure offers many indicators of what qualities are important for a chief's success -- as well as a few where improvement is in order.

As he prepares to step down as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, William J. Bratton reflected Monday on the field of candidates vying to replace him and acknowledged that he has a favorite -- but he's keeping it a secret. With the Police Commission expected to release the names of the three finalists today, Bratton continued to voice the belief that his replacement should come from within the department. He said he believed it was "unlikely" that any of the three finalists will be outsiders.

Dozens of uniformed officers, city officials, supporters and their families gathered downtown Saturday to celebrate the formal opening of the new -- and still nameless -- Los Angeles Police Department headquarters. City Hall, across the street, was reflected in the new building's windows, while a gigantic American flag was draped over part of the structure's exterior, occasionally moving in the gentle breeze that gave relief to those sitting under the blistering sun. The Los Angeles Police Department Band, taiko drummers and Mexican folk dancers provided a musical backdrop for the occasion.

William J. Bratton, who will step down two weeks from today, deserves to go down in history alongside William H. Parker as a reforming Los Angeles police chief whose administration marked a decisive and consequential break with the past. Parker's reforms, while they swept away decades of corruption that originated outside the department, ultimately created an LAPD dominated by the internal corruption of its own insular, defensive and malignantly autonomous culture. Bratton will leave a department that not only has pushed crime rates to historic lows, but one that is dramatically more open and on better terms with the communities it polices -- and with the civilian officials to whom it's accountable -- than at any time in the city's modern history.

William J. Bratton's announcement Wednesday that he would resign as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department caught Angelenos by surprise, including the mayor and police leaders who suddenly found themselves confronted with the daunting task of replacing one of the nation's most influential law enforcement figures. Bratton's unexpected decision set in motion what promises to be an intense and wide-ranging search for his successor.

William J. Bratton, who will step down two weeks from today, deserves to go down in history alongside William H. Parker as a reforming Los Angeles police chief whose administration marked a decisive and consequential break with the past. Parker's reforms, while they swept away decades of corruption that originated outside the department, ultimately created an LAPD dominated by the internal corruption of its own insular, defensive and malignantly autonomous culture. Bratton will leave a department that not only has pushed crime rates to historic lows, but one that is dramatically more open and on better terms with the communities it polices -- and with the civilian officials to whom it's accountable -- than at any time in the city's modern history.

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.