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It's Charlie Beck for L.A. Police Chief

By Brian Doherty
November 4, 2009
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Deputy Chief Charlie Beck moves into the top spot at LAPD, unsurprisingly--but the decision to name him wasn't as simple as some expected.

The L.A. Times details the forces for Beck, and his virtues. Departing Chief Bill Bratton wanted him, City Council head Eric Garcetti approves, and he has a decent history of accomplishment:

He first made a mark as an up-and-coming commander by rehabilitating the LAPD's Rampart Division, which had been at the center of a corruption scandal, and later earned praise as head of the department's forces in South L.A. During that time, Beck has managed to win kudos from both cops and onetime critics of the LAPD for blending a tough stance on crime with a progressive approach to bettering the LAPD's relationship with city residents.

In a different story, the Times reports that the L.A. Police Commission ranked Beck last of their three finalists for chief, and that Bratton's support for him hurt Beck, not helped. Villaraigosa was said to be torn between the three finalists--Beck, Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell and Deputy Chief Michel Moore--and didn't finalize his choice until Sunday.

Local media gadfly Ron Kaye sees the selection process as a sign of Villaraigosa's feckless reliance on Bratton's crime record as one of his few mayoral laurels:

With his public standing so low he can't run for governor, was the mayor really going to take the risk of choosing his own chief instead of Bratton's?....Moore, the Valley chief, is smart, studied hard in Bratton's school of police and hard-working to the point his subordinates call him Micro-Mike. He was the star of the auditions and his performance appear to have forced the mayor into the uncomfortable position of thinking about his choice rather than just doing what Bratton told him. McDonnell, the LAPD's No. 2 cop, has the most experience, actually was running the department during Bratton's many absences and was far and away the most popular choice with the public and police. But it was always Beck's job because he was Bratton's choice.

City of Angles on Bratton's awkward farewell to LAPD.

(Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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