Former New York police commissioner, tapped to lead troubled LAPD, lauded for expertise

Friday, October 4th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ The selection of William Bratton to lead a police force tainted by scandal, low morale and a rising crime rate was commended as the right choice for a tough task _ even by a rival for the job.

The former New York police commissioner, who was instrumental in that city's stunning drop in crime in the mid-1990s, was selected by Mayor James Hahn, who made the announcement Thursday. The appointment must still be confirmed by the City Council.

``Bratton is the type of police chief you hire when you are in trouble,'' said Nicholas Pastore, a former police chief now with the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation in Maryland. ``He's the kind of guy who can roll up his sleeves and get things done.''

Bratton, 54, was selected over Oxnard Police Chief Art Lopez, a former Los Angeles Police Department veteran and former Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Timoney, a friend of Bratton's who also worked for him when he ran the New York Police Department.

Timoney said Bratton's first task in Los Angeles will be restoring morale in a department that is down 1,000 officers and has been tarnished by scandal.

``He's a proven leader. He will surround himself with good people there,'' Timoney said.

Bratton was New York City's police commissioner from 1994 to 1996, a time when the murder rate fell 50 percent and felonies dropped by a third. He resigned under pressure from then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who complained that Bratton was more interested in bolstering his public image than doing his job.

Before that, he headed the New York City Transit Police and Boston Police Department.

Hahn expressed confidence in his decision, indicating he was looking forward to working with Bratton.

``My decision was clear. William Bratton is the right person at the right time to lead the LAPD into a new era,'' he said Thursday.

Bratton promised to work with the mayor on reforms, increase recruiting and implement community policing policies, something past chiefs have resisted.

The new chief replaces Bernard Parks, who resigned after being denied a second five-year term by the Los Angeles Police Commission. The last outsider to run the LAPD was former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Willie Williams, who replaced retiring Chief Daryl Gates in 1992 _ a year after the beating of black motorist Rodney King by four white officers and the subsequent riots touched off by the officers' acquittal on criminal charges. Williams was denied a second five-year term.