Op-Ed: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass should resist temptation to appoint Black female Chief of LAPD

I often read 2UrbanGirls and thought I would share my thoughts and perspective of why Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass should avoid the temptation of nominating a Black woman as the next Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department.

With that being said, I must readily admit, as I’ve written letters to your blog in the past, this has to be the most difficult letter I’ve ever written because I didn’t want the message to get lost in what I believe are the complexities of running a law enforcement agency such as LAPD.

Although it’s tempting, the realities and complexities of leading LAPD, in its current state, doesn’t afford Mayor Bass the time and luxury to get this wrong.

I caution you and your readers because even if it’s at the expense of offending special interest groups like Black Lives Matter (BLM) or groups whom were vital to her election as mayor (her donors) even if that meant supporting the controversial reappointment of Chief Michael Moore, we have recent history that clearly shows that Bass will buck trends and expectations for the greater good.

What’s the greater good in putting up the first Black woman in charge of the LAPD now?

More Importantly, what political victories are achieved by Bass when the public checks the temperature in the room and starts asking for accountability?

Quite simply, reality over perception matters now and quite honestly if you polled the general public I would surmise the average Los Angeles voter and business owner cares about results, regardless of race , gender or color and those results revolve around as what Mayor Bass has said repeatedly in the past is that her most important job as Mayor of Los Angeles is “keeping Angelenos safe.

In all due fairness and respect if transforming the LAPD, as Bass advocated in her campaign, keeping Angelenos safe means abandoning the ambitious goals of appointing the first Black woman as Chief as many would like. Aren’t we, as the general public, beholden to give deference to pick or support the next LAPD Chief independent of self serving mandates?

In fact let’s be real. Aren’t we inclined to produce the best candidates for our next LAPD Chief by offering the general public a wide list of the most qualified candidates to lead one of the largest and most complex law enforcement agencies as opposed to a bunch of not as qualified candidates whom are considered based solely on their gender and ethnicity?

The answer is no because in making such important decisions of selecting a police chief, in a city like Los Angeles, someone is going to feel slighted or offended.

Siding with safety shouldn’t only serve to Bass better inclinations of selecting or supporting the next chief because LAPD is at a crossroads in dealing with it’s smallest force since the 1990’s, has deep morale issues coupled with massive resignations and inability to attract recruits due largely to anti-police rhetoric that has permeated law enforcement across the country since the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minnesota police officers.

Keeping all this in mind, one must remember being chief of LAPD comes with it’s own challenges. Positions like these, despite their best effort not to be political, are absolutely political and surely Mayor Bass’ next chief must be savvy enough to needle the complexities of the job earning the trust and loyalty of rank and file officers while working hand in hand with the powerful and politically active LAPD union and of course, the public.

Marvin McCoy