Los Angeles Police Chief Bill Bratton….is going the way of the horse and buggy! As the Chief sees the signs of deminishing budgets, shortfalls in Pensions, conjecture on hiring and the demise of the Federal oversight of the LAPD…what is left to do? Bratton “The Say Hey Kid” says: The days of the “Consent Decree” are over!
Bratton’s numbers are great….even his public image and popularity are at an all-time high. What could he do for an encore? He came, he saw and he conquered. Bratton even made it through the Coliseum Hispanic Uprising and beating of an Hispanic News Reporter! What about those people that kept getting shot in their cars? Bratton has been “pure teflon”. This stuff bounced right off and like the Energizer Bunny…kept going and going and going! We have to give the Devil his due even though he probably spent every week-end in New York throughout his entire tour of duty!
This is going to leave a very big hole in the SO CAL dominion. Bratton is a national figure with huge name recognition. Who could possibly take his place and still do it with enough “panache” to make that position their own? This is going to take someone even bigger than Sheriff Joe Arpaio! Bratton has seemingly slain all his dragons, drained the swamp and finds that there is little left to do in a tiny town of around 4 million people.
Mayor Tony Villaraigosa is in a spot. Bratton is going to step down on Halloween and the City of Los Angeles needs another major celebrity cop to take Bratton’s place. The National search is on…..but who? Are we now ready for a Hispanic Chief? How about an Asian Woman? How about a Swedish/Hawaiian/Somoan? The options are endless – aren’t they?
Bratton is off to work for some New York Security Firm. Flimzy excuse …ya think? No, we are talking about a Department that is understaffed 1000 Sworn Officers. We are talking about an Department that is facing a crisis in their budget. We are talking about the writing on the wall that says…..Morale of the troops…..may be facing some deminishing returns! No, Chief Bratton is moving out smartly…..with perfect timing! He can look back a year from now from his beautiful home in Manhattan and say: “It was fine when I left!”
But the questions remain….how safe will the City of Los Angeles be in 2010?
And who will have the work ethic, the moral fiber and the leadership ability to lead a force faced with tough times! Sounds like the City can’t even afford to hire new Officers. In this economy, new Officers should be lining up in droves!
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