Asst. Chief Lewis Is Named Interim Head of L.A. Police

The Los Angeles Police Commission, in a divided vote Wednesday, appointed Assistant Chief Bayan Lewis to take over as the interim police chief until a permanent replacement for Chief Willie L. Williams is found.

The selection of Lewis, a 34-year department veteran who now oversees about 85% of the LAPD’s resources, reflected the view of a majority of commission members that the interim chief not be a contender for the permanent job.

“The interim chief is simply that,” Commission President Raymond C. Fisher said. “Somebody who will act to guide the department through a transition period while we engage in the very important process of selecting a permanent chief.”

Lewis, 55, has said that he is not interested in taking Williams’ place for a full five-year term, but he is a finalist for the chief’s position in Reno, Nev. Lewis has assured the commission that even if he wins the Reno job, he would stay with the LAPD until Williams’ replacement is selected this summer.

Lewis, who under Williams was the director of the Office of Operations, has been responsible for the largest command in the department. All patrol-related functions and the majority of LAPD detectives have reported to him. Additionally, Lewis has been in charge of the Robbery-Homicide Division, Air Support and Juvenile Division, among others.

Lewis was instrumental in creating the department’s mobile field force, a widely praised effort in which all officers are trained to quell disturbances in the city. The field forces have been called out for a variety of reasons, including the North Hollywood bank robbery shootout in February.

In addition to Lewis, the commission had been considering Deputy Chiefs Bernard Parks, David Gascon, Mark Kroeker and Martin Pomeroy for the interim job. Parks, Kroeker and Gascon have expressed interest in the permanent job; Pomeroy and Lewis have not.

By placing Lewis at the helm, several commanding officers said the commission has made the transition an easy one--installing a well-known and well-respected boss who won’t dramatically change the focus of the department.

“We will continue to move in the direction we’ve been heading,” said Cmdr. Don Watson, the assistant commanding officer in the LAPD’s Central Bureau. “It will be an easy transition with him stepping in as interim chief.”

“It’s a good, natural selection,” Watson said.

The commission’s 3-2 vote for Lewis also was seen by department observers as an attempt by some panel members to demonstrate their independence from Mayor Richard Riordan, who appointed them and strongly lobbied for Parks to be given the interim slot.

“That was a big, big factor,” said one source close to the commission’s negotiations. In March, critics had slammed the commission as a tool of the mayor when the panel denied Williams a second, five-year term in office.

Shortly after the commission’s announcement at an afternoon news conference, Riordan held his own meeting with reporters in which he expressed disappointment that his recommendation was not followed.

“Now, more than ever, the department needs strong leadership to make our streets safer, to bring about a system of accountability in the LAPD,” said Riordan, who added that he thought Parks was best suited for that role.

Nonetheless, Riordan said he respected Lewis.

“I expect Chief Bayan Lewis to move swiftly in pursuing the goal of making Los Angeles the safest big city in America,” the mayor said.

Although being snubbed by his own commission, Riordan has already received the political benefits of having publicly championed a black interim successor to Williams. What’s more, Riordan, who will make the final selection of the new permanent chief subject to City Council approval, now may pick a candidate for that job without having to oust an interim chief who is interested in the position.

Furthermore, with Commissioner Art Mattox’s term expiring at the end of June, Riordan will have the option of replacing one of three commissioners who voted against the mayor’s suggested interim chief. Mattox, Fisher and Herbert F. Boeckmann II voted for Lewis while Edith R. Perez and T. Warren Jackson voted for Parks.

Riordan said Wednesday that he is reserving judgment on who should get the permanent job until the nationwide search for candidates is completed July 29.

Commission members said they hoped that the installation of Lewis would steady the department, which has seemed noticeably adrift for at least a year as Williams struggled to take command of the organization and waged an unsuccessful campaign for a second term.

The leadership turmoil has been most acute since Williams was denied reappointment. Most of the department’s brass is now bracing for a top-to-bottom overhaul of the command structure. The question of leadership has been so severe that Lewis held a meeting of top command officers earlier this week and told them to get control of the operations and lead their officers, according to sources.

Commissioners said Lewis, as the interim chief, will have the authority to promote and demote officers.

Lewis was out of town, teaching courses in San Luis Obispo, and was not available for comment on his appointment Wednesday.

Fisher said Lewis will work with Williams until he steps down May 18. Williams’ term officially expires July 6, but he has agreed to leave the post early as part of a $375,000 severance package. The deal also calls for Williams to be a department consultant for a year.

“The appointment of Chief Lewis is an excellent one,” Williams said in an interview Wednesday. “He has shown loyalty to the organization and loyalty to me personally. . . . He knows what it means to be a team player.”

Several department officials who report to Lewis said he prefers to work through his chain of command, delegates duties easily and allows his staff to make decisions on their own.

Cmdr. Maurice Moore, the assistant commanding officer in the West Bureau, called Lewis’ selection “outstanding.”

“He’s a great administrator with great management and leadership skills,” Moore said. “He’s approachable, and he’s not opposed to hearing an opinion that’s not compatible with his own.”

Lewis has been widely praised for his personal appearances at various department meetings and community events. He attends openings of community service centers, shows up at bureau-level staff meetings and even appears at crime scenes.

Recently, he attended a memorial service in the San Fernando Valley for an apartment complex security guard gunned down in an ambush attack. Lewis’ presence at this and other community events is viewed as important by officers because they see him as a hands-on boss who attempts to reach out to city residents and police officers.

“He’s a very good man,” said City Council President John Ferraro. “The commission’s been working with him, so they were in a good position to evaluate him. They were sincere in thinking it’s better not to have someone who’s a candidate [for the permanent job.”

“If they’d appointed Bernard Parks, you’d say they’re in his [Riordan’s] pocket. If they don’t, they’re independent.”

The commission will now begin searching for Williams’ full-time replacement. The commission, which will recommend three finalists to the mayor, is working with a search firm to draft a list of qualifications expected of candidates for the job.

Fisher said the search firm also recommended that a permanent candidate not be hired on an interim basis.

Many department officials said Parks and Kroeker remain strong candidates for the permanent job. Parks is known for his strong operational knowledge, while Kroeker is a particularly popular choice among the rank and file.

When the commission denied Williams a second term, members said the next chief should be better at conveying a “vision” of the department’s future to his command staff and should be stronger than Williams in leading and motivating “the substantial talents of the LAPD.”

“We will need a chief who will utilize the effort and commitment of the board of Police Commissioners rather than challenging the board’s authority over him,” the commission said in its explanation for not reappointing Williams.

Times staff writers Beth Shuster and Jodi Wilgoren contributed to this report.

Profile: Bayan Lewis

LAPD Assistant Chief Bayan Lewis will serve as the department’s interim chief after Chief Willie L. Williams steps down next month.

* Born: February 25, 1942

* Education: Graduate of Pepperdine University in public administration, with postgraduate work at USC; also graduated from the Army Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, Kan.

* Career highlights: Joined the LAPD in April 1963. As a captain, headed the anti-terrorist division, Rampart and West Valley areas and west traffic division. As assistant chief, has served as director of the Office of Operations, responsible for 85% of the department’s resources. Served in the 40th Infantry Division (Mechanized) of the California National Guard for 23 years, retiring as lieutenant colonel.