Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton is officially seeking a second five-year term, the Los Angeles Times reports. Bratton started in motion a six-month process that will have a police commission evaluate his performance and decide whether to give him a second term. His first one ends Oct. 24.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa endorsed another term for Bratton. His term has not been without controversy. The police department is investigating a handful of police abuse cases, including two captured on video cameras. Gang crime was up 15.7 percent last year. The Times reported that Bratton had spent one-third of 2005 out of the city on trips to cities including New York, London and Boston. If Bratton is reappointed, he would become the first chief to serve a second term since the City Charter was changed in 1992. Police chiefs Bernard Parks and Willie Williams each served one term and were not reappointed.
Link: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bratton3apr03,1,2165056.story