The question of who will be named the next police chief of Los Angeles should be answered soon, as the civilian board that oversees the department announced today it has narrowed the selection of candidates down to three.
“We had an outstanding pool of candidates to choose from. This city would be well-served by any of the candidates, but the three individuals we presented to the mayor today are truly outstanding,’’ Police Commission President Steve Soboroff said, without releasing the names of the finalists.
Mayor Eric Garcetti will make the final selection from among the three candidates chosen by his appointees on the Board of Police Commissioners, and the City Council must then confirm the mayor’s choice.
Garcetti said last week that he expects to announce his selection for the next police chief by the end of the month or sooner.
Chief Charlie Beck announced in January that he will retire June 27, a year and a half before his second term ends. He has led the Los Angeles Police Department since 2009 and this morning was at the Central Area Station to conduct his final formal inspection of LAPD personnel as head of the force.
Garcetti said last week that he’ll interview all three of the top candidates and that their names will be publicly released, unless the candidate asked to remain anonymous. He also said he would engage community leaders and City Council members for their opinion, and that his chemistry with the candidates would be important.
“The chemistry between the chief and a mayor for the city is really important for the city to work well,’’ he said. “We’ve known that in L.A. when the chemistry is not there, or worse than bad chemistry — hostility. And the relationship I’ve had with Charlie has been absolutely invaluable.’’
Citing an unnamed source, the Los Angeles Times reported last week that the list of top candidates interviewed by the commission out of 31 that applied included LAPD Assistant Chief Michel Moore, Deputy Chief Robert Arcos, Deputy Chief Phil Tingirides, former Assistant Chief Sandy Jo MacArthur, and San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott.
