Bernard C. Parks
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Bernard Parks (born December 7, 1943 in Beaumont, Texas) is a member of the Los Angeles City Council, representing the 8th District in South Los Angeles and former Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Parks attended Los Angeles City College, received his B.S. from Pepperdine University, and holds a Masters in public administration from the University of Southern California.
Appointed Chief of Police on August 12, 1997, Parks oversaw a significant drop in violent crime throughout the city and especially in South Central. However, during his tenure, the LAPD was rocked by a corruption and police brutality scandal involving the elite C.R.A.S.H. anti-gang unit of the Rampart Division in the overwhelmingly Latino Pico-Union and Westlake districts. Parks's generally inflexible and high-handed leadership during the crisis led to severe morale problems among the rank and file, and his public relations efforts were generally regarded as poor. Some commentators, including former officers, have noted that the activities involved in the Rampart scandal dated back to when he was head of LAPD's Internal Affairs division and have accused his office of covering up the brewing scandal.
His term ended on May 4, 2002, as the recently elected Mayor James K. Hahn opted not to retain him. Parks was replaced by former NYPD chief William Bratton. However, Hahn's lack of finesse in handling the firing of Parks is generally considered to be the primary factor in Hahn's defeat his 2005 bid for re-election. Los Angeles' African-American community had largely propelled Hahn to victory in the 2001 mayoral election. However, he alienated that base with his removal of Parks, who was beloved by many in that community.
Soon after the end of his tenure as LAPD chief, Parks capitalized on his popularity among South Los Angeles' black population to win a vacant seat on the City Council, where his relatively pro-business orientation and unconcealed enmity for Hahn made him a colorful media figure. Since Hahn's departure from office, Parks' most frequent media quarrels have been with Bratton. Parks ran for mayor in the 2005 elections, but lost in the primary election, placing fourth.
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| Police Appointments | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Bayan Lewis |
Chief of LAPD 1997–2002 |
Succeeded by Martin H. Pomeroy |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Mark Ridley-Thomas |
Los Angeles City Councilmen 8th district 2003—present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
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