NewsHound
11-18-2008, 03:33 PM
LOS ANGELES, CA – Internationally praised for crime-fighting tactics that have driven violence to historic lows in Los Angeles, globe-trotting Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton is better known among the rank and file simply as "A.L." — absentee landlord.
So far this year, Bratton has been out of town 71 days, which includes time to give a lecture at Harvard University, attend a conference in London and appear at a police graduation in Las Vegas.
A darling of law enforcement circles and a rumored candidate for the head of Scotland Yard or Homeland Security under President-elect Barack Obama's administration, many grumble that the chief is simply not around during major crises in the city and too busy politicking.
"That amount of travel certainly raises eyebrows. If he's getting things done, that's good. But a lot of travel is susceptible to abuse. Whether it's occurring, at this point we just don't know," said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.
"We would very much question the need for that much travel when it would seem that there is more to be done at home."
Bratton, who was out of town late last week attending the International Association of Chiefs of Police annual conference in San Diego, could not be reached for comment.
And it wouldn't be the first time. He often has relied on top brass to speak for him publicly.
For instance, on Feb. 7, when an LAPD SWAT officer was shot to death in Winnetka, Bratton was wrapping up a conference in Vancouver, British Columbia.
On Sept. 12, when 25 people died in the city's worst commuter train disaster after a Metrolink train collided with a freight train in Chatsworth, Bratton was in New York to speak in front of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism.
Bratton's busy travel schedule has been a constant since he was hired in 2002. For example, an earlier Los Angeles Daily News review of his travel records found he was out of town for 99 days in 2003, and 29 days in the first four months of 2004.
At the time, he made no apologies for his schedule, simply saying: "Get used to it."
But his absence has rankled some of his employees. And recently it's caused rampant speculation that Bratton is positioning himself for another job. He has denied it, saying he is perfectly happy in Los Angeles, where his wife, lawyer Rikki Klieman, has made a lucrative career as an on-air legal analyst for TruTV.
But over the past few months, he has been grabbing headlines with his predictions that Osama bin Laden could attack before Election Day, his advice to presidential candidates on whom to appoint to the Department of Homeland Security and his campaigning for Obama.
"He wants to be head of Homeland Security, there's no question about that," said Joe Domanick, a fellow at the Institute for Justice and Journalism at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication. "I am sure he is vying for the job."
From The San Jose Mercury News, November 9
So far this year, Bratton has been out of town 71 days, which includes time to give a lecture at Harvard University, attend a conference in London and appear at a police graduation in Las Vegas.
A darling of law enforcement circles and a rumored candidate for the head of Scotland Yard or Homeland Security under President-elect Barack Obama's administration, many grumble that the chief is simply not around during major crises in the city and too busy politicking.
"That amount of travel certainly raises eyebrows. If he's getting things done, that's good. But a lot of travel is susceptible to abuse. Whether it's occurring, at this point we just don't know," said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.
"We would very much question the need for that much travel when it would seem that there is more to be done at home."
Bratton, who was out of town late last week attending the International Association of Chiefs of Police annual conference in San Diego, could not be reached for comment.
And it wouldn't be the first time. He often has relied on top brass to speak for him publicly.
For instance, on Feb. 7, when an LAPD SWAT officer was shot to death in Winnetka, Bratton was wrapping up a conference in Vancouver, British Columbia.
On Sept. 12, when 25 people died in the city's worst commuter train disaster after a Metrolink train collided with a freight train in Chatsworth, Bratton was in New York to speak in front of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism.
Bratton's busy travel schedule has been a constant since he was hired in 2002. For example, an earlier Los Angeles Daily News review of his travel records found he was out of town for 99 days in 2003, and 29 days in the first four months of 2004.
At the time, he made no apologies for his schedule, simply saying: "Get used to it."
But his absence has rankled some of his employees. And recently it's caused rampant speculation that Bratton is positioning himself for another job. He has denied it, saying he is perfectly happy in Los Angeles, where his wife, lawyer Rikki Klieman, has made a lucrative career as an on-air legal analyst for TruTV.
But over the past few months, he has been grabbing headlines with his predictions that Osama bin Laden could attack before Election Day, his advice to presidential candidates on whom to appoint to the Department of Homeland Security and his campaigning for Obama.
"He wants to be head of Homeland Security, there's no question about that," said Joe Domanick, a fellow at the Institute for Justice and Journalism at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication. "I am sure he is vying for the job."
From The San Jose Mercury News, November 9