The Los Angeles Daily News interviewed Dr. Erroll Southers about the selection of the next Los Angeles Police Department chief and the qualities they will need to take the next step in a community policing model. The article reads in part:
“Erroll Southers, director of USC’s Safe Communities Institute and a former FBI special agent, argued that modern-day policing includes a host of challenges officers have not faced to the same extent before, including dealing with the homeless, those with mental illness and domestic violence and child abuse. To be effective, he said, the new chief will have to not only understand these challenges but embrace them.
“Because LAPD has been thought of as a national leader in a number of areas, the new chief should build on that reputation, he said. But he acknowledged that’s won’t be an easy task.
“‘You know a reputation in a police department can change in five seconds when an incident happens and can go viral,’ Southers said. ‘They need someone who can respond to that challenge, someone very nimble, very intelligent but more than anything very transparent — not just in words, but in regard to investigations, access and community outreach.'”
Read the full article.