[dropcap size=big]T[/dropcap]hree veterans of the Los Angeles Police Department are vying for the top job at the nation's second largest police agency, according to a late Tuesday report. The top candidates for chief of the LAPD are Robert Arcos, Michel Moore, and Bill Scott, "according to three sources familiar with the selection process," the L.A. Times said.
Meanwhile, at the Tuesday meeting of the Los Angeles Police Commission, outgoing Chief Charlie Beck faced the aunt of a woman who died in police custody in 2016. The aunt threw "ashes" upon Chief Beck, a reminder of the sense of injustice that pervades among families of victims of police violence. [See below]
Speculation has grown in the city as the deadline nears for the retirement of Chief Beck, who steps down on June 27. Mayor Eric Garcetti is charged with choosing among three top candidates for Beck's replacement who were selected by the civilian-led Police Commission. The commission interviewed the finalists and selected them from a field 31 applicants.
They are —
Robert Arcos, deputy chief of the Central Bureau. Arcos is a lifelong Angeleno and would be the LAPD's first Latino chief of police.
Michel Moore, first assistant chief and head of the LAPD's patrol operations office. Moore was also a finalist during the selection process that Charlie Beck eventually won. He joined the LAPD in 1981.
Bill Scott, currently the chief of the San Francisco Police Department. Scott served 27 years at the LAPD and had become its highest ranking African American officer before departing for the Bay Area in January 2017.
Chief Beck has had a relatively successful run, despite high-profile cases of unarmed civilians or suspects dying at the hands of LAPD officers. He announced his forthcoming resignation in January.
* UPDATE — Community anger at Beck's legacy over deaths in police custody or police killings emerged once more on Tuesday during the morning Police Commission meeting. A woman identified as Sheila Hines-Brim, an aunt of Wakeisha Wilson, allegedly threw Wilson's ashes on Chief Beck during the meeting. She and one another woman were arrested.
Wakeisha Wilson died in LAPD custody in 2016 in unusual circumstances. The police called it a suicide.
Watch the video below:
WATCH - “That’s Wakiesha! She’s gonna stay with you!” Sheila Hines-Brim, the aunt of #WakeishaWilson, was arrested after she dumped a powdery substance on #LAPD Chief Charlie Beck that may have been human ashes. Wilson died in police custody in 2016. pic.twitter.com/eargpyBEpa
— Jasmyne Cannick (@Jasmyne) May 9, 2018
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