Editorial: Robert Arcos is the right choice for LAPD Chief

In a recent editorial, the L.A. Times went out on a limb with the less-than-brilliant observation that the next police chief of the LAPD should be someone who can fix the broken department. Alas, there was no discussion of representation. 

This was almost as tone-deaf as the “Community Engagement Report” that L.A. Mayor Karen Bass also recently released on her search for a new LAPD chief of police in which, again, there was no mention of representation. 

We think that representation matters. 

It matters when we are talking about the possibility of having the first woman of color elected as president. It mattered when we actually elected the first African-American woman as mayor of Los Angeles. And it should matter when we’re talking about who Mayor Bass will choose as the next police chief in a city that is majority Latino–48 percent as of the last 2020 census.

The fact that neither the Mayor’s report nor the L.A. Times editorial considered representation as a factor raises serious questions.

The L.A. Times argued that it is time to get the department under control, not for the sake of the upcoming Olympics or World Cup, but for the long-term benefit of Los Angeles and its residents. We couldn’t agree more. They also dismissively stated that now is not the time for a diversity hire. But this is not about a diversity hire. 

There are three candidates left in the running. Only one is a LAPD insider in a police department that is staffed by a majority of Latino police officers. Outsiders under consideration will find it difficult to fix this organization. Right or wrong, an organization like the LAPD is entrenched in a hierarchical culture where officers and other employees rise through the ranks based on merit, service and sometimes, insider connections. It takes years to build the kind of respect and authoritative voice necessary to ensure buy-in, especially from a tight knit police force. And that’s what’s needed. For a culture to change, it is important to hire someone who not only understands the culture but is genuinely respectful of and hails from the same culture.

If the goal is to hire a change agent who is an insider and understands the need for reform, community policing and the rule of law both inside and outside of the department, there is only one choice, Robert Arcos.  Deeply rooted in the culture, the 33-year rank and file LAPD veteran  understands and believes in law enforcement reform. And as a Mexican American, a Latino in a Latino city, he will be a change agent  who understands this city. It is time to make the right choice based on merit, experience, in-depth knowledge and the ability to institute necessary changes–as well to illustrate that representation really matters. The choice should be Robert Arcos. 

Arcos has more than 18 years of management experience, with more than nine years in a senior executive position. Currently, he serves as the Chief of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI), L.A. County’s fourth-largest law enforcement agency. The BOI is responsible for investigating public corruption, fraud, cyber, officer-involved shootings and child abductions.

We hope Mayor Bass makes the right choice. Not because representation is the only thing that matters, but because when you have a candidate who is highly qualified and happens to represent the people of Los Angeles as well as the police department as a Mexican American who grew up in this city, he is the only choice that makes sense.

The CALÓ News editorial board publishes separately from the newsroom.