Willie Williams, LAPD's First Black Chief, Has Died

LOS ANGELES, CA - Former Los Angeles Police Department Chief Willie Williams, the city’s first black chief, has died.

Williams was 72.

Williams took the helm of the police department in the troubled days after the LA riots after Chief Daryl Gates stepped down. He was the city’s chief for five years from 1992 to 1997. Before that, he was the first black police commissioner in Philadelphia.

“I stand with a heavy heart after hearing the loss of our Former Chief Williams," Said Police Charlie Beck. "He came at a time when the city was in great unrest and helped Los Angeles rebuild itself back into the great city it is today. ”

Williams helped navigate the department through a time of extreme distrust in the aftermath of the taped Rodney King beating by LAPD officers. A national advocate of community-based policing, his officers worked to again trust in minority communities that had little confidence in the LAPD.

However, his tenure was short-lived, and he failed in his bid at a second term. His relationship with then Mayor Richard Riordan was rocky in public. Still Riordan praised Williams on his final day in office, telling told the Los Angeles Times, "When the chief took office, there was a need for stronger relationships between the Police Department and the community.Chief Williams did a good job of building those relationships."

In a 1997 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Williams reflected on his work in bittersweet terms:

"In a sense, I was the guinea pig," Williams said, adding that he believes his successor will find it easier going because of the steps he already has taken. "It's always nice when you can follow the trailblazer.”

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