Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.wpost From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Ex-Official Tapped for D.C. Chief; Kelly Says Thomas Is the Man to Lead Police Date: Thu, 19 Nov 92 04:44:31 EST Message-ID: <29.1992Nov19.044432@AmeriCast.com> Ex-Official Tapped for D.C. Chief; Kelly Says Thomas Is the Man to Lead Police D.C. Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly, seeking to start "a quiet revolu- tion" in the Metropolitan Police Department, selected as chief a retired D.C. police official who now works with youths. Fred Thomas, 48, left the department in 1985 to run the Metropol- itan Police Boys and Girls Clubs, a nonprofit agency that tries to steer youths away from crime and drugs. Calling her choice one of the most important decisions she will make in office, Kelly said she was impressed with Thomas's em- phasis on team-building within the department, which she called "the way to manage in the '90s." Thomas, she said, was also the only one of seven finalists who brought to the interviews detailed plans for the department - ranging from the first six months to the first five years. From talking with foot patrol officers and residents, Kelly said, she decided a different type of leadership was needed instead of just "giving orders." "It was clear it was time for a change," she said. "They ex- pressed a desire for a quiet revolution in the department to bring about community-empowerment policing. We needed a real team builder. In the past, the department leadership had a 'John Wayne' approach." If confirmed by the D.C. Council, Thomas would succeed Isaac Ful- wood Jr., who announced his retirement in September to head the mayor's youth initiative program. Kelly also said yesterday that she had offered Hiram A. Con- treras, 53, an assistant chief in Houston, another high-ranking position in the department. But he turned it down after discover- ing he would lose a part of his retirement pension if he left Houston right now. They are trying to work something out, she said. Currently, the highest ranking Latino officer in the department is a lieutenant. Kelly acknowleged that hiring Con- treras would have political advantages for her administration, often criticized as insensitive to Latino concerns. But she said she was impressed with his experience in community policing. "He really wowed us. He got everyone's attention," she said. Both Thomas and Contreras were among the top three choices for the job by an 18-member civilian panel that interviewed the fi- nalists. Deputy Chief Richard Pennington, commander in the 7th District in the southeast corner in the city, also was a top choice. In Thomas, Kelly chose a candidate who both fits her desire to select an outsider to head the department and heeds a preference among some officers, police officials and elected officials for someone who knows the city and the department. But his selection over two top-ranking department officials also touched off negative reaction from police officials who see it as a message that Kelly has little confidence in the department's command staff. Council member Jim Nathanson (D-Ward 3), chairman of the govern- ment operations committee, said Thomas might have been the best selection among the finalists. "Some of us (on the council) have some problems with choosing an insider because of management problems," Nathanson said. "He has been out of the department for a while, but he still knows the city. He might be an appropriate compromise." The job of police chief in the District pays $81,885, less than in other jurisdictions in the Washington area, but carries far more responsibilities. The chief sits in the national spotlight, frequently testifying on Capitol Hill, planning security for presidential inaugurations and visiting foreign dignitaries. The department faces large morale problems. Officers, already the lowest paid in the area, have not had a negotiated pay raise in three years. More than 40 officers are under indictment for a variety of offenses, ranging from simple assault to, in one case, first-degree murder. The department's property division may have lost track of up to 2,800 firearms seized since the early 1980s, according to a departmental estimate. Some police officials privately question whether Thomas has the necessary police administrative and command experience. But Kelly said none of the other finalists had the experience of being chief executive officer of anything. As head of the Boys and Girls Clubs, Thomas managed an annual operating budget of about $1.8 million. The D.C. police budget is about $260 million. "He turned around the Boys and Girls Clubs," said one police of- ficial. "He is a bright guy. But he has been away for seven years. When he left, we had 148 homicides a year." As of yesterday, 399 homicides had been reported in the District. Thomas joined the department in 1965 and retired as commander of the 6th District in far Northeast Washington. He said he left the department because he saw little chance of becoming chief over Fulwood. 02:22 11-19C9999----- Copyright 1992, The Washington Post. This story is from the Washington Post's Capitol Edition On-Line and is not to be ar- chived or redistributed. For more information, send-email to American Cybercasting Cor- poration (usa@AmeriCast.COM)