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The Los Angeles Police Department said of Willie L.
Williams, he “took the helm in June of 1992. Chief Williams was the 50th Chief of Police and the first African-American
and the first Chief from outside the Department to assume command in more than four decades. With Chief Williams came a grant
of $607,000 from the Department of Justice to make changes within the Department. These changes included rebuilding the patrol
force, rejuvenating the Basic Car Plan, and restoring the public confidence in the police department.
In 1995 the Los Angeles Police Department began to
upgrade its facilities. The year began with the opening of the Recruit Training Center in Westchester and by year’s
end more than 1,000 recruits had passed through its portals. Also, the Department began to plan new police stations for North
Hollywood, 77th Street, and Newton Street. These new stations were constructed and operational by 1997. These were the first
new police stations in more than 20 years. In August of 1996, ground was broken for a new 44-acre Emergency Vehicle Operations
Center (EVOC), in Granada Hills. This multipurpose training facility will combine vehicle, firearms, and tactical training
for officers and recruits and is expected to be completed in 1998.
In May 1997 Chief Williams left the Department, and
the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners appointed Assistant Chief Bayan Lewis as the interim Chief.
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