Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn is soon to receive the names of the three finalists selected by the city's Police Commission for the position of LA Police Chief. From this list of three, Hahn will make the final selection. To prepare the city for his choice, he is embarking on a media campaign.

In Monday's Los Angeles Times, he outlined what he is looking for and expects in the new Chief.

"My expectations for the new chief are very clear: reduce crime, improve morale and recruitment, implement the reforms mandated by the consent decree, expand community policing and embrace the role of civilian oversight."

"Among the new chief's top priorities must be to return the LAPD to its fully authorized level of 10,000 officers. Additionally, he or she must commit to getting the LAPD's highly trained officers, many of whom are sitting behind desks at headquarters, back out on neighborhood streets. The new chief must change the LAPD from a top-heavy command-and-control department into a proactive, community-based organization."

That sounds like former NY Police Commissioner Bill Bratton to us. Bratton has both the ability and the proven track record - that's exactly what he did for New York. We hope Mayor Hahn agrees that Bratton offers the city its best, if not only hope of turning around a police department so ravaged by scandal and distrust.