William H. Parker (June 21, 1902 – July 16, 1966) was a police chief of the Los Angeles, California Police Department. The headquarters for the LAPD, Parker Center, was named after him. He was the longest reigning police chief and served on the force 39 years (starting on August 8, 1927). Parker was originally born in South Dakota. He became police chief on August 9, 1950 and is credited with credited transforming the LAPD into a world renowned law enforcement agency.

Parker knew how to work the media to his advantage. Through television shows such as Dragnet and a steady stream of good publicity from local newspapers, he was highly admired nationwide until shortly before his death. However, under Parker, the LAPD earned a reputation for brutality, particularly directed towards the African American and Latino communities of Los Angeles. Parker also advocated a smaller police force, believing that fewer officers would mean less corruption. While Parker did manage to make slight reductions in police corruption, the vice squad of the LAPD continued to be notoriously corrupt. The novel and film L.A. Confidential depict the LAPD under Parker.

Parker was said to have employed the Organized Crime and Intelligence Division of the LAPD to keep tabs on politicians and celebrities for purposes of blackmail. The Watts Riots occurred while he was police chief, the result of years of systematic police brutality and harassment of African-Americans in South Central Los Angeles. His handling of the riots discredited him. A severe alcoholic, he died almost a year later at his home in Silver Lake, a neighborhood near Hollywood.

Many of the problems of the LAPD such as racism, brutality, and understaffing, which plagued the department and city in the late 20th and 21st century, have roots in policies pursued by Parker. Nevertheless, he is still highly esteemed by some older officers and retired LAPD officers, who claim that he provided effective leadership.

External links

• brief biography

People from Los Angeles