Please Take Me Back!

Former Police Chief Daryl Gates, who was forced out of office a decade ago following the Rodney King beating, said Tuesday he'll apply to get his old job back.

"It'll drive the activists and politicians crazy, but so what?" Gates said in a phone interview.

The current chief, Bernard Parks, announced his resignation Monday, saying he'd leave within days although his term lasts through August. Parks was denied a second term by the Police Commission earlier this month.

Gates, now 75, lives in Orange County and works as a law enforcement consultant. He pledged to restore high morale to the LAPD within six months, but acknowledged the chances of his getting the job are slim.

"The Los Angeles Police Department needs something. I could bring it back to its former greatness," Gates said. "So while I might have been kidding a little bit, the more I think about it, the more I think I'm going to at least put my application in."

The Police Commission will recommend three candidates for the chief's job to Mayor James Hahn, who will pick one. The City Council must confirm the mayor's selection.

"We welcome all candidates," said Tami Catania, public information director for the Police Commission. Hahn's office had no comment.

Gates was chief for 14 years until he was forced to resign in 1992, after the city erupted in riots over the acquittal of four white officers charged in the King beating. Gates was accused of resisting reform and responding too slowly to the riots.

By Erica Werner