Bernard Parks

Description

Early life and education

Parks attended Los Angeles City College and received a bachelor’s degree from Pepperdine University. He earned a Master’s Degree in public administration from the University of Southern California.^{[citation needed]}

Tenure as LAPD Chief & Rampart Division scandal

During his tenure, the LAPD was rocked by a corruption and police brutality scandal involving the elite C.R.A.S.H. anti-gang unit of the Rampart Division in the overwhelmingly Latino Pico-Union and Westlakedistricts.^{[citation needed]}

The Police Commission, under Commission President Rick J. Caruso did not recommend Parks for reappointment as police chief. Parks was succeeded as chief by William Bratton.^{[citation needed]}

Los Angeles City Council

Parks won the seat on the Los Angeles City Council for Council District 8 representing South Los Angeles.^{[citation needed]}

He also unsuccessfully ran for the post of mayor in the 2005 elections, coming fourth in the primary. In 2008, Parks unsuccessfully sought to succeed Yvonne Brathwaite Burke on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, losing to Mark Ridley-Thomas in a runoff election.^{[citation needed]}

Term limits forced Parks out of the city council office in 2015. Marqueece Harris-Dawson won the District 8 election for the vacant seat, and replaced Parks on 1 July 2015. ^[