Hundreds mourn former Police Commissioner Williams

Former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Willie L. Williams, the first African American to hold that job, was praised at a funeral service Saturday by political leaders and former colleagues, who called him a trailblazer who helped modernize law enforcement, first in Philadelphia and then in Los Angeles, where he also served as police chief.

Hundreds of mourners attended Williams' funeral at Zion Baptist Church on North Broad Street, where Williams was remembered for his steady leadership and efforts to build better ties between the police and minority neighborhoods, where mistrust of law enforcement had taken root.

Williams, 72, died at his home near Atlanta on April 27 of pancreatic cancer.

Mayor Kenney and former Mayor W. Wilson Goode Sr. joined other dignitaries in eulogizing Williams during a service that rang with gospel music and memories of his work.

"The city waited 306 years before it appointed its first black police commissioner," said Goode, who selected Williams for the job in 1988.

Pointing out that other black commissioners followed in Williams' path, Goode said, "He served not only his generation but other generations as well."

Kenney said Williams' focus on community policing and building trust in neighborhoods long suspicious of police has had an ongoing impact.

"The transformational impact that he had on the police was unprecedented," Kenney said. "Each and every time I saw him on the television screen, I felt safe."

Williams brought equally profound change to Los Angeles in 1992, becoming that city's first black police chief. He took office just a few weeks after rioting over the acquittal of police officers involved in the Rodney King beating had consumed the city.

Not only was the city racially divided, it was also in the grip of a terrifying wave of violent crime, Los Angeles Police Chief Charles Lloyd Beck told mourners.

At the time, Los Angeles had more than 1,200 homicides a year and 7,000 shootings, Beck said. He credited Williams with tactics that helped reverse the crime wave, whose impact is still in evidence today.

"He was the most successful chief of police that we have ever had," Beck said.

Los Angeles did pose a bumpy ride for Williams.

While he won praise for his community-policing practices from police officials such as Beck, the city's political leadership under Mayor Richard Riordan, who took office a year after Williams became chief, often clashed with him. At the end of Williams' five-year contract, the city declined to renew it.

Williams threatened to sue. A lawsuit was averted when the city agreed to buy him out for $375,000. Williams later went on to hold the top security position at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross said Williams served as a role model to him and other minority officers, evidence that advancement to the highest ranks was possible for them.

"I was in awe of him," Ross said.

Befitting the passing of a leading figure in public life, Williams' funeral was marked by rituals reserved for those whose work had wide impact. At a viewing before the service, two Philadelphia police officers in dress uniform stood at attention. Replacements relieved them after a half-hour with a crisp exchange of salutes.

Just before the service began, dozens of police commanders walked by the open casket, each stopping to salute as a gospel choir sang.

Praise of Williams' policing strategy dominated the eulogies that followed.

In Philadelphia, Williams sought to decentralize the department by creating mini-police stations in neighborhoods. Williams once pointed out that he would personally introduce himself to shop owners in the districts where he worked.

Even as commissioner, Williams made arrests from time to time in an effort to stay current on policing strategies and conditions on the streets, Kenney said.

He was also a modest and unassuming man who, despite his position of authority, could make people feel comfortable and at ease.

"Who would have imagined that in 1988, that I would be standing here giving his eulogy. God has his sense of humor," Goode said. "Commissioner Williams, I will see you in the morning."

cmondics@phillynews.com

215-854-5957@cmondics