There was never any doubt that Los Angeles Police Chief Bill Bratton and City Council Member Bernard Parks were not the best of buds. Parks was ousted as Police Chief and Bratton was brought in, after all. However, who knew that the feuding between the two chiefs was more than a few digs during press conferences?

The Weekly recently snagged a couple of prime examples of their political divide. In a series of letters sent by Parks to the police commission in 2007, the city councilman asked the commission for help dealing with Bratton’s seeming refusal to keep Parks up to date on “critical public safety incidents” in his district.

“In fact, it has always been my understanding that certain protocols exist and are to be followed by the LAPD, one of which is providing immediate notification to the Council office of any major incident,” wrote Parks.

According to Parks, in one instance, Bratton informed Council President Eric Garcetti (who was serving as acting mayor) about a murder in Park’s district before notifying Parks, who wrote, that – even five months later – he still had not heard “a word about it from the department.”

Then, yesterday, Parks' office criticized Bratton over a real doozy — keeping Parks in the dark about a serial killer who has been murdering African American women in Parks' City Council District 8 since 1985. (See my cover story today.)

Maybe Parks shouldn’t feel too bad. Bratton was “too busy” to speak to the Weekly all this week about the very same serial killer who preys on young black women in South Los Angeles – a psycho the Weekly has dubbed the “Grim Sleeper.” But he had plenty of time for a really important press conference touting the arrest of the “Silverware Bandit” – a guy who was (and no, we aren't making this up) stealing silverware and cutlery on the Westside.

And Bratton recently was interviewed by reporters about how the paparazzi have become less annoying thanks to Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan leading more relaxed lives. Check out Mayor Sam’s blog on the sitch.

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