Depending on who throws their hat into the ring, there could be a number of qualified candidates who are serving or once served in the Los Angeles Police Department – including a woman and a Latino – vying to replace Chief Charlie Beck when he retires in June.

After a more than 40-year career with the department and eight years as chief, Beck announced last Friday that he would be retiring early at a press conference downtown on crime statistics, surprising even members of his command staff.

“If they go inside (LAPD), he’s got a tremendous bench in terms of talent there,” said Erroll Southers, director of the Safe Communities Institute at USC, referring to Beck’s command staff.

But the department’s global search could bring in equally qualified external applicants, Southers noted.

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First Assistant Chief Michel R. Moore, who leads LAPD’s Office of Operations, along with Assistant Chiefs Beatrice Girmala and Jorge Villegas, are all considered viable candidates if they choose to apply, insiders say.

Moore, a 36-year LAPD veteran, said Monday that he had previously planned to retire at the end of this month, but a few months ago, Beck asked him to stay on for another year under a little known provision, which he agreed to do. Staying on will help to ensure stability in the ranks as Beck prepares to pass the baton to a new leader, Moore said.

Moore, who called Beck irreplaceable, said he’s discussing whether to apply for the position of top cop with his wife and expects to make a decision in the coming weeks. Moore has been an assistant chief under Beck for about eight years and was a finalist for the position of Dallas police chief last year.

Meanwhile, Girmala, if she applies and is selected, would become the first woman chief to lead the police department in its 149-year history. She is currently director of LAPD’s Office of Special Operations.

The LAPD veteran of more than 30 years, who is well liked by her subordinates, did not return a call Monday seeking comment.

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But Cmdr. Jorge R. Rodriguez, president of the Los Angeles Police Command Officers Association — which represents command staff from captains through assistant chiefs — said he would be surprised if Moore and Girmala did not apply for the job.

Rodriguez called Moore “very intelligent” and “knowledgeable of the department’s operations,” while he said Girmala was a “very talented” leader with significant experience in policing.

Another well-respected woman whose name is being circulated as a possible contender is retired LAPD Assistant Chief Sandy Jo MacArthur, who announced her departure in 2015.

Villegas, an LAPD veteran of more than 25 years, said Monday he was considering applying for the position but had yet to decide. He formerly served as deputy chief of the San Fernando Valley and would become the department’s first Latino chief if appointed.

Beck’s announcement “was unexpected — it’s not something anyone prepares for,” he said.

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While Villegas — who helps lead the department’s Office of Operations — is younger than his peers, he has intimate knowledge of the budget and key operating functions that make the organization run smoothly, Rodriguez said.

While speculation will be rife concerning who might apply, it will be interesting to see who actually does apply for one of “the most difficult chief jobs in America,” said Craig Lally, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the rank-and-file officers’ union.

It’s not only a very “high profile job” but one laden with potential political minefields, he said.

“I’m really curious to see who is going to want that position,” he said.

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Beck noted Friday that LAPD has not only many qualified internal candidates, but those who have moved on after serving in the LAPD to serve as chiefs of other agencies.

“We’ve never had so many LAPD alumni, so many former LAPD staff officers that run big city police departments and big sheriff departments,” Beck said. “Right now, we have over 25 chiefs in other agencies.”

Los Angeles Police Commission President Steve Soboroff, one of two members on the civilian panel tasked with narrowing down qualified candidates sent over by the city’s personnel department to three, isn’t ready to say what kind of leader he thinks should replace Beck.

Soboroff will be poised to answer that question after he’s held public meetings, talked to community leaders around Los Angeles — including clergy members — and law enforcement officials throughout the country, he said.

The Police Commission will recommend three candidates to L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, who will then select one, or ask the Commission to start over. The City Council will confirm the mayor’s choice.

“I want to be able to have the flexibility to go inside (the LAPD) where there are spectacular candidates who have great advantage because they know the system and I want the flexibility to go outside” if other qualified candidates apply, Soboroff said.

Editor’s note: This article was updated on Jan. 24 to correct the last name of Cmdr. Jorge R. Rodriguez, president of the Los Angeles Police Command Officers Association