The search for a successor to Police Chief Bill Bratton begins in earnest this week, with the Los Angeles Police Commission conducting interviews for those making the first cut from the city Personnel Department.

There are at least six candidates who will be interviewed on Wednesday and Thursday - and they are said to include some from outside the LAPD - at a yet-to-be announced downtown location as Personnel winnows the list down to three choices for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The site of the interviews is expected to be released today.

It is believed between 12 and 15 candidates have been submitted to the commission for consideration.

The group was narrowed down from the 24 that originally applied for the post.

The group includes 17 Caucasians, five Latinos, one African-American and one Asian-American. Nineteen are men, five are women.

Bratton, whose resignation becomes effective on Oct. 31, has been pushing for an insider to be named and he has encouraged all of his command staff to apply for the job.

The Police Commission has held several public hearings around the city to hear what the public wants in the next chief and most have said they want to see an insider who would continue to carry out the reforms implemented by Bratton.

While the job carries a lot of prestige, it also contains a high risk factor as the department faces threats to reduce its overall force and tighter budgets in the coming years.