LAPD Chief William J. Bratton Responds to LA City Council Action to Cut Police Hiring

I am gravely concerned that the City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee approved a proposal late today that calls for an end to police hiring beginning July 1, 2009.

While I appreciate the severity of the city’s financial situation and the difficult decisions city council members will be forced to make, it is shortsighted to consider stopping all police hiring, including hiring to replace retiring LAPD officers.  Public safety should never be sacrificed. 

If the entire city council approves this proposal, there is a strong potential that the eight straight years of crime decreases the LAPD has worked so hard to achieve, could come to an end.

The Department has proven that cops count, police matter.  Sufficiently resourced, we can and do save lives and make the city of Los Angeles safer. 
 

      

Comments

[Mike]

Well, many here in Venice are still awake from the 3am LAPD police chopper activity. It this Chief Bratton making good on his threat, heard on KNX Thursday morning, to punish residents of the 11th District for Councilman Bill Rosendahl for having put the brakes on more police hiring?

[CITIZEN]

So the only people that count are cops fire fighters. If you are going to make cuts do it across the board.

[Just a number]

Maybe instead of continuing to hire newbies, the department can make sure that they can continue to appropriately pay the current crop of trained Officers.

The rumors of pay cuts and lesser benefits are getting louder and louder.

[APSULLIVAN]

Cops and Firefighters do count. They respond to your emergency 911 calls. If we are short on cops and firefighters you can bet there will be a long lang time to respond to your emergencies.. So if you want to be cheap go right ahead. You get what you pay for. You'll get a Police Dept that is weak on manpower so it will be weak on crime. No problem...you get what you pay for.

[Will Cooper]

I can't believe the city council would even make such a threatening proposal for a city like LA, crime is down and I never thought that was possible in LA. I pray that this proposal doesn't go through.

[Jennie]

Cops and firefighters are not the only ones that count, but as first responders to a crisis their services are vital 24/7.

Emergency services should never be sacrificed even during a budget crisis.

Is it fair to other hard working people in other departments that they have to lose more people than police or fire? Probably not but life's not fair, it's just life and as we know life including emergencies and disasters don't understand fair, they always occur when we least expect them, therefore we have to keep first reponders fully staffed to be able to deal with anything that occurs at any moment.

[Loves LA LEOs]

I agree with Jennie. If this economy gets any worse, and people find out food doesn't come from grocery stores, and the governor releases 40000 inmates from the state system, we will all wish there were ten times as many LEOs and firefighters. When I say food doesn't come from grocery stores, I mean that it grows on farms in fields, many of which were left unplanted this year because of the drought. My job is in jeopardy due to the state budget, but nothing I do in any way compares to the value of what LEOs and firefighters do for all of us.

[Bob Davis]

The debate on fiscal policy versus a growing LAPD remains a hot topic and has been to some extent for many years. Here is some interesting information to consider and draw your own conclusions on the effect a hiring freeze might have.

I reviewed the Patrol Divisions’ deployment data from year-end 1999 versus year-to-date April 25, 2009. Deployment means actual number of personnel, not authorized number of personnel. All the data was taken from the Annual Statistical Digest for 1999 and the same year-to date figures for 2009.

Although the Los Angeles Times has reported recent sworn personnel levels as 9883, the data showed it is 9117 and therefore that is the level that will be used.

In 1999, the LAPD had 9392 sworn personnel. That means we have seen an increase of 525 sworn personnel in the past 9 years, four months. However, that figure does not show the actual sworn personnel levels at the Patrol Divisions who are tasked with handling calls for service (911 calls). Those numbers are very difficult to determine but can be estimated by totaling all officers from the rank of Police Officer I through Sergeant I.

In 1999 there were 18 Patrol Divisions with 4999 officers the rank of Police Officer I through Sergeant I. As of April 25, 2009, the 21 Patrol Divisions (3 new ones have been added) have 4513 officers the rank of Police Officer I through Sergeant I.

In 9 years and four months, LAPD added 525 sworn personnel but has 486 less officers (Police Officer I - Sergeant I) at the Patrol Divisions. That's a drop of almost 10%.

Each Patrol Division is a subset of a Geographic Division. The Geographic Division also includes detectives, vice, narcotics and many other units and ranks.

In 1999, the 18 Geographic Divisions had 5890 total sworn personnel deployed. As of April 25, 2009, the 21 Geographic Divisions have 5616 total sworn personnel deployed. That's a reduction of 274 sworn personnel or almost 5%.

There are many specialized units and task forces in LAPD that work on crime problems, but it is primarily the Patrol Divisions whose personnel respond when you call 911. A hiring freeze may not really be the issue that needs debating.