LAPD chief and mayor hope to recruit and hire more officers

The Los Angeles Police Department hopes to get a boost as Mayor Karen Bass proposes her budget, which allows for the hiring of more police officers.

For nearly a year, the department's budget has allowed for 9,460 officers. Police Chief Michel Moore recently reported that sworn staffing had fallen to 9,103.  Getting to the mayor's set goal of 9,500 officers not only takes budgeting but will take some adjusted effort within the department

Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore praised the mayor's plan, saying that increased staffing will lead to a path of success with increased public safety.

"I'm encouraged by Mayor Bass' continued support of rebuilding this department, after historic drops in our staffing levels, both in our sworn as well as our professional civilian work classes," said Moore.

Ten years ago, the LAPD had reached a hiring milestone, with 10,000 officers. The hiring of nearly 400 more officers as proposed, still puts the department's numbers well below peak levels by about 500 officers.

"I have every faith that we're going to achieve this. We need it, this department. When we have a well-staffed and trained department, we have a safer city …," said Moore.

There are also reports that the department could lose about 600 officers in the coming year due to retirements and resignations – this would really ramp up recruiting and hiring efforts. Bass reported her plan to reach 9,500 would involve persuading 200 recently retired officers to return for 12 months.

The chief acknowledged there is a scarcity of qualified applicants nationwide for police officers. The job involves risk, scrutiny, and diverse public opinion – not something everyone wants to face.

"Every major agency, I've talked to their chiefs, we're all scrambling to identify qualified people. So that means we've got to be the best recruiters in the nation," said Moore.

Part of recruiting he said, is offering the right incentives; including pay and affordable housing. Moore also said the whole hiring process has to be streamlined to move faster to get qualified applicants on the job.

"When an applicant is interested in being a member of this department, we ought to be able to work with qualified applicants, vet them quickly and get them hired. Today It's taking months and months to do that," said Moore.

Bass' proposed budget will be announced Tuesday. The council must review, make changes and ultimately approve Bass' $13.1-billion budget by May 31.