LAPD budget proposes $87 million increase after recent rash of robberies
Police are getting a new influx of cash after violent robberies across Los Angeles have put communities on alert.
"Obviously, they don't feel safe, usually these streets are filled up," said Trice Moffett who works along Melrose.
Others that work in Melrose, like Angel Rivas are trying to keep a low profile to stay safe, hiding his jewelry whenever he goes out.
L.A. City Council's answer to handling the uptick in some crime categories, in Melrose and many other districts, is to increase the police department's budget. The proposal will increase LAPD's budget by $87 million bringing the department's grand total to $1.9 billion. The increases will happen in 2.8% increments year-over-year with the goal to hire 780 new officers.
"The revised budget is acknowledgment that the city can't fix what it broke when it defunded the police department in the summer of 2020," said Jerretta Sandoz, vice president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents city police.
In addition to the increased budget, Sandoz believes that the city needs to publicly thank its officers.
"For one they could voice publicly their appreciation for Los Angeles Police officers, " she said. "They say it a lot behind closed doors — but publicly they don't say it. They could pay us more because we're understaffed and not paid enough."
However, organizations like Black Lives Matter L.A. disagree with Sandoz, believing that the department needs to be defunded and its financial resources diverted to underserved communities.
"Instead of making the investments in our communities we are doing the knee-jerk response going right back to more police, more prisons, lock them up and throw away the key," said Baba Akili, a member of BLM L.A. "If that had worked — if that approach had really worked — we wouldn't be having this conversation at all."
The council has until June 1 to send the budget to Mayor Eric Garcetti's desk for a final signature.
