Mayor Karen Bass is dialing back her once-ambitious plan to rebuild the Los Angeles Police Department, now aiming simply to stop the bleeding.
The force has dropped to 8,677 sworn officers, its lowest level in nearly 25 years, and the mayor now admits her earlier goal of restoring staffing to 9,500 officers is out of reach for the moment.
“My goal changed, unfortunately,” Bass told the Los Angeles Times. “I do hope that one day we get to the expansion, but we are not there now.”
City officials are bracing for a budget deficit projected in the several hundred million range, with Bass set to unveil her spending plan on April 20 ahead of the new fiscal year beginning July 1.
Negotiations with the City Council are expected to focus on avoiding layoffs and preserving core services, the LA Times reported.
Even as the department shrinks, crime across the city has dropped sharply, including homicide levels not seen since the 1950s.
Still, concerns are mounting inside the department that staffing shortages could jeopardize those gains, especially with major global events like the FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on the horizon.
Eight percent of LAPD personnel are currently unavailable due to injury, illness, or work restrictions, contributing to slower response times for minor crimes, rising overtime costs and officer burnout, according to the the Los Angeles Police Commission.
Bass argues her administration has tackled long-standing hiring roadblocks, particularly within the city’s personnel system, which she described to the LA Times as “archaic.”
Despite the mayor’s efforts, officials worry new recruits won’t keep pace with retirements and departures. A recent survey paints a mixed political picture: more than half of voters view Bass unfavorably, though polls that name candidates still show her ahead.
Another finding reveals a divided public, 39% want the LAPD to grow, 29% prefer it stays the same, and 19% support shrinking it.
Bass signaled support for continued police reforms, including tighter limits on controversial stops where minor violations are used to justify broader investigations.
“Certainly, when I was younger, I experienced pretextual stops, and they are terrifying,” Bass told the LA Times “… I think there’s been progress there, but clearly more, more to go.”
The mayor also pledged to work with Police Chief Jim McDonnell on reducing police shootings and overhauling the department’s disciplinary system.
While Bass insists she remains committed to eventually reaching the 9,500-officer benchmark, she offered no timeline, underscoring the reality that, for now, holding the line may be the best LA can do.As the June 2 primary election approaches, the incumbent is focused on persuading voters amidst a crowded field of 13 mayoral contenders.
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