CHICK REPORT IDENTIFIES POTENTIAL TO REDEPLOY OFFICERS
Los Angeles— Calling Los Angeles “… one of the most underpoliced big cities in America,” City Controller Laura Chick, issued a report today identifying ways to increase civilian staffing of the Los Angeles Police Department and put more officers out fighting crime on our streets and in our neighborhoods.
“We found over 500 positions that could potentially be filled by civilians, freeing up sworn personnel to perform more traditional policing functions. The last chapter of the report lays out a clear plan, implemented over a three year period that would put these already trained, experienced veteran police officers, back out in neighborhoods where we need them,” said Chick at a news conference with LAPD Chief Bill Bratton.
“Over and over again we hear the sound‐bite, “Let’s get officers out from behind desks and out on our streets.” Yet we continue to impose hiring freezes for civilian positions resulting in a vacancy level ranging up to 640 and currently hovering at 608 vacant positions. Who do we think is performing this essential back‐up work?,” continued Chick.
The Chick report also sets forth a three year implementation plan to increase civilianization at the LAPD. After the three years, over 400 full‐duty and experienced officers would be re‐deployed to perform essential law enforcement duties. “This is not about ‘especially in these hard fiscal times.’ This is about the fact that the LAPD already absorbs over $1.2 billion every year of taxpayer money, and that amount continues to increase as we struggle to get the right number of uniformed police on our streets,” said Chick.
“We do not need hundreds of police officers, at a cost of $30,000 a year more than a properly trained civilian, performing administrative functions that do not require carrying a firearm. While Chief Bratton has made major progress in deploying our officers more effectively, this report challenges us to fully engage in smarter 21st Century policing,” concluded Chick.
The full Chick report can be accessed at www.lacity.org/ctr