The number of officers employed by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has dropped below 9,000, the lowest since the tenure of Mayor Richard Riordan in the 1990s.
Several city officials told NBC Los Angeles that 8,967 officers were employed as of July 30, as the city, struggling to recruit new officers, retains veterans already eligible for retirement.
Since that date, another class of LAPD academy graduates has joined the police force, bringing the total number of officers to 8,995—well below Mayor Karen Bass’ goal of 9,500 and about 300 below what the current budget allows.
It will take several months before the new batch of officers can be deployed in the city, as they need to complete additional field training first.
Last week, a new police academy class began, but at less than half capacity.
“Unfortunately that academy class will only have 29 recruits,” Chief Michel Moore told the Board of Police Commissioners on July 25. “Our effort is to hire 60 every 4 weeks.”
“The Mayor has made clear that she takes hiring of LAPD officers and retention at LAPD very seriously and has taken action to address both,” Mayor Bass’ office told NBC in a short statement.
Last week, the city and Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents most LAPD officers, reached a tentative agreement about a new 4-year employment contract designed to improve recruitment and retention.
LAPD officers are voting this week on whether or not to accept the new contract, which includes a near-20 percent pay raise for most officers. The new contract also raises the starting base salary by 11 percent, with an additional 3 percent increase in base salary annually for each year of the contract.
According to the mayor’s office, the new contract also offers better life, health, and dental insurance benefits.
In an effort to patch up its staffing shortage, the LAPD in January asked retired cops to return to the job, including for patrol and detective roles. The response to the program, however, was minimal.
Meanwhile, hundreds of cops have filed paperwork to leave or retire, according to a union representative. A total of 600 officers are expected to leave by next year—about a 20 percent increase in departures since 2022.
Besides the city’s skyrocketing cost of living, major factors behind officers quitting their job include the rising anti-police sentiments in politics, in society, and on social media, which have had a strongly demoralizing effect on many officers.
“The vile hatred of these police abolitionists takes a toll,” spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Protective League Tom Saggau told The Epoch Times. “We’ve got a retention problem. We can’t keep people the full length of their career eligibility because they’ve just had it.”
Both the union and the Mayor expressed their hopes last week that the many benefits of the new contract would help draw in more candidates for the LAPD.
