Four LAPD property rooms to close Friday

For Immediate Release

Contact: Eric Rose (805) 624-0572
or Paul Haney (626) 755-4759

Four LAPD property rooms to close Friday
200 sworn officers being pulled out of law enforcement duties daily

LOS ANGELES, May 20, 2010 -- Drastic reductions in the civilian workforce, which performs vital administrative functions, will once again have an impact on the amount of sworn officers patrolling L.A. streets.

Beginning Friday, the Los Angeles Police Department will begin closing property rooms at the Newton, Wilshire, West Valley and North Hollywood community police stations. As a result, police officers will be delayed whether they need to book evidence or retrieve evidence to bring to court - because they will have to travel to other divisions to do so.

"Make no mistake about it; shutting down the four property rooms will adversely affect police services," said Paul M. Weber, President of the Los Angeles Police Protective League.

"The goal of these closures is understandable - the chief is in a tough position and does not want to take additional sworn police officers out of the field to backfill civilian positions," Weber said. "While closure of the property rooms will keep police officers on the streets, it will also force officers to drive to other police stations to book and retrieve property. That extra time driving and standing in line with officers from other divisions will waste precious patrol resources in the impacted communities."

The League has said for months that the civilian budget cuts in the police department are impacting public safety and diminishing the effectiveness of the LAPD.

"Elected officials have been using the total number of officers employed by the LAPD as a smokescreen to hide the severe cuts that have already been made in vital areas," said Weber. "The number of officers deployed has actually been drastically impacted by budget cuts. Over 200 sworn officers are being pulled off patrol and other law enforcement duties daily to fill in for civilian support personnel, whose jobs have been chopped by some 25 percent. This is the equivalent of 60 patrol cars. In addition, officers whose duties lead them to work overtime are being forced to stay home once they accrue 250 hours, as the city has chosen to reduce both patrol and detective ranks rather than pay overtime to have a fully staffed force."

The effective cuts to the LAPD budget this year include:

  • A loss of about 286 officers per deployment period (28 days) due to increased usage in forced compensatory time.
  • Projected loss of approximately 600 officers per deployment period by mid-summer.
  • Standby-time reduction, which has resulted in decreased availability of SWAT, K-9, homicide detectives and other      specialized personnel.
  • Reduced gang, narcotic and vice units' investigation efficiencies due to the 250-hour compensatory time-off cap.
  • The likelihood of 21 community station front desk closures.
  • Reduced efficiency in civilian support functions such as crime analysis, administrative operations, and jail and property      responsibilities due to furlough days.
  • Impact on the operability and availability of emergency vehicles due to a lack of replacement parts.

"The LAPD is being hollowed out by these ill-advised budget cuts," Weber concluded. "Disingenuous officials, citing the total number of sworn officers to call for further reductions in police personnel and services, are not only endangering the safety of our residents - by adding to the instability and insecurity of our city, they are also endangering our chance of achieving a strong economic recovery."

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents the more than 9,900 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education. The LAPPL can be found on the Web at www.LAPD.com.