Mayor Bass calls for council to approve additional $4.4M to LAPD budget – NBC Los Angeles

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is calling on the City Council to approve the allocation of $4.4 million to the LAPD’s budget before the end of the week to prevent a hiring freeze.

In a letter sent out Wednesday night, Bass highlights the urgency of the funds to allow the LAPD to hold its January academy class and grow the police force. With the allocation of the additional millions, Bass says the LAPD would be able to hire 410 officers for the fiscal year ending in June 2025.

“It will mean no new cadets in the police academy in January of 2025. It will mean increasing overtime hours and costs as fewer officers will have greater workloads. It will mean that we strain officers’ health with longer shifts and more responsibility,” said Bass in the letter. The largest city in the United States cannot have an effective police department with 8,300 officers – levels not seen since 1995,”

When the Council approved the $14 billion 2025-2026 budget in late June, while trying to manage a $1 billion shortfall in revenue, it reduced LAPD hiring plans from 400 to 250 officers, but promised to consider hiring additional officers should the city identify a source of funding. The Mayor’s letter does not address the source of the funds she proposes the council approve.

“I completely agree that public safety is our highest priority. I agreed with the Mayor six months ago when she originally proposed this saying she would work with Council Leadership to find the money to fund more officers. But six months later, this remains a proposal with no funding identification,” said Councilman Tim McOsker.

Some services will be cut and there will be a reduction in uniformed officers as part of Los Angeles’ approved budget, which closes a $1 billion shortfall. LA City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, who served as the chair of the council budget committee, speaks more on the matter.

There are currently 8,677 officers, and hundreds are expected to leave the Department in the coming months, according to LAPD data. As of last week, there were 163 recruits in various stages of police academy training.

LAPD also received a record number of applicants, with the December recruitment class having 56 cadets, according to Bass.

With Los Angeles hosting the seismic events like the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics, the LAPD must have enough officers to keep the city and its visitors safe, said Bass.