Citing rise in violent crime, LAPD seeks $213 million budget hike

(CN) — Even as some municipalities grapple with reallocating police funds in the wake of racial and social justice upheaval over high-profile killings of people of color at the hands of officers, the Los Angeles Police Department wants a $213 million budget increase.

If approved, the figure would bring the department's budget for the next fiscal year to nearly $2 billion, roughly 12% more than the previous year.

More than half of the budget increase would go to salaries for new hires, obligatory salary increases and overtime. Under the proposed budget, the LAPD would hire more than 300 new officers — bringing the total to 9,800 — with the goal of limiting the time it takes for officers to respond to an emergency to seven minutes.

Roughly $12 million would go to additional training and $22 million would go to buying new motor vehicles. The department also has plans to spend $9 million on upgrading the department's technology.

The proposed budget will go before the police commission, a five-member civilian body appointed by the mayor, for a vote Tuesday. Even if it is approved, it would still have to be incorporated into the mayor's budget and then OK'd by the City Council next year in June.

"There just aren’t enough police officers for a horizontal community like Los Angeles," said Police Commissioner Steve Soboroff. "There’s no presence of law enforcement. Law enforcement now is about community policing, not militaristic policing. Community policing requires proactive work and engagement with the community and with people who are experiencing these horrible issues of mental illness and drug addiction."

Last year, in the wake of nationwide protests following the killing of George Floyd, the LA City Council voted to cut $150 million from LAPD's budget. But this year, the City Council voted to increase the budget by $88 million.

At a press conference on Monday, a number of community groups, including Black Lives Matter Los Angeles and the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition, urged the police commission to reject the proposed budget, calling it "an insult" and "a slap in the face to communities."

"Thousands of people took to the streets last year, not to demand more funding for police but less," said Baba Akili of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles. "People took to the streets demanding defund the police, refund the community. Divest the police and reinvest in our community."

Soboroff said there's no way to "reinvent law enforcement and stop funding law enforcement" at the same time. "Social services, law enforcement — they both need money," he said.

In a letter to the police commission accompanying the proposed budget, Police Chief Michael Moore said the department had to diversify, increase transparency and implement reforms in order to regain the trust of the community.

"The department acknowledges its role in past injustices to communities of color and is committed to working in partnership to establish a more just society," he wrote. "In order 'to protect' the community, the department must also expand its ability 'to serve' the community." The LAPD's motto is "To protect and serve."

But Moore also cited the city's rising violent crime rate as a reason for the proposed budget increase.

"The past two years have seen increases in violent crime, particularly homicides and victims shot, while hate crimes have become an all too common occurrence," he wrote. "Criminals have brazenly attacked people on busy streets and with greater violence."

As of Oct. 23, LA has recorded 325 homicides this year, a 17% increase over the same period in 2020, and a 49% increase from that time two years ago. The number of shootings and shooting victims are similarly up. Reports of other crimes, such as burglary and rape, have decreased over the last two years.

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