Cops Get New Contract, No Raises

The expansionist era of Chief William Bratton is over, and the city is seeking to put a lid on costs stemming from policing Los Angeles. A new contract with the city that aims to reign in the Los Angeles Police Department's overtime costs was approved by the rank-and-file members of the Los Angeles Police Protective League yesterday.
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That's according to the Los Angeles Times, which obtained a report stating that the city is seeking to reduce overtime $45 million this year and $75 million next year. Thus, no raises. The LAPPL, the union representing Los Angeles police officers, is mum on that aspect.

The union issued a statement saying only that the two-year deal was approved by 87 percent of the 4,037 members who voted.
"We will be working with the City representatives to move this [contract] to the City Council and the mayor for final approval," said union President Paul M. Weber.  "This gives us the opportunity to proceed for the next 18 months knowing our working conditions and compensation are secure as we address the challenges that face our department and the city."

It's a status-quo deal for an LAPD that strived under Bratton to attract the kind of top law-enforcement talent it was losing to smaller departments in the late 1990s. Officer pay is good (starting at $56,522), and the department's fame, glory and innovative practices still make the LAPD badge shine for new recruits with stars in their eyes.

But the contract, if approved by the City Council, could make it harder for the LAPD to compete with small, cushy, suburban departments, some of which pay as much without the high call loads and rough streets of L.A.