LAPD Lays Off 50 Civilians; 400 Job Openings Can't Be Filled

• Janis Mccall

• It is tough to redeploy police officers but the budget is such where it is a necessity. The police department has not had to lay anyone off and has maintained its current sworn strength. The points made about disbanding specail units is unfortunate, but most of them have overlapping duties and are not the most effective use of our resources. Everyone knows that the LAPD is way overspecialized and the patrol cop is the one who gets screwed. I applaud Chief Beck for forcing the officers back into patrol, of which they have been hiding from for years. Anyone who has been around the department will remember right after all the rampart b.s. (late 90's early 2000's) our numbers were so low I remember working SOW division one day and we only deployed 2 A cars on day watch! The difference is parks didnt back fill patrol (except for a few metro officers that got sent back). i give Chief Beck the credit for making the tough decision the diband the units for the greater good of the department and the city. This isn't good situation for anyone, and it will pass like so many bad situations that came before them. The department and the city just have to be patient. As for the idot mayor and city council who A) did not address this situation years ago by reigning in spending in questionable programs and borrowing too much. B) Now that this crisis is upon us, not dealing with it by making the necessary and tough decisions needed to address the problems. instead they bicker, politic, and in the ned get nothing done to the point they call for layoffs, but refuse to lay off anyone on thier staffs or give up any of thier perks.....But remember LA, you elected them...now you must deal with them!

• What Chief Beck did not mention is that he is also disbanding units of specialized counter-terrorism officers. We are now being forced to sacrifice our security due to poor management. This harmful decision makes our city vulnerable to attack, just weeks after the CIA directed testified that an attack within 3-6 months is imminent. If money is the primary issue, our leaders should take a look at what the 9/11 attacks cost New York. Our budget deficit is pocket change compared to that.

• And they're now having to pull officers from patrol to fill vacant jobs inside stations, and the numbers of officers in the field are being further reduced by officers having to take mandatory time off due to overtime comp-time usage. Some nights, there are only 3 or 4 patrol cars per division (6-8 officers)...this isn't enough, people! They have already begun furloughing the 911 operators, so you have reduced access to emergency services, and less officers available to respond...all the while, the City Council meets to wring their hands, blather on about the budget mess, and hope that no one brings up their ridiculous salaries, staff, or perks..

• This is ridiculous. As an officer in L.A., we are already running lean. To cut specialized task forces and reduce the department, it give opportunities to criminals to strike over and over again.

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