25 July 01

Latest on problems with LAPD from a friend of many years on the department:

"LAPD has a grievous personnel recruitment and retention problem. We're losing all our best people, the ones we can't afford to lose. They're leaving in droves to take other jobs. All big departments have this challenge, but here it is critical. We are now down a full ten percent from our authorized staffing level, and the situation continues to deteriorate. Simultaneously, LA County Sheriff's Dept (whose deputies make substantially less money than LAPD officers) has less than a one percent vacancy rate.

As a stopgap measure, retired officers are now being approached and offered bonuses if they come back on patrol. People from Metro, Narcotics, and even detective trainees have been transferred back to patrol. Our Chief, Bernie (aka Burnie) Parks, calls it, ‘redeployment of resources,' but this is the FIRST time in the history of the LAPD, officers from these entities have been sent back to patrol.

Seeing the problem, our new mayor, Jim Hahn, has told Parks, in no uncertain terms, to raise department morale and stop the runaway attrition- or find another job. No results yet!

Parks is categorically unwilling to modify any of his decisions, and that has lead to a great deal of heartburn within the department. As an example, his newly instituted "complaint system" is altogether unworkable and has literally paralyzed the Department, but he won't listen to any suggestions. My guys are now more afraid of the complaint system than they are of getting shot! The immediate result is that arrests, pedestrian and traffic stops, and traffic tickets are all way down. Crime is up, but none of us want to take the risk of getting complaints filed against us under the new system.

Don't worry John, I still love this department. I'm doing my part to lead my guys through these difficult times and still do the job we all swore to do. Maybe Department History will remember me for that. At least I hope my guys do."

"The harm done by incompetent people in high places has no end!" /John