LAPD scrambles to find enough officers to police the Olympics

A request from Los Angeles police officials to increase staffing and purchase new vehicles in time for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games has been met with deep skepticism by City Council members worried about funding because of uncertainty about the plan to secure the venues.

At an hours-long budget hearing Tuesday, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell repeated a warning he has made in recent months, arguing that public safety would suffer if the city does not hire more officers to replace the hundreds of officers expected to leave the department over the next two years.

Despite recent recruitment gains, McDonnell said the council needed to fund new hires now so the department could staff up in time for the Olympics. Under the current security plan, the LAPD will provide approximately 2,400 police officers; This makes up just under a third of the total number of officers needed to police the Games.

LAPD seeks 520 new officer hires for next fiscal year; This will expand the 8,600-member department by about 10 officers, with a reduction of 510 officers expected.

The department is also requesting nearly $100 million from the city to purchase more than 500 new vehicles for the Games, as well as equipment such as an improved radio network, new computers and more than 1,600 body cameras. After the Games, the vehicles will be used to replace the department’s aging fleet, LAPD officials said.

LAPD Cmdr. Hundreds of new vehicles will monitor the eight Olympic venues within city limits, Mario Mota told council members at Tuesday’s hearing. The additional patrol cars and other specialized vehicles will also allow police to resume normal operations elsewhere for the 66 days between the start of the Olympic Games on July 14 and the end of the Paralympics, the official said.

LAPD officials said there was a misconception that federal authorities would take the lead on all security operations at Olympic venues. In fact, the federal priority will be the protection of international delegations and high-security areas; The LAPD and other state and local agencies will be responsible for security at the sites where most Olympic-related events are held. LAPD will continue to respond to 911 calls within city limits.

The U.S. Secret Service has not yet released details on how many federal agents will flock to secure areas around venues that include the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Exposition Park and Crypto.com Arena.

Some Los Angeles officials have expressed growing fears that taxpayers and the city treasury could suffer a series of crippling spells if the city does not sign a tight deal with LA28, the nonprofit organization organizing the Games, to provide a “zero-cost” event.

The federal government has allocated $1 billion for security spending for the Olympics, including local and state law enforcement, but has provided little detail on when and how it will distribute those funds amid concerns that President Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress may not be able to meet funding commitments. The exact costs to Los Angeles and other local governments are unknown as officials wait to hear from federal law enforcement agencies about what services will be needed.

Police officials previously told the department’s civilian watchdog that the city should allocate the money to the LAPD before the federal government says how much it will reimburse.

Some council members did not like this uncertainty.

“What is the role of the LAPD within the boundaries of the venues?” Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, who chairs the budget committee, asked this question at one point during the meeting. “It’s confusing and frustrating that we haven’t fully resolved this issue and it feels like we’re talking twice.”

Some council members questioned whether the new tools in the budget proposal were necessary and fiscally responsible.

When asked why they couldn’t rent squad cars or reuse existing vehicles, an LAPD official admitted those options had not been explored; which prompted an exasperated response from Councilman Tim McOsker.

Some of the concerns voiced by the City Council echoed those of activists and other observers who pointed to the increased militarization of the LAPD after the 1984 Summer Olympics; He purchased new equipment that some say was used disproportionately against communities of color in subsequent years.

Security preparations for the Olympics have been going on for years. The LAPD sent delegations to Italy and France to observe security measures in the host countries. But in other respects progress has been slow. A few months ago, McDonnell quietly replaced the department’s Olympic czar, Cmdr. Hamed Mohammadi with Deputy Chief Billy Brockway.

“We’re going in the wrong direction on personnel,” McDonnell said. Police officials estimate that a total of 30,000 law enforcement officers from various state and local agencies will participate in security operations.

Mayor Karen Bass, who is running for re-election, once hoped to bring the LAPD back to 9,500 officers (the size it was when she took office). But amid the ongoing budget crunch, he recently said he has become more focused on preventing the department from shrinking.

Overtime for Los Angeles police officers and other major expenses will soon be keenly felt by the city government. Closed the budget deficit of nearly 1 billion dollarsin part by slowing down police recruitment. The police union may try to negotiate bonuses, hazard and reserve pay for police officers on duty at the Games when their contracts expire next June.

The last U.S. host city, Salt Lake City, had a much smaller police force but benefited from federal funds and mutual aid agreements with neighboring agencies. LAPD officials said that under California law, law enforcement can only enter into mutual aid agreements after a state of emergency, such as a natural disaster, is declared.

Several council members asked if the department would consider lobbying to change state law; LAPD officials admitted they did not do this.

Some on the council also questioned whether the department should do more to reassign sworn officers who work administrative jobs that civilian employees can perform.

Times writer James Rainey contributed to this report.