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Budget committee backs slowing sworn hiring to preserve specialized LAPD civilian jobs
Summary
Committee members discussed a CAO plan to slow LAPD sworn hiring for fiscal 2025‑26 in order to free savings to restore specialized civilian positions LAPD says sworn officers cannot perform.
The budget committee reviewed a CAO recommendation to reduce LAPD sworn hiring in FY25‑26 as a structural offset to restore specialized civilian positions the department said are essential to support sworn officers in the field.
What was proposed: the CAO described an approach to fund fewer academy classes and/or smaller class sizes — for example six classes of 40 recruits instead of 12 classes of 40 — producing immediate fiscal savings (the CAO estimated roughly $9.5 million in the current year) and larger ongoing savings thereafter. The CAO said the savings could be applied to restore 133 civilian positions that had been proposed for elimination; many of those positions perform duties that sworn officers lack the skills to do.
Why it matters: LAPD’s proposed mayoral cuts originally targeted about 403 civilian positions for elimination; the hiring‑slowdown swap would aim to avoid layoffs of specialties — dispatch, crime lab and technical staff, analysts and other non‑sworn functions — while recognizing the mayor’s original increase for sworn headcount in the department. Committee members and the LAPD chief debated the tradeoff between expanding sworn ranks and preserving the civilian support structure that enables officers to be productive in the field.
Committee direction: Chair recommended funding a reduced hiring plan for 240 new officers this year and using part of CAO’s fire reduction proposals to cover the remaining restoration costs. Members requested more detail from the CAO on net budget effects, and asked whether slowed hiring could be revisited mid‑year if revenues improve. The CAO said the city could adopt a lower hiring plan and subsequently allow larger class schedules if operationally feasible and if applicants and lead time permitted.
Next steps: CLA to model the swap for the rack‑up and show the net impact on LAPD’s FY25‑26 budget, including the effect on the department’s overall increase from last year and the immediate year savings vs ongoing savings in future budgets.
