LAPD shrinks to fewer than 9,000 officers — a three-decade low — with the current academy class at just 29 recruits as the city struggles to hire more officers

The number of officers employed by the Los Angeles Police Department has fallen to a three-decade low as the academy continues to struggle with recruiting.

Currently, the department employs 8,995 officers, up from a record high of 9,895 officers set in 2009, when then-Police Chief Bill Bratton claimed officers were still understaffed relative to the city’s size and population.

At the time, the city’s crime rate was the lowest since 1956 and the homicide rate had fallen to a nearly four-decade low.

At the end of July, only 8,967 officers were employed by the department. That number has since risen by 28 after graduating from the last class of the police academy.

However, it will take several months for that academy class to complete field training.

The number of LAPD officers peaked at 9,895 in 2009 and is currently at a nearly 30-year low

A new academy class started last week with just 29 enrolled — less than half the number the department hoped to recruit.

“We aim to hire 60 people every four weeks,” Chief Michel Moore told the Board of Police Commissioners last month.

In 2009, when the department had some 1,000 more officers than today, the academy graduated with classes of 65 recruits.

And for every new recruit to the force, there were between 12 and 15 applicants who didn’t make it.

Back then, Bratton boasted that the high rejection rate led to superior quality officers and troops.

“The quality of the officers has always been high in this organization. One of the reasons this city has been able to police with so few officers over the years and continues to do so over the years is the quality of the workforce,” he said.

Mayor Karen Bass says she would like the department to employ 9,500 officers. The department’s current budget was for about 9,300 officers — a number the LAPD has struggled to manage.

This week, officers will vote on whether to accept a four-year employment contract that guarantees a 20 percent pay raise for most officers and a higher starting salary for recruits.

The union representing most city officials – the Los Angeles Police Protective League – said it hopes the significant pay increase will help attract more candidates.

In the 1990s, during the tenure of Mayor Richard Riordan, the police force grew significantly, in part due to funds provided by the federal government to local law enforcement agencies to expand their departments.

LA’s Near-Zero Bail Policy Will Go Into October Despite Shortage Of LAPD Cops On The Streets

This week, officials will decide whether to accept a 20 percent salary increase over the next four years. The union hopes the higher salary will entice more potential officers to join the force

The Academy is having major problems filling its classes. Only 29 officers will graduate this month, the department hoped for 60

In July, Los Angeles chose to revive its near-zero bail policy, which stipulates that those unable to post cash bail will have their constitutional rights violated.

On October 1, virtually all defendants charged with misdemeanor or nonviolent crimes in LA County will be allowed to walk after being cited.

The move prompted hip-hop rapper 50 Cent to remark on social media that Los Angeles is “finished.”

At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Los Angeles County lifted cash bail to address overcrowding issues. But critics said crime had increased as a result.

According to USA Today, the downtown area saw a 25 percent increase in violent crime — such as rape and homicide — in 2022 compared to 2019.

In the Rancho Park neighborhood, there was a 114 percent increase in violent crime between 2019 and 2022, according to the data.

Presiding Judge Samantha Jessner said, “A person’s ability to pay a large sum of money should not be the deciding factor in deciding whether that person, presumed innocent, remains in prison before trial or is released. ‘

She says she hopes the policy will encourage defendants to return to court without facing jail time.