The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday finally approved the hiring of hundreds of new police officers after a drawn-out budget fight with Mayor Karen Bass.
Bass scored the modest political win when council members approved the hiring up to 410 new Los Angeles Police Department officers this fiscal year.
“The second largest city in the United States cannot have an effective police department when it is operating with the lowest staffing levels in years,” Bass said in a statement .
“With only five months until Los Angeles welcomes tens of thousands of fans from around the world for the FIFA World Cup, investing in more police officers is critical to public safety.”
The 9–3 vote ended a dispute that began in the spring, when the council slashed the mayor’s request for new officers in half — authorizing just 240 hires.
Council members said it was part of a broader effort to close a roughly $1 billion budget gap and avoid layoffs across city departments, the Los Angeles Times reported.
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City officials said the new officers will be paid for using the LAPD’s existing budget, including leftover funds set aside for officer overtime during retirements, not from the city’s general fund.
