LOS ANGELES—On Tuesday, February 21, a Los Angeles City Council committee advanced a motion for the Los Angeles Police Department to increase its patrols, prompted by a rising crime rate and complaints about officer response times. The motion, submitted by Councilmen Mike Bonin and Joe Buscaino, is asking for the LAPD to consider hiring more civilians to move officers off desk duty and into patrols.
In 1969, Los Angeles had approximately 6,194 LAPD officers and an average of 337 officers on the streets, assigned to 181 cars patrolling neighborhoods. As of December 2016, there are 9,885 LAPD officers, with an average of 311 officers on the streets, assigned to 159 cars patrolling neighborhoods.
“Too often, I hear from constituents that they rarely see a patrol car in their neighborhood, or that it takes the LAPD too long to respond to an emergency call,” Bonin said while previewing the motion.
The 7/40 Mandate requires all officers to respond to emergency calls within 7 minutes and to dedicate 40 percent of their time to proactive policing activities. According to the motion as depicted on the Los Angeles Office of the City Clerk website, the mandate is not being fulfilled.
“This has been an issue that has been festering for a long time—the lack of an emphasis on patrol by LAPD,” Bonin said. “Our neighborhoods are crying out and clamoring for more neighborhood policing.”
The motion asks that LAPD review and modify its Basic Car areas, which are geographic boundaries for patrol assignments, and the current Patrol Plan deployment formula.
Councilmember Bonin represents district 11 which includes Mulholland, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Marina el Rey, Venice, West LA, Westchester, Del Rey, Mar Vista, Playa Vista and Playa del Rey.
