Mayor Villaraigosa, “And in the next four years I will fight day and night to keep all 10,000 officers on the job. Keep our police force at its highest level in history.”
Really? “On the Job” Well isn’t that interesting. Currently Chief Beck has a plan; while officers risked their lives quelling riots in the Pico-union area several dozen other officers spent their shifts doing the job of civilian Detention Officers.
To be more specific they spent their time training allegedly watching nonexistent prisoners in a closed facility that is not open to the public yet.
Has crime gone down so low that Police officers are routinely used for civilian duties such as night watchmen? No this is a bigger plan to accommodate the new officers that enter the LAPD as the department hopes to eliminate the detention officer classification and run the new recruits through the jails in the same manner as the LA County Sheriff’s Department, it will also be used for light duty officers and problem officers.
LAPD Metropolitan Detention Center
Mayor and Chief both tout Public Safety as job #1, yet Detention Officers are furloughed right along with 911 operators, if one didn’t know better they might think that crime isn’t a problem since we don’t need people to monitor those who are arrested and LAPD calls can lag to be answered.
What is clear is that the LAPD is on a dangerous path of using sworn officers to back-fill vacant civilian positions, Detention officers basic function is clearly spelled out in the Class Specifications, “The basic function of this class is to relieve Police Officers of a variety of routine tasks which do not require the training or status of a peace officer.”
Detention Officers process arrestees, including booking, fingerprinting, maintaining custody and control. They run the jail after Police Officers make arrests, without Detention Officers, Police Officers are taken off of the streets, less cops on the beat and less cops to respond to emergencies.
LAPD officers do not want to spend time doing the duties of Detention Officers; they want to be out on the street, if they wanted to do the job of a Detention Officer, they would have applied for it.
Is taking new recruits and sticking them inside the jails Chief Becks answer to fighting crime?
I fail to see the benefit to the public, or to new recruits from watching those who are already in custody,. This is just another example of the mayor justifying the mass over hiring of Police Officers against the wishes of civilian unions, the LAPPL, and mere logic.
Chief Beck & the LAPD failed to comment so something must be brewing inside the new police building. I wonder if the LAPPL has been consulted on this plan?
I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Detention Officers fall ill for a 3 day weekend after hearing about these plans and the unjust furloughs, I’m sure replacing them wasn’t the topic of conversation from the union reps recently either.