PPOA President
Lieutenant, LASD
sjohnson@ppoa.com
We hold a unique position as the nation’s largest sheriff’s department and third-largest policing agency. We endured the immense impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the death of George Floyd. In Los Angeles County, these monumental events disproportionately ushered in a series of criminal justice reform efforts favored by voters. These reforms have elevated certain crimes to historic levels while emboldening criminal behavior far beyond what we could have envisioned.
The adoption of Measure J now mandates the diversion of funding away from public safety toward social services. Similarly, Measure H calls for the hiring and funding of more homeless outreach workers. Unfortunately, throughout these subsequent years, we have witnessed the mismanagement of homeless and social outreach resources, budgeted at more than one billion dollars annually.
Poor accountability and the obvious turnover rate of executives within the relevant authorities, such as the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), have resulted in staggered progress with these societal challenges. Is more money needed for LAHSA and the community-based organizations with which it aligns? Bold, creative leadership within the county is the better option.
The effectiveness of our Department’s specialized crime, homeless outreach and mental health teams goes unnoticed while the County seeks to divert money into nonprofit organizations. Yet I have optimism that the tide is shifting back toward support for public safety, evidenced by new research and potential ballot initiatives.
This past April, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) in Washington, D.C., published results of an extensive survey regarding the recruitment and retention of police officers throughout the United States. The research indicated that, as a whole, police agencies have had a discernible improvement with regard to personnel challenges. Over the past several years following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, law enforcement agencies nationwide reported a “year-over-year increase” in total sworn staffing.
The survey consisted of agencies nationwide that employed a total of 151,335 police officers. Larger departments were overrepresented in this survey, and it was no surprise that agencies on the West Coast (which offer six-figure salaries) have some of the most difficult hiring challenges.
The study stated that the agencies that participated in the survey reported hiring more police officers in 2023 than in any of the previous four years. Agencies had fewer resignations (and/or laterals) in 2023 than they did in the previous two-year period.
It went on to report that “Retirements dropped back down to roughly where they were in 2019 after being elevated for the previous three years. Small and medium agencies now have more sworn officers than they had in January 2020. In large agencies, sworn staffing slightly increased during 2023, but it is still more than 5% below where it was in January 2020.”
Within Los Angeles County, several agencies, out of desperation, are offering lucrative hiring and lateral bonuses. Torrance Police Department, for example, is currently offering a pilot program with unique incentives. These enticements include bonuses of up to $100,000 for lateral police officers, $40,000 for new police officers, $40,000 for lateral public safety dispatchers and $10,000 for new public safety dispatchers.
Additionally, the program has annual retention bonuses for five years, up to $15,000 for sworn staff and $10,000 for professional staff. Other departments have been so bold as to recruit our personnel by advertising in strategic locations adjacent to County property. In an interview with the Associated Press, PERF Director Chuck Wexler commented that in addition to higher salaries, “I think it’s about the way people perceive their job and feel they are going to be supported.”
Our current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Unit 612 expires January 31, 2025. This classification will be the first to go to the negotiating table with the County. Last month, members of this classification participated in a survey to gauge priorities, goals and interests. Thank you to all who took time to complete the survey. I am very proud to report that participation increased by 41% since the last survey in 2021. The landscape in which we negotiate the next contracts for all classifications will be drastically different from previous years. Please know that PPOA will fight tooth and nail to ensure your voice is heard and that you get the best results possible. Until next time, be safe and please look out for one another. We hope to see you at our upcoming Pre-Labor Day BBQ and general membership meeting on August 28 at the Biscailuz Training Center.