Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Chief Moore: Hundreds Of LAPD Jobs Will Be Eliminated If Police Budget Is Reduced
Police deploy in Van Nuys on June 1, 2020 as looters break into shops during peaceful demonstrations against the death of George Floyd. (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
()
The proposal to cut the Los Angeles Police Department's budget by at least $150 million "would require the elimination of hundreds of positions," LAPD Chief Michel Moore told AirTalk host Larry Mantle on Friday morning.
Moore said personnel expenses make up about 96% of the department's budget and, "Absent any outside influence, [these budget cuts] would require a reorganization that would require the elimination of police officers, would require the elimination of civilian workforce beyond what's already been proposed." Moore was referring to cuts proposed by L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti given the city's diminished revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Moore said he had not yet identified where these cuts might come from and noted that some positions within the LAPD are covered by collective bargaining agreements. He did not mention reducing the department's budget for weapons or other equipment.
Moore also said in situations where police officers have used force on protestors, if bodycam footage is available (not all officers are equipped with bodycams), that footage would not be released to the public. He said of those incidents.
Support for LAist comes from
Law enforcement personnel in riot gear face protesters in Los Angeles on June 3, 2020 as people gather to protest the death of George Floyd while under police custody. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
()
Moore did say he would "commit to transparency" with the Inspector General and other investigators who have a "lawful and legitimate purpose for reviewing that video." He also said, "Individuals that were the subject of the force will have access as well to that body-worn video."
In addition, Moore said that the early data his department has collected suggests that 90% of the approximately 3,000 people who have been arrested during these protests identify come from the Los Angeles basin.
"In that entire spectrum, a very, very small minority, I want to say... about 10% or less, are from outside of this of the state of California," Moore said.
When asked whether he would support L.A. mayor Eric Garcetti's call for creation of a special prosecutor to consider criminal charges against officers, Moore had a one-word answer: "Yes."
Moore also apologized, again, for words he spoke earlier this week equating the death of George Floyd -- who died while being restrained for nine minutes by a Minneapolis police officer -- with looting and violence.
"It was a bad terrible choice of words," Moore said. "I regret it. I did not mean to equate the murder of George Floyd by the four Minneapolis police officers to those that were committing looting, those that were exacting violence, whether against police officers or against the burning and destruction of parts of Los Angeles. I apologized then. I apologize now."
Support for LAist comes from
MORE ON LA PROTESTS
- The False Dichotomy Of Protest Coverage So Far
- What Happens After George Floyd? California Leaders Are Considering Reparations
- LA Civil Rights Leader On Police Brutality, Protests: We're In The Last Battles Of The Civil War
- KPCC/LAist Reporters Tear-Gassed, Shot With Rubber Bullet
- Black Lives Matter-LA Leader Explains 'Very Deliberate' Choice To Demonstrate In Upscale Neighborhoods
- LA Councilman Mike Bonin: 'We Need To Pay Attention To The Violence Of Systemic Racism'
- These Recent Events Are A LOT -- Tell Us Your Story Or Ask A Question
- Mis Ángeles: George Floyd Should Be Home With His Family Right Now
- George Floyd's Death Is One Of Many Reasons Activists Are Pushing For A 'People's Budget' In LA
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity. -
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?
Best of LAist