LA City's Proposed Deal With LAPD Union Includes 11% Pay Hike For Rookies

The LAPD officers’ union and city have agreed on a new tentative labor contract that includes an 11% increase to the base starting salary for new recruits. City and department officials say that boost in pay is needed to address what they’re calling a crisis in recruiting.

Where things stand

The number of sworn LAPD officers has dropped by more than 1,000 in just the past three years, putting the department’s ranks at about 9,000, according to LAPD officials.

Currently, a new recruit starts at $74,019. After 18 months of academy and field training, their salary automatically goes up to $83,687. The new starting salary would be $82,161.

By comparison, the starting salary for a social worker for the city of Los Angeles, as of January, is just over $65,000 a year, according to city documentation.

What’s in the deal for veteran officers

The deal covers four years and includes a 6% raise for all officers in the first year, a 4% raise the second year, and 5% raises the following two years.

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement that the increases are consistent with goals she’s laid out to date.

“Like many major cities across America, our police department is enduring a hiring and retention crisis so we are taking critical action,” Bass said. “In April, I proposed a budget to address concerns within the Los Angeles Police Department and to provide investments to hire more police officers, expedite the hiring process, and improve retention.”

Support and pushback

The union representing the officers, Los Angeles Police Protective League, put out a statement in favor of the proposed new contract:

“We believe this tentative agreement will put the LAPD on the right path forward retaining our experienced officers and supervisors and recruiting qualified cadets to enter our academy,” said Sgt. Jerretta Sandoz, the LAPPL vice president.

Longstanding critics of the police pushed back on the deal. The increases are “absolutely ridiculous” given the “hugely problematic” way the LAPD polices Black people in the city, said Melina Abdullah, the leader of the Los Angeles Chapter of Black Lives Matter. The city should instead be investing in the housing crisis and afterschool programs, she said.

What’s going on with police recruiting

There are several reasons for the recruitment problems in policing, according to the International Association of Chiefs of Police. In a recent report, the group said millennials and Generation Z “are more apt to value work-life balance than their Baby Boomer counterparts” and that the demands of policing are less appealing.

That report also cited the declining public image of the law enforcement profession.

“Scrutiny of the police, cellphone recordings of interactions between the police and public, media coverage, and popular entertainment portrayals of police have led many young people to view police differently than their parents may have,” the report stated.