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The L.A. School Police department has a new leader – at least, for now.
Deputy Chief Leslie Ramirez will serve as Interim Chief, the L.A. Unified School District announced on Thursday. The previous chief, Todd Chamberlain, resigned on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after the LAUSD board voted 4-3 to cut $25 million from the school police budget.
"In good conscience, and in fear for safety and well-being of those I serve, I cannot support modifications to my position, the organization and most importantly, the community (students, staff and families) that I believe will be detrimental and potentially life-threatening," Chamberlain wrote in a statement.
Ramirez will now lead the department through the budget reduction, which could result in 65 officers losing their jobs.
#LAUSD Supt. @AustinLASchools names Leslie Ramirez Interim Chief of the Los Angeles School Police Department.
— Carla Javier (@carlamjavier) July 2, 2020
The news comes a day after the chief of less than a year resigned. (Which happened less than a day after the board voted 4-3 to cut $25 million from LASPD's budget)
According to Ramirez's school police bio, she joined the force in 1991 and is an alum of the district's Hamilton High.
"In the weeks ahead, we will begin the process of reviewing and evaluating our operational plan and objectives," Ramirez said in a LAUSD statement. "Our focus will be to maximize our deployment strategy while minimizing the impact to students, staff and our personnel."
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