LAPD wants nearly $100M to police the Olympics. Who's going to pay for it?

The Los Angeles Police Department is requesting nearly $100 million in city funds for vehicles and equipment for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, more than two years out from the world's largest sporting event coming to L.A.

LAPD wants to buy around 500 vehicles and "mobile units," including 300 patrol vehicles, vans and an armored SUV worth half a million dollars. It also is requesting funds for an upgraded radio network and equipment including new computers and more than 1,600 body cameras. In total, it's asking for around $96 million.

The request raises questions about promises that the Olympics will be "no-cost" for taxpayers. The spending laid out in the police department's proposed budget for 2026-2027 names the city as the funding source.

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The federal government has set aside $1 billion for Olympics security spending, some of which is expected to flow to local and state law enforcement. But the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is tasked with distributing those funds, hasn't yet shared details on the scope or timeline of the application process.

LAPD officials told the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners at a meeting in November that they will need the funds before there are details on what will be reimbursed by the federal government.

"It's not clear as to what specifically will be recovered at all," Lt. Joseph Fransen with the department's major events group told the commissioners. "But if it is, the city may still have to come up with the capital investment up front."

The police department's request for next year is an early part of the overall budgeting process. Mayor Karen Bass has until April to outline her own budget for the coming year. Her office did not respond to questions about where the money for LAPD's Olympic spending would come from.

"The Mayor's Office is reviewing the request and will continue working with the LAPD as the City prepares to deliver a balanced budget and a safe 2028 Games," a spokesperson said via email.

LAPD says it needs funds

At the police commission meeting in November, police department staff said the additional vehicles and equipment would be necessary to police the eight Olympic venues within city bounds and continue normal operations elsewhere. According to the budget request, the new vehicles will take 12-20 months to be delivered.

But the budget request indicates that the Olympics also present an opportunity to get new gear that would long outlast the Games. According to the request, the additional vehicles would be used to temporarily expand the department's fleet for the Games and then replace outdated vehicles after 2028.

Some commissioners questioned if the new vehicles in the budget proposal were necessary, or the most economical.

"I just want to make sure that when we're saying, look, we need new cars, is this truly a need or is it a it would be nice to have," said Commissioner Rasha Gerges Shields, referencing the city's fiscal crisis. "Because I think every department in the city is going to have to be struggling for funds and I don't want the department to ask for something that isn't truly essential at this stage."

Tension in City Hall

The request for Olympics funding presents a new area for potential dispute in the city's upcoming budget cycles.

City Hall is already at odds over the police department's budget. Last year the Los Angeles City Council voted to cut Mayor' Bass's request to hire 480 new LAPD officers to 240, citing the city's $1 billion budget shortfall.

The mayor has continued to seek funds from the city council for more LAPD new hires. The city council approved additional funding for up to 40 officers in December, but some council members pushed back on requests for even more new hires.

At the time, budget committee chair Katy Yaroslavsky said the money wasn't there.

“I want to grow the police department, but I have yet to see a proposal that identifies an ongoing funding source to pay for more officers," Yaroslavsky told LAist in an emailed statement in December.

Tensions over the police department's staffing and funding – and who will pay for additional costs – are likely to increase as the Olympics approach. Another major coming expense for the L.A. police department will be staffing and overtime for policing the Games.

LA28, the private non-profit putting on the Olympics and Paralympics, has agreed to pay the city for the needed additional services and staffing. However the two sides have not yet agreed on the scope of that commitment, despite an Oct. 1 deadline.

That deal is now nearly four months late. If it leaves L.A. exposed to unexpected or additional expenses, taxpayers could end up paying many millions.