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An internal LAPD audit has found that 115 of the 178 officers in desk jobs that should be filled by lower paid civilians are fit and healthy enough to be out on the streets. That's "roughly equivalent to removing one or two patrol cars from each of the department's 21 stations -- a significant handicap for a police force that is far smaller per capita than those in other major American cities," reported the LA Times. But a hiring freeze to save the city money has left many crucial civilian positions unfilled and although the department has been able to get some exemptions such as jail guards and DNA analysts, 640 civilian police jobs are still vacant. Imagine an LAPD not strapped for human resources, not missing the support of 640 full time workers.
