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The LAPD Wants Millions More To Address Last Year's Protest Failures
A May 2020 Black Lives Matter protest against the murder of George Floyd in front of L.A.'s Hall of Justice.
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Chava Sanchez
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LAist
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In response to a trio of reports outlining the LAPD’s botched handling of last year’s protests against police brutality and systemic racism, Chief Michel Moore is submitting a preliminary request for almost $67 million in additional funding.
The reports — one from the LAPD, one from the National Police Foundation requested by the Police Commission and an independent study ordered by the L.A. City Council — offered a total of 106 recommendations. The LAPD says it distilled those recommendations into 66 projects.
The bulk of the money — about $53 million — would go towards training, after all three reports stressed that as a department deficiency. The breakdown from the LAPD includes some $15 million for training on “less lethal munitions,” such as hard foam projectiles.
Last week, the LAPD suspended its use of one type of projectile after a federal judge imposed a series of restrictions on their use. The judge ruled in response to a request from Black Lives Matter and other groups that filed a class action lawsuit against the department over its handling of the protests.
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Activist groups such as Black Lives Matter L.A. and the Los Angeles Community Action Network have criticized the LAPD’s funding request, with LA CAN arguing in a tweet that it “holds Angelenos pockets hostage in exchange for the appearance of change.”
The LAPD is facing a range of lawsuits stemming from last summer’s protests, alleging excessive force and unlawful detentions.
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