The LAPD Wants Millions More To Address Last Year's Protest Failures

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.

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.