Hawthorne Asked to Fund More Police

Hawthorne Police Chief Kenneth R. Stonebraker has asked the City Council to put on the November ballot a measure to provide funds to increase the police force to 104 sworn officers.

Mayor Betty J. Ainsworth said Tuesday that all five members of the council favor Stonebraker’s plan but that the details, such as what kind of tax to put before the voters, have not been determined. A series of community meetings will be held to solicit opinions, she said.

The estimated first-year cost for adding 19 officers to the 85-officer force would be $2.5 million, City Manager R. Kenneth Jue said.

In the presentation to the council Monday night, Stonebraker said the size of the Police Department has not kept pace with Hawthorne’s growing population and increases in gang- and drug-related crime. He said the force today is smaller than it was from 1981-84, when it had 92 officers.

Stonebraker said the department is stretched too thin to maintain current levels of service. Although it can still respond rapidly to emergencies, he said, it may have to cut back on less-crucial tasks, such as taking accident and burglary reports at the scene.

Jue said that although a measure seeking funds for a second paramedic unit failed to obtain the necessary two-thirds majority vote last November, the police plan has a better chance because it has the full support of the council.

In contrast, Jue noted, the paramedic plan, which would have set a tax based on the size of a user’s water main, drew mixed reactions from the council. The council is considering a plan to start charging for paramedic services to help pay for the second unit.