Bell : Council Approves Hiring of 3 More Police Officers
The Bell City Council, acknowledging continuing drug and gang problems in the city, has authorized the Bell-Cudahy Police Department to use confiscated drug money to hire three more uniformed police officers.
The officers could be on the job within the next month, police officials said.
The two-city department has been operating at a staffing level of less than one officer per 1,000 residents, according to a report presented to the Bell council Monday night.
“In order to be pro-active toward the city’s drug and gang problems, it is necessary to . . . add three positions,” the staff report concluded.
The cost of hiring the officers through the end of the fiscal year will be $61,152. The money will come from the Federal Forfeiture Fund, which returns drug money confiscated by local law enforcement agencies.
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