LOS ANGELES : Chick Wins Support in Plan to Hire More Officers

Despite questions by some lawmakers, city officials assured Councilwoman Laura Chick on Thursday that her plan to quickly expand the Los Angeles Police Department by hiring 50 reservists and former officers would not disrupt the department’s affirmative action program.

The council had been scheduled to vote on Chick’s proposal Wednesday, but sent it to a committee for further study after questions were raised on whether hiring the experienced officers--many of them white men--would violate the affirmative action program. The program, aimed at increasing the percentage of minority and women officers, has made it difficult for the department to hire white men.

But after meeting Thursday with officials of the Police and Personnel departments and the city attorney’s office, members of Chick’s staff said they were told the city could compensate for hiring white men by admitting more women and minority race recruits to the Police Academy.