Agencies Expect U.S. Funds to Hire 56 More Officers

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Inglewood and Redondo Beach police departments have been authorized to hire 56 officers this year using federal grants of more than $4.2 million.

The money is expected under President Clinton’s Cops Ahead program, which has given approval for 105 cities and counties in California to add 480 law enforcement officers.

The Sheriff’s Department plans to hire 49 officers with its $3.6- million share over three years. Final approval of the grants is expected by spring.

The Inglewood Police Department hopes to receive a $375,000 grant to add five officers, department officials said.

Redondo Beach Police Department officials plan to add two officers using $150,000 in funding.

Under the Cops Ahead program, agencies serving a population of more than 50,000 were invited by the Department of Justice in October to apply for the grants.

Grants cover up to 75% of the salary and benefits of each officer over three years, up to a maximum of $75,000 per officer, with the remainder paid by state or local funds.

“We were notified Dec. 19 that we could make final application for the positions and funding, which we expect to do in time to meet the Washington, D.C., deadline of March 8,” said Sheriff’s Sgt. Doreen Thigpen. “We’ll know where we stand in April, but we are hopeful that our plan will be accepted.”

If the money is approved, it will be at least six months before officers are on the streets, Thigpen said.

The Redondo Beach Police Department’s request must be approved by the City Council and then forwarded in February to Washington, said Capt. Jeff Cameron. Once the request is approved, Cameron said, “it should take about nine months to train the new officers for street assignments.”

Torrance Police Department officials did not request funding. Spokesman Ed LaLonde said the department was more interested in obtaining “new vehicles and communications, along with crime-fighting equipment.”

More than 8,000 sworn officers patrol 3,170 square miles in Los Angeles County, which contains about one-third of the total population of California. About 102 officers serve a Redondo Beach population of more than 65,000; 201 officers work in Inglewood, where the population exceeds 110,000.