Berman Asks City to Fund More Police

Los Angeles must show it is serious about applying for federal funds to hire more police officers by being prepared to pony up a significant local contribution, Rep. Howard Berman (D-Panorama City) told a Los Angeles City Council committee Monday.

“Putting more cops on the beat is what the mayor wants,” Berman said. “The central question, however, is whether the council will make the tough decisions necessary to meet the program’s local match requirement.”

Within the next nine weeks, the city will submit an application to the U.S. Department of Justice for $45 million to help put 600 more police officers on Los Angeles streets over the next three years.

Berman came before the City Council’s Public Safety Committee to urge that Los Angeles take advantage of the federal program by asking for a sizable grant.

To make the plan to hire more officers work, Mayor Richard Riordan figures the city will also have to chip in $45 million, an idea that he supports.

Whether the City Council will support such a hefty allocation to beef up the force remains to be seen.

“Will the city be willing to make cuts in popular programs on the understanding that it is all a matter of priorities, and nothing matters more than this?” Berman asked.

Michael F. Thompson, a law enforcement aide in the mayor’s office, said he is optimistic that the City Council will commit the necessary local monies.

Council members Marvin Braude and Laura Chick, the two committee members who were present Monday, seemed to agree with Berman about the urgency of the issue.

Berman came to the meeting armed with statistics.

According to the congressman, Los Angeles’ police officer-to-resident ratio is roughly half that of Chicago’s and New York City’s.

Berman added that the San Fernando Valley has only one officer for every 1,100 residents, compared to one to 464 citywide.