Riordan’s Plan for Police Reserves Falling Victim to Fiscal Woes : Law enforcement: Mayor trumpeted a larger role for volunteer force during his campaign. But his proposal has met financial and political obstacles.

Despite a campaign promise two years ago to expand the use of reserve police officers, Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan has frustrated members of the volunteer force by failing to take action on his promise.

During his 1993 mayoral race, Riordan trumpeted a public safety plan that included a proposal to pay reserve officers $100 for every shift they work beyond the two shifts per month that is required of them.

But according to city officials, the plan appears to have fallen victim to internal police politics and concerns over the legal hurdles that must be overcome to use reserves in an expanded capacity.

The plan was billed as a quick fix to bolster the number of officers on the street without having to spend the time and money to hire and train new recruits. In fact, soon after Riordan was elected, a transition team spokesman told reporters, “There will be [a plan] and it will be soon.”

But more than halfway through his term, the mayor has not acted.

“The resources are there,” said James Lombardi, president of the California Reserve Peace Officers Assn. and the highest-ranking reserve officer in the Los Angeles Police Department. “The mayor and the city won’t jump on it.”

Reserve officers are volunteers who have the same training and equipment as regular officers and, according to Lombardi, are willing to work extra shifts for a fraction of the cost of hiring new officers. They are paid a $50-per-month stipend and work a minimum of two shifts per month.

Lombardi drafted the three-page proposal to implement Riordan’s idea of expanding the use of reserve officers. But he said he is so frustrated with Riordan’s inaction on the plan that he has begun to market it directly to members of the City Council.

Riordan aides say the mayor still believes in the concept of expanding the use of reserve officers but has been unable to find additional funding for it.

“It’s a priority for the mayor, but we are in a fiscally constrained time in the city,” said Noelia Rodriguez, Riordan’s press secretary.

She added that there is a chance that funding for the reserve officers may be found in the next phase of President Clinton’s crime bill. In September, the crime bill delivered more than $48 million to the city, enough to pay for 643 new officers. None of that money went to reserve officers. An earlier phase of the bill provided the city with $18.3 million to modernize the department and free up police to fight crime.

But sources in the Riordan Administration say politics is an equally big obstacle for the plan. Efforts to use law enforcement funds to pay reserve officers extra money is opposed by the Police Protective League, the influential union that represents full-time police officers. Angering the union would be politically harmful for Riordan, who was endorsed by the union during his election campaign. Riordan plans to run for a second term in 1997.

“It’s not an economic issue only, it’s a political issue,” a top Riordan official said.

Police Protective League officials say they have not seen any details of Lombardi’s plan but are generally opposed to any proposal that would divert money to reserve officers that could otherwise be spent on full-time officers.

The controversy comes as Riordan struggles to implement his key campaign promise of expanding the Police Department by at least 3,000 officers in four years. Riordan has received reports in the past several weeks showing that his goal is far behind schedule and that a high attrition rate in the ranks continues to eat away at the department.

The LAPD has 350 reserve officers who are qualified to carry guns, make arrests, take reports and execute other police duties. Another 350 reserve officers--so called “technical reserves”--are trained for non-enforcement assignments, such as staffing desks and taking crime reports.

The $50-per-month stipend that is paid to reserve officers is not intended as a salary but to defray work-related expenses, such as cleaning uniforms. The stipend was recently increased from $15 per month. Although there is no limit to how many shifts a reserve officer works, Lombardi said the extra $100 per shift would entice them to work more often.

Under his plan, the city could put the equivalent of 100 additional officers on the street for $160,000 a month, a fraction of the cost of training and hiring the same number of new officers.

“These guys are ready to go and work on the street,” he said.