12 MTA Officers Placed on Hiring List for LAPD

After a six-hour Civil Service Commission meeting Monday, 12 MTA officers were placed on a hiring list for the Los Angeles Police Department even though they had previously been turned down for employment by the city.

Twenty-seven transit officers had appealed the city personnel department’s decision not to hire them as part of the controversial merger between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority officers and the Los Angeles Police Department.

Of those, the appeals of 13 officers were denied, two cases were postponed until next month and 12 were placed on the eligibility list.

The 12 include some who had revealed in background checks that they had tried drugs earlier in their lives. Others were previously turned down for employment because they failed to meet other hiring standards used by the LAPD.

The commission action, however, does not guarantee the officers’ employment, city officials said.

Now, the personnel department will check whether the officers passed medical and psychological tests. The ultimate responsibility for hiring is left to Police Chief Bernard C. Parks.

The personnel department already approved 139 MTA officers for hiring by the LAPD. They will begin a special training program later this month, officials said.

The commission heard from all 27 officers Monday, all of whom had legal representatives.