Public Safety: Job No. 1

Los Angeles Police Chief Bernard C. Parks has made it clear he doesn’t believe that a three-day workweek, with its 12-hour shifts and long “weekends,” is in the best interest of public safety. We agree. But Mayor-elect James K. Hahn made a promise to the police union to go with the shortened schedule, and he’s pushing it. The chief understands that he works for the mayor, so the assumption is that the mayor will prevail. But the question is whether the City Council will make the same assumption.

The pressure will be on Hahn to make sure this underpoliced city, which has half the cops per capita as New York, gets safer. For the first time in six years, the L.A. Police Department has fallen below 9,000.

The department can’t hire fast enough to replace experienced officers who are leaving. Many head for neighboring departments, lured in part, according to the union, by a three-day schedule. Retention is important, but not so important that it should trump public safety concerns.

Days off should be flexible. Every cop will want a four-day weekend. Who wouldn’t want a mini-vacation every week? But the department will need flexibility to keep as many cops as possible on patrol when they are most needed. That might require some officers to split their days off. Policing schedules also can’t be designed to accommodate moonlighting. It’s the other way around. Being a cop is not a part-time job.

The new schedule is not expected to apply to senior lead officers, who work as liaisons with neighborhoods, and to detectives and specialized units. Incentives may be needed to induce them to work four or five days a week while their buddies spend only three on the job. The senior leads in particular are critical to making community policing work, and the job needs to attract top talent.

Chief Parks says he wants to see the results of a study ordered by the council, which could take about three months. In the meantime, Hahn committed to have some officers on the shorter workweek 90 days after he took office. He also committed to the people who voted for him to put public safety first. Can he do both? It’s the council’s obligation to get the answer.

Serious crimes, including murder, are rising again in Los Angeles, along with quality-of-life problems like graffiti. If police become less visible in the city, public confidence will suffer and criminals will continue to gain ground. Before city officials go through with any 3/12 plan, they need to make sure they fully understand the consequences of thousands of LAPD officers working longer days and shorter weeks. And if the numbers don’t add up to better police service, the plan should not go forward. Ultimately, how many officers are on the streets, and how alert and rested they are, is more than a matter of convenience for officers’ schedules. It’s a matter of public safety.

If the numbers don’t add up to better police service, the plan should not go forward.