Not Enough Police On The Streets, City Audit Finds

A new audit released by the LAPD notes that not only is the organization understaffed, but a good chunk of its officers are having to do clerical and desk work because of an absence of civilian workers in the organization. "There is no question that Los Angeles is one of the most under-policed big cities in America," City Controller Laura Chick tells the Daily News. (As discussed on the site, the city's shortage of officers is not news to anyone who has accidentally cut off their finger and had to call 911.) According to Chick, there are more than 600 vacant civilian jobs, positions such as clerks and typists, and some of these jobs are being performed by officers. Not surprisingly, the current backlog of paper work means that victims' families aren't receiving paperwork for four months, Deputy Chief Sharon Papa tells the paper. (It used to take a month to release such information.) Meanwhile, Chick is calling for a $53 million effort to boost the civilian workforce of the department. [New under-construction LAPD downtown headquarters. Photo via Flickr user Jerici Cat]
· Audit says L.A. 'under-policed' [Daily News]