Written by Danielle Chiriguayo, produced by Marcelle Hutchins Apr. 19, 2023
LA Mayor Karen Bass unveiled her first city budget on Tuesday. It includes $1.9 billion for the city’s police department. This comes as the LAPD faces a hiring and retention crisis — the department says it has lost 1,000 officers over the last four years. Bass wants to return the police force to its authorized size of about 9,500 officers, but that won’t be easy as hundreds of officers are expected to retire or resign this year.
Some of these retirees are part of the LAPD’s DROP program (Deferred Retirement Option Plan), says Cheryl Dorsey, retired LAPD sergeant and author of “Black and Blue: The Creation of a Social Advocate.”
The voluntary plan enables officers who reach retirement age to continue to work for five years — and receive regular pay — while banking pension checks.
Dorsey says DROP participants are usually officers with coveted work assignments. “You’re somewhere indoors, working a very cushy job. … You’re not going to find the officer who’s reached maturity and the ability to retire still running through the houses eastbound chasing suspects over fences. That’s not who sticks around for another five years.”
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