LAPD overall hiring decreased by 8% since 2022

While more candidates are applying for positions with the Los Angeles Police Department this year, overall hiring since 2022 decreased by 8% due to bottlenecks in background checks, officials announced Tuesday.

During Tuesday's Board of Police Commissioners meeting, LAPD officials reported that applications from 2022 to 2024 rose by 53%, participation in a candidate advancement program increased by 150% and department interviews increased by 40%.

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However, hiring is getting stalled in background checks, which decreased by 10% while psychological evaluations are down 9%.

The report comes as Los Angeles is seeking to bolster the LAPD's rank- and-file numbers, which dropped below 9,000 officers last year. In response, city leaders approved a new contract with the union representing the LAPD's lieutenants and below, boosting their salaries and providing a variety of benefits.

According to Interim Police Chief Dominic Choi, the department's sworn personnel currently stands at 8,795, while its number of civilian workers is 2,623.

The board will receive a status report on recruitment and hiring in the next 90 days.

The City Council has taken steps to better understand issues with recruitment and hiring of LAPD officers. City leaders are exploring whether to allow the LAPD to handle its own hiring rather than the Personnel Department, which has that responsibility.

Council members are also exploring whether to streamline the hiring process for new recruits, citing concerns that too many candidates are being lost to other law enforcement agencies.

Mayor Karen Bass recently tapped former Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell as the next chief of police , a selection that still requires approval by the City Council. McDonnell spent four years as county sheriff, and previously served as chief of the Long Beach Police Department and as an assistant chief of the LAPD.

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