An executive order from Karen Bass, mayor of Los Angeles, last week to process police hires more quickly is “necessary and timely” ahead of the High Holidays, according to Richard Hirschhaut, who directs the American Jewish Committee’s Los Angeles office.
Bass directed city personnel and police departments to develop benchmarks for each stage of the process of hiring officers and to shorten the time between stages. She also instructed departments to expedite the officer selection process and maximize the size of officer classes.
“The department has been understaffed for several years, and at a time of rising levels of antisemitism and hate across America, public safety must be paramount,” Hirschhaut told JNS. “With the High Holidays soon upon us, we welcome this necessary and timely directive and appreciate the difference it will make for Los Angeles going forward.”
Melissa Mott, executive vice president of education, strategy and impact at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, told JNS that “as the city expands its police force, it is essential that new recruits and current officers are prepared not just to enforce the law but to build stronger relationships with the diverse communities they serve.”
“We look forward to continuing our decades-long relationship with the LAPD to shape a future where public safety in Los Angeles is grounded in tolerance, dialogue, accountability and respect for all,” she said.
Bob Blumenfield, a Los Angeles city councilman who is Jewish, told JNS that it’s been “terrible to watch the city pay to train officers, only to have them picked up by other departments once they get their badge.”
The Los Angeles City Council adopted “significant” pay increases and bonuses for police officers in 2023, which was a “critical step,” according to Blumenfield.
“Reviewing potentially unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles is a good thing,” he said.
