A request from L.A. police officials to “boost staffing and purchase new vehicles” in time for the 2028 L.A. Games has been met with “deep skepticism by City Council members who worry about committing funding amid uncertainty around the plan to secure the venues,” according to Libor Jany of the L.A. TIMES. LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell during a budget hearing “repeated a warning” that public safety “will suffer if the city doesn’t hire more officers to replace the hundreds expected to leave the department in the next two years.” McDonnell said that the council “needs to fund the new hires now” to “staff up in time for the Olympics.” Under the current security plan, the LAPD would supply “about 2,400 officers, or just under a third of the total officers needed to police the Games.” The department is also “requesting nearly” $100M from the city to purchase new vehicles and equipment for the Games. Hundreds of the vehicles would “police the eight Olympic venues within city boundaries.” The additional patrol cars and other specialized vehicles would “allow police to continue normal operations elsewhere.” The federal priority will be “safeguarding international delegations and protecting high-security areas,” while the LAPD and other state and local agencies will be responsible for “securing areas where most Olympic-related events are being held.” The U.S. Secret Service has not yet released details on how many federal agents will flood secure zones around venues (L.A. TIMES, 5/1).
LAPD push for increased Olympic staffing, funding faces City Council pushback
