A new report says that the LAPD could better combat crime in the city by freeing more than 400 able-bodied officers from desk jobs and hiring more civilians to perform clerical duties, according to an audit released Tuesday.
The report by City Controller Ron Galperin highlighted a issue that has been persistent and problematic for LAPD brass: As the department’s sworn officer ranks grew slightly to just under 10,000 in the last decade, 621 of those officers are filling civilian clerical positions because of a shortfall in administrative staff.
Some of those officers are injured, but the bulk — 458 — are fully capable of patrolling city streets, Galperin’s audit found.
“Our highly trained and wonderful police officers should do more officer work and less office work,” Galperin said at a news conference at City Hall.