City of Los Angeles, CA
01/21/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/21/2026 18:09
Mayor Bass Issues Statement on City Council’s Vote to Hire More Police Officers
LOS ANGELES - Mayor Bass today issued the following statement:
"My number one job as Mayor is to keep Angelenos safe. Since my first day in office, I have taken a comprehensive approach to public safety, from prioritizing the hiring of more police officers to launching my Office of Community Safety to help prevent violence before it happens and create safe community spaces for Angelenos.
"The second largest city in the United States cannot have an effective police department when it is operating with the lowest staffing levels in years. And with only five months until Los Angeles welcomes tens of thousands of fans from around the world for the FIFA World Cup, investing in more police officers is critical to public safety.
"When I released my budget, I prioritized police hiring and I have continued to push for more officers since. The City Council's action today will allow the department to hire a total of 410 new recruits this fiscal year and bring the police department to roughly 8,500 officers. While this is a critical investment, this number still does not hire to attrition - and it is not enough officers for a city of 3.8 million people. Although this is an important step, there is more work to do to invest in the safety of Angelenos."
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