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As of April 14,2007 ,a California State court of Appeals REVERSED A PREVIOUS STATE COURT RULING AGAINST THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES in awarding the the Los Angeles county Safety Police officers association(LACPOA) nearly $45 million for discriminatory practices in salary and income. The battle pitted the 550+ man force of L.A.county police officers ,in the dept now known as LACOPS-County office of Public Safety,against the county board of supervisors, county personnel ,LASD and the Sheriffs union ,ALADs. The main decision was help in the reversal that there was no proof of "racial bias" by the county and that minority and female officers could have fairly competed for higher paying Deputy sheriffs jobs. the jury also decided that ,based on arguements by the County of L.A.s counsel ,that the county had the "right" to pay according to what they felt the job requirements entailed.currently the starting salary for L.A. county police officer trainees is $3590/mo. whereas the Deputy sheriff trainee positon is $4,432/mo. County police officers top out at just $60K/yr while a Deputy Sheriff can reach a top step of $92K/yr- a major pay difference.
The 550 man police force,responsible for patrol of county facilities ,parks and urban recreational locations,warehouses,juvenile detention facilities,county probation offices,hospitals,municipal airports,and the hollywood bowl, patrol roughly 2800 sq miles of the counties nearly 4,000 sq miles.They are tasked with responding to radio calls, preliminary invs. gang suppression in county parks ,arrest of misd. and felony violations, and many "basic" police services , but are still considered "SECURITY GUARDS" ,despite being classified as armed "peace officers" under section 830.31(a) of the California Penal code.The County Police-LACOPS is technically the 5th LARGEST police force in the county of Los Angeles,with 200 additional civilian positions and 300 contract employees.In the past 20 yrs (4) county police officers have been killed while on the job in violent confrontations and many others have been injured /disabled in performing "police work" according to their assignments by County mgm't.Currently LASD Deputies recieve (24-26)wks of training at the LASD academy,while County Police officers recieve (22)wks of training at Rio Hondo regional Academy,along side other local PD recruits.
Problems forseen? L.A.county Police officers are the LOWEST PAID "police officers" in the county (only South Pasadena PD and Sierra Madre PD are as low,but these agencies have BETTER benefits,and the valued 3%@50 PERS retirements).In a current L.E. job market ,where qualified and INTERESTED applicants are hard to find or retain,and with almost 90% of the California Depts hiring with large openings,low pay and crummy work assignments,and job dissatisfaction,plus the potential for hazardous working conditions tends to run off even the most mediocre applicant-like most police officers in L.A. county ,you're only a traffic stop away from gun arrest,and running into narcotics or a violent confrontation depends on how soon the sun goes down when you load up your shotgun and hit the streets.Add to this the fact that despite attempts to find alternatives to hiring -ala placing armed contract security guards in some fixed post positions-the problem continues to be the FACT that the County Police officer position is a needed and necessary component of public safety within the county government.As a force multiplier,they free up just as badly NEEDED Deputy sheriffs for jail duty and county contract police patrols of incorporated and unincorporated communities in L.A. county.Many disenfranchised County officers are applying with all the expensive POST certified training they've recieved to other local police depts and sheriffs depts( including LASD) ,leaving large openings and relatively inexperienced officers to handle their service loads- this is recipe for disaster in terms of liability ( Officer involved shootings,excessive force charges,and officer safety issues).At one time the county police were considerably "2nd rate"-they used surplus Sheriffs equipment -which if anyone knows the LASD(who literally throw NOTHING away) the equipment was well PAST worn out.The officers were generally pulled from county clerical positions,or deputy Trainees that couldn't pass probation or training due to marginal performance.but we're talking nearly 20 yrs ago-Now officers are fully expected to be POST trained and routinely follow in-service classes to comply with the standards of LASD and other state,local ,and county police agencies,they have decent equip and weapons ( AR-15s and GLOCKS are part of the issue) even their level of leadership has improved,first with former LAPD interim chief ( and recent LA Airport Public safety director) Bayan Lewis, now former LAPD Dep chief Margaret York ( wife of superior court Judge Lance Ito ) as Chief of the LAC OPS.The LACOPS have been a cost savings to the county in terms of salary for services rendered and liability,but with a dept struggling to hold onto 500+ personnel and needing almost 700,how long can that last?
My take on this set back? This lawsuit has been a bitter pill to all involved in it -LACPOA,LACOPS,County BOS,LASD,the community)-it threw the "Race card" at fellow county law enforcement,even at one time accusing them "officially" of conspiring to prevent the growth and salary of the county Cops.county Police officers recieved the derisive term of the "Jr Varsity" from fellow LASD Deputies,and even today you can sometimes see the tension of animosity between the two organizations as an outside officer when you deliver suspects for medical treatment at L.A. county general hospital- you very rarely see them acknowledge one another ,even on "slow" days( LASD maintains a jail ward for sick and injured arrestees there,while the county police patrol the faciity and outlying area of the property).not that I'd doubt that each unit wouldn't back the other in case of emergency,but when talking to both sides independently you hear the complaints-some legit ,some ego.The race card was a sticky and hurtful way to go for what they wanted,and I don't believe that the suit is over with.do the county police deserve a raise? you bet-they work hard and many of them are professional police officers up to the challenge of their assignments.but I believe they should have based their suit on their responsiblities /duties ,training,and placed that in comparison to what other area agencies pay their officers for like conditions.then ,at arbitration, worked for a fine median - the current avg pay in So.Calif is min $52K to $67K,on the avg-alot better than the $43K to 54K avg for a county police officer and less costly to mgm't than trying to match and demand the $54K to $92k/yr for Deputy sheriffs.Ultimately my "fear" is that other local Police agencies will be impacted by this lawsuit reversal when their mgm't decides to pay less ,instead of keeping up with the "jones's"(other local depts).............
The 550 man police force,responsible for patrol of county facilities ,parks and urban recreational locations,warehouses,juvenile detention facilities,county probation offices,hospitals,municipal airports,and the hollywood bowl, patrol roughly 2800 sq miles of the counties nearly 4,000 sq miles.They are tasked with responding to radio calls, preliminary invs. gang suppression in county parks ,arrest of misd. and felony violations, and many "basic" police services , but are still considered "SECURITY GUARDS" ,despite being classified as armed "peace officers" under section 830.31(a) of the California Penal code.The County Police-LACOPS is technically the 5th LARGEST police force in the county of Los Angeles,with 200 additional civilian positions and 300 contract employees.In the past 20 yrs (4) county police officers have been killed while on the job in violent confrontations and many others have been injured /disabled in performing "police work" according to their assignments by County mgm't.Currently LASD Deputies recieve (24-26)wks of training at the LASD academy,while County Police officers recieve (22)wks of training at Rio Hondo regional Academy,along side other local PD recruits.
Problems forseen? L.A.county Police officers are the LOWEST PAID "police officers" in the county (only South Pasadena PD and Sierra Madre PD are as low,but these agencies have BETTER benefits,and the valued 3%@50 PERS retirements).In a current L.E. job market ,where qualified and INTERESTED applicants are hard to find or retain,and with almost 90% of the California Depts hiring with large openings,low pay and crummy work assignments,and job dissatisfaction,plus the potential for hazardous working conditions tends to run off even the most mediocre applicant-like most police officers in L.A. county ,you're only a traffic stop away from gun arrest,and running into narcotics or a violent confrontation depends on how soon the sun goes down when you load up your shotgun and hit the streets.Add to this the fact that despite attempts to find alternatives to hiring -ala placing armed contract security guards in some fixed post positions-the problem continues to be the FACT that the County Police officer position is a needed and necessary component of public safety within the county government.As a force multiplier,they free up just as badly NEEDED Deputy sheriffs for jail duty and county contract police patrols of incorporated and unincorporated communities in L.A. county.Many disenfranchised County officers are applying with all the expensive POST certified training they've recieved to other local police depts and sheriffs depts( including LASD) ,leaving large openings and relatively inexperienced officers to handle their service loads- this is recipe for disaster in terms of liability ( Officer involved shootings,excessive force charges,and officer safety issues).At one time the county police were considerably "2nd rate"-they used surplus Sheriffs equipment -which if anyone knows the LASD(who literally throw NOTHING away) the equipment was well PAST worn out.The officers were generally pulled from county clerical positions,or deputy Trainees that couldn't pass probation or training due to marginal performance.but we're talking nearly 20 yrs ago-Now officers are fully expected to be POST trained and routinely follow in-service classes to comply with the standards of LASD and other state,local ,and county police agencies,they have decent equip and weapons ( AR-15s and GLOCKS are part of the issue) even their level of leadership has improved,first with former LAPD interim chief ( and recent LA Airport Public safety director) Bayan Lewis, now former LAPD Dep chief Margaret York ( wife of superior court Judge Lance Ito ) as Chief of the LAC OPS.The LACOPS have been a cost savings to the county in terms of salary for services rendered and liability,but with a dept struggling to hold onto 500+ personnel and needing almost 700,how long can that last?
My take on this set back? This lawsuit has been a bitter pill to all involved in it -LACPOA,LACOPS,County BOS,LASD,the community)-it threw the "Race card" at fellow county law enforcement,even at one time accusing them "officially" of conspiring to prevent the growth and salary of the county Cops.county Police officers recieved the derisive term of the "Jr Varsity" from fellow LASD Deputies,and even today you can sometimes see the tension of animosity between the two organizations as an outside officer when you deliver suspects for medical treatment at L.A. county general hospital- you very rarely see them acknowledge one another ,even on "slow" days( LASD maintains a jail ward for sick and injured arrestees there,while the county police patrol the faciity and outlying area of the property).not that I'd doubt that each unit wouldn't back the other in case of emergency,but when talking to both sides independently you hear the complaints-some legit ,some ego.The race card was a sticky and hurtful way to go for what they wanted,and I don't believe that the suit is over with.do the county police deserve a raise? you bet-they work hard and many of them are professional police officers up to the challenge of their assignments.but I believe they should have based their suit on their responsiblities /duties ,training,and placed that in comparison to what other area agencies pay their officers for like conditions.then ,at arbitration, worked for a fine median - the current avg pay in So.Calif is min $52K to $67K,on the avg-alot better than the $43K to 54K avg for a county police officer and less costly to mgm't than trying to match and demand the $54K to $92k/yr for Deputy sheriffs.Ultimately my "fear" is that other local Police agencies will be impacted by this lawsuit reversal when their mgm't decides to pay less ,instead of keeping up with the "jones's"(other local depts).............
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