What is a Police Specialist?

[lawandasan]

Can someone please tell me what is a Police Specialist? duties and purpose.
la city website doesn't help as far as distinguishing betw other officers.

[Berlioz]

Lateral police officer, I believe.

[sgttom]

lateral police officer.

[DOAcop38]

Can someone please tell me what is a Police Specialist? duties and purpose.
la city website doesn't help as far as distinguishing betw other officers.

LAPD doesn't have a "True" lateral program,like alot of other Police agencies. the Police specialist position was created to stem the loss of officers due to retirements and low morale during the evil Parks regime as Chief.Officers who were working patrol reserves,or officers who had retired and wanted to come back to work would go thru the process as "specialists";later officers from outside depts were included,but LAPD- unlike other depts ,counts your "non LAPD" training and experience as only equal to " 1/2" the time of a similar tenured LAPD officer-regardless of your "experience" (meaning you could be a well trained 10 yr gang cop from a city like the former Compton PD or LASD,or Long Beach PD,and it would only count as 5 yrs on LAPD!)-Alot of veteran officers who even think about transferring to LAPD ,DON'T because LAPD will NOT pay them according to their experience compared to other depts,and very few in the PERs system of retirement can't transfer it in to the LAPD Tier system of retirement.Even when LAPD absorbed the MTA PD,they had to make a totally seperate job classification just to say that MTA PD officers had "equal status" with LAPD officers, and could "transfer" into LAPD ( the LASD,who took over half the officers from the former MTA, simply swore them in as deputies)

[lawandasan]

Thanks guys

Thanks, DOAcop38, you're always very informative