Mayor Garcetti vows to make sweeping change in policing following days of unrest in LA
LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti plans to make big changes in the city following the death of George Floyd and nearly a week of protests.
During a press briefing Wednesday evening, he said he asked the City Administrative Officer to reallocate $250 million from city's proposed 2020-2021 budget to be invested in minority communities in Los Angeles to address health, jobs, and education.
He says cuts will be made across all departments, including the police budget. He says his proposal to trim up to $150 million from the Los Angeles Police Department's nearly $1.86 proposed budget is not an "attack'' on the police. "This is pro-justice ... this is pro-public safety,'' the mayor said.
“We will invest in young people through community services and youth development that will change lives so that we can keep people away from any criminal justice system,” he added.
He said he plans to increase departmental training and increase discipline against inappropriate actions.
He said this is just a start but is committed to pushing forward and hearing the voices of the community and meeting their demands.
“As many people have said, nobody hates a bad cop more than a good cop. We have to make sure that there is no culture of silence,” he added.
A police officer stands with armed members of the National Guard facing protesters marching over the death of George Floyd. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)
Garcetti also said the city will place a moratorium on the Los Angeles Police Department entering names into the CalGang database, which is a system that tracks people who may be affiliated with gangs, as the LAPD is investigating its alleged misuse of the system.
Another change the mayor mentioned was hiring an independent prosecutor, outside the District Attorney's Office, to review discipline options regarding LAPD officers.
The city's Civil and Human Rights Commission will hold its first meeting next week to address these changes.