CALL OUT FOR FIRE, POLICE RECRUITS; LOCAL AGENCIES SEEK MANY NEW HIRES.Byline: Troy Anderson and Jesse Hiestand Staff Writers Police and fire agencies throughout Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, are looking to hire hundreds of police officers, firefighters and civilians in coming months, officials said Saturday. A combination of a tight job market, pending retirements, recent police scandals and a lack of qualified applicants brought dozens of law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is a term used to describe any agency which enforces the law. This may be a local or state police, federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). to Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Saturday to conduct job expos for badly needed recruits. Hundreds of people attended the Los Angeles Public Safety Expo at the Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center in Los Angeles where Los Angeles police, fire and park departments officials set up exhibits, put on demonstrations and held seminars to attract recruits. In a related event, recruiters from about 30 police agencies gathered in the parking lot of the Glendale Civic Auditorium Civic Auditorium is a name commonly used for a city's auditorium and/or arena. Canada
As U.S. Army soldiers rubbed camouflage makeup on the faces of youngsters and the Los Angeles Laker Girls The Laker Girls are an all-female National Basketball Association cheerleading dance squad that performs and supports the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team in both home and away matches. They also perform at many other events and venues. demonstrated their dances at the Glendale show, the officers pitched the benefits of their department's pay package and job security. It was a task made tougher by flaps and shooting scandals that have recently tarnished the image of police. ``Nobody wants to be a cop any more because of all the stuff that's going on with lawsuits and because the economy is so good,'' said Senior Officer Bill Madrid of the Los Angeles County Office of Public Safety The Los Angeles County Office of Public Safety (LACOPS), less formally known as the Los Angeles County Police, was formed in 1998 as a consolidation of the Department of Parks and Recreation’s Park Police and the Department of Health Services’s and . ``We have 120 openings right now we need to fill. It's ridiculous.'' Los Angeles Police Department "LAPD" and "L.A.P.D." redirect here. For other uses, see LAPD (disambiguation).  This article or section is written like an . Commander Betty Kelepecz said the
department is looking to fill 750 to 790 sworn-officer positions and 590
civilian jobs in the department by July 2000.
``The economy is wonderful and unemployment is low, and we are having difficulty recruiting people,'' she said. ``We used to recruit only in Los Angeles - but we aren't finding enough qualified people so we have gone to Washington and plan to go to Arizona soon.'' Los Angeles Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), also known as the Los Angeles City Fire Department to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. It is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles. Chief William Bamattre said he's looking to hire 250 firefighters and paramedics next year and 150 a year for several years afterward. ``We're coming off a four-year hiring freeze Noun 1. hiring freeze - a freeze on hiring freeze - fixing (of prices or wages etc) at a particular level; "a freeze on hiring" ,'' said Firefighter D'Lisa Davies. ``We have a lot of people with 30 or more years with the department who are retiring.'' Starting salaries for police officers range from $41,175 to $55,311 and include similar benefits. Applicants are required to be between ages 21 and 35, have a high school diploma A high school diploma is a diploma awarded for the completion of high school. In the United States and Canada, it is considered the minimum education required for government jobs and higher education. An equivalent is the GED. , be in excellent health, take tests and train at the police academy. Starting salaries for firefighters are $39,171 to $41,259 and benefits include a pension plan, health insurance and paid vacation Noun 1. paid vacation - a vacation from work by an employee with pay granted holiday, vacation - leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure; "we get two weeks of vacation every summer"; "we took a short holiday in Puerto Rico" . Applicants are required to have a high school diploma or a G.E.D., be in good physical shape and a non-smoker, undergo testing and train at the city's training academy. Los Angeles resident Jonathan Tyler Jonathan Tyler is a Green Party activist and academic. Political career Tyler was the Ecology Party's first Parliamentary candidate, in the Walsall North by-election in 1976, at a time when he was a transport lecturer at the University of Birmingham. , 15, a firefighter Explorer, said his older brother was training to be a firefighter but was shot to death before he could achieve his dream. ``I want to finish what he started,'' Tyler said. ``I want to save lives. It's a real serious job because you are dealing with people's lives.'' Los Angeles resident Romeo Robles Robles is a common surname in the Spanish language meaning oaks, and may refer to:
``When you are a little kid, you are raised to be Superman,'' he said. ``I want a more down-to-earth job, like saving lives. I want to be a hero, I guess.'' Los Angeles Park Ranger Lee Norris said the parks department is looking to hire 10 park rangers and more harbor and airport officers. Starting salaries for park rangers are $34,032 to $42,276. Applicants must have a college degree or law enforcement or park-related experience and take tests and training. Among agencies seeking recruits and reserves in Glendale were sheriff's departments from Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties, as well as smaller departments from cities such as Fontana, Inglewood, Simi Valley and even Mesa, Ariz. Arthur Gonzalez, 25, of Canoga Park said he had no intention of becoming a police officer but brought his wife and two daughters, ages 4 and 6. ``I came out for the kids - so they won't be afraid of the police,'' Gonzalez said. ``I want them to know they're all right, that not everyone's corrupt.'' CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Youngsters wearing camouflage paint on their faces move next to experience fingerprinting during the Police Expo in Glendale. (2) Aaron Meza, 3, of Glendale inspects his sticker badges Saturday at the Police Expo. Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer |
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