LAPD JOB STANDARDS TOO STRICT, CHIEF SAYS DRUG USE, FINANCIAL ISSUES ARE BARRIERS.

Byline: Rick Orlov and Troy Anderson Staff Writers

Engaged in a high-stakes competition with other law enforcement agencies to lure the best recruits as it bolsters its ranks, the LAPD is looking to soften some of its requirements for new hires.

Police Chief William Bratton, who hopes to see the Los Angeles Police Department grow from 9,220 officers to 10,500 within three years, said Thursday that the city should modify its stance on whether an applicant ever used drugs or had financial problems.

``We have to be realistic, while looking to keep the highest standards,'' Bratton said. ``I think, in this day, it is hard to find young people who haven't experimented with drugs. And I think we need to look beyond the issue of whether someone has financial problems.

``Someone making (only) $20,000 a year is going to have financial problems.''

City Personnel Director Margaret Whelan said the issue would have to be reviewed by the Civil Service Commission, but such standards are subject to continual review.

``We are in a very challenging market these days,'' Whelan said. ``We are hiring, as is the Sheriff's Department, as are other local agencies. We want to make sure that we don't have rules and regulations that keep people out of the process.''

The LAPD is budgeted this year to hire 720 officers for jobs with an annual base salary of $47,000, with bonuses for those with college degrees and who speak a second language.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is looking to hire 1,000 deputies, and other local departments have funding to expand, as well.

``Right now, we have a rough ratio of talking to 15 candidates for every one we hire,'' Whelan said. ``If we can cut that some, it gives us a bigger pool to draw upon.''

The expansion is an attempt to reverse an eight-year decline in the LAPD's staffing. After peaking at 9,589 sworn officers in 1997 - up from 7,755 in 1992 - the LAPD's ranks have since fallen to 9,220.

``Our officers are not as safe as they should be,'' said Bob Baker, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League. ``We constantly put them at risk every night.

``Our patrol force is not as big as it should be. For the size of the city of Los Angeles, we're grossly understaffed.''

Since February, recruit classes have been close to the 60-person capacity - 320 recruits are in the department's academy right now, an average of 53 per class. Soldiers and Marines returning from duty in Iraq have made good recruits.

``I've seen quite a bit more military personnel,'' said Officer Jim Buck, a drill instructor at the academy. ``They've been to the war and they have a lot of professionalism and people skills. They tend to be outstanding recruits.''

The department recently launched an aggressive marketing campaign, unveiling a Web site and airing three television commercials designed to highlight the self-fulfillment of the job. Billboards pushing the theme are expected to be erected around the city in coming weeks.

The LAPD's marketing push is designed to prevent candidates from joining other agencies, but Bratton said he is concerned that the LAPD's stiff requirements could drive recruits to those agencies anyway.

``I hate to see people go through our process, get rejected and end up elsewhere when they would have been a quality candidate,'' Bratton said.

The Sheriff's Department is considering asking the Board of Supervisors to offer signing bonuses for recruits, something other law enforcement agencies are doing.

The Burbank Police Department is offering a $5,000 bonus for officers who transfer from another agency and $2,000 for new recruits. Anaheim, Burbank and Los Angeles also offer bonuses to employees who refer candidates to their police departments.

``Every available mechanism is being considered to attract qualified recruits,'' Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore said. ``We are also looking at the possibility of offering some form of educational incentives for deputies.''

Steve Remige, executive vice president of the Association of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, said the Sheriff's Department is having a difficult time recruiting deputies because it's competing with so many other agencies and its starting pay is lower.

``The biggest problem is that just about every law enforcement agency in Southern California is having some type of recruitment drive currently,'' Remige said. ``Just about everybody is short on personnel.''

The salary range for sheriff's deputies is $43,714 to $72,213 a year. In comparison, the salary range is $56,184 to $65,160 for the Burbank Police Department and $58,572 to $76,512 for Glendale.

Recruiter Russ Quan said the Glendale Police Department has been able to hire several sheriff's deputies who were tired of working in the jails and wanted to be on patrol.

``Because Glendale pays the most in Southern California, we've been able to tap into the Sheriff's Department as a resource of applicants,'' he said.

Bratton said he is satisfied with the present pace of hiring and that the only way more recruits could be hired is by expanding the LAPD's training facilities.

The chief said he submitted a memo to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa outlining the details of adding 1,300 officers - a process that could take three years to accomplish, but only if the city is able to provide the funds.

Villaraigosa has said he is committed to expanding the LAPD and would consider asking voters for a countywide sales-tax increase if it is needed.

Also, Bratton announced that the LAPD is stepping up an enforcement program using motorcycle officers to deal with drunken drivers and speeders. Under a $2.4 million grant from the state, the city will be adding officers on overtime to cite motorists for driving under the influence, speeding, hit-and-run driving and seat-belt violations, he said.

Staff Writer Josh Kleinbaum contributed to this report.

Rick Orlov, [phone]

rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com