UNION OBJECTS TO CITY PLAN TO CLOSE IN ON 'BANDIT' TAXIS.

Byline: James Nash Staff Writer

A city initiative to crack down on the estimated 2,000 ``bandit'' taxis in Los Angeles is being hamstrung by union opposition, police commissioners and city officials said Tuesday.

The Engineers and Architects Association is objecting to an effort to pair Department of Transportation inspectors with police officers to identify and arrest unlicensed taxi drivers. About half of all taxis in Los Angeles are unlicensed, with many driven by criminals and people without licenses or insurance.

The proposed LAPD initiative would pay for $60,000 in overtime for officers to accompany the six inspectors assigned to enforce taxi laws or go after bandit taxis on their own.

The city's taxicab administrator, Tom Drischler, said officials were ready to begin the pilot program with the Los Angeles Police Department but that the union's formal protest has delayed the process indefinitely.

Police Commission Vice President Alan Skobin said he was upset that union opposition had stalled the program.

``It's very troubling that the safety of the public is not being put first,'' Skobin said.

In the union's formal claim against the city, executive director Robert Aquino wrote that the proposal would create ``inefficiencies and extra costs'' and would violate agreements between the city and the union.

He did not return phone calls for comment.

James Nash, [phone]

james.nash(at)dailynews.com