WANTED: COP RECRUITS MONEY'S THERE, BUT GOOD CANDIDATES NOW HARDER TO FIND.

Byline: Troy Anderson and Jason Kandel Staff Writers

Despite suddenly finding the money to pay for hundreds of badly needed new officers, the LAPD and county Sheriff's Department face stiff competition for qualified recruits and will have a hard time fulfilling their promises.

It's taken a year for the neighboring Glendale Police Department to add 25 officers to its ranks, while Burbank has been trying for a year to fill nine vacancies with qualified candidates. And the LAPD and sheriff intend to hire more than 1,600 officers as quickly as possible to beef up patrols and staff jails that will be reopened.

``Recruitment is clearly the challenge of the decade for law enforcement,'' Glendale Police Chief Randy Adams said.

The difficulty facing law enforcement agencies nationwide in hiring qualified candidates has stiffened in recent years as the economy has picked up and the popularity of wearing a badge has waned. The job is viewed by many as grueling and thankless.

``For whatever reason, this job is not as enticing as it was 10 or 15 years ago,'' said Lt. Art Miller, who heads the Los Angeles Police Department's recruitment division.

``Why do it? It's a dangerous job. You don't get respected. You're working different hours - weekends, nights and holidays. (Candidates) hear about the isolated incidents - police brutality, use of force. Police are always getting scrutinized.''

Also, many who would have chosen to become cops have instead joined the military and are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

``In the last couple of years it's become more difficult to recruit officers,'' said Gene Voegtlin, legislative counsel for the International Association of Chiefs of Police. ``Unfortunately, there is an increased need for more qualified law enforcement officers in the post-9-11 environment.''

Ironically, the difficulty in recruiting cops is occurring at the same time that a sudden infusion of cash into government budgets is allowing the hiring for the first time in years. Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton hopes to hire 720 more officers, while Sheriff Lee Baca has a set a goal of 900 more deputies.

The extra funds - mainly from property-tax revenues due to the booming housing market - come only months after Baca, Bratton and most of the region's political and law enforcement leaders campaigned for a half- percent sales-tax increase they said was needed to hire more officers. It fell well short of passing in November by the required two-thirds margin.

The measure was designed to raise $560 million annually to help law enforcement agencies countywide hire 5,000 more police officers and sheriff's deputies.

That countywide measure was followed by a proposal to put a half-percent sales-tax increase measure on the city's May 17 mayoral runoff ballot. The City Council rejected the proposal in February.

``I think those measures had more to do with increasing officers' pay than they did about increasing the actual number of peace officers,'' said Kris Vosburgh, executive director of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

But Baca said the sales-tax increase would have allowed him to hire 1,500 more deputies and provided a steady stream of revenue in the future, even if property-tax revenues dry up as the housing market cools off.

In an effort to hire as many officers as quickly as possible, some police agencies are easing physical requirements and other standards.

The Burbank Police Department has eliminated questions from written tests not directly tied to the jobs police do and no longer requires recruits to complete all physical agility tests while running the exercise course.

``Good cardiovascular health is something we test for and want officers to have, but jumping over a 6-foot wall at the same time doesn't have to be part of it,'' Burbank Deputy Chief Larry Koch said.

Some police agencies have eliminated age requirements and are more lenient on criminal backgrounds, especially if the charges were committed in the recruit's youth.

``Experimental drug use won't disqualify you, in all probability,'' Koch said. ``Certainly, if you were addicted to drugs that's a disqualifier.''

Over the years, the LAPD has dropped the requirement that officers be at least 5 feet 8 inches tall. And the department's relaxed its physical fitness testing standards, too.

``That's a horrible statement to make to the public,'' said Beverly Hills civil-rights attorney Leo Terrell.

``It's just outrageous and inconsistent with any principle that the people you want in the power of responsibility to act under the color of law not to be the best and finest.''

Baca, whose biggest obstacle in recruiting is a requirement that deputies first serve several years working in the county jails, said he's optimistic he'll be able to hire 900 more deputies without lowering standards.

In addition, the 7,000-member Association of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs recently ratified a new contract that provides a 5 percent raise and longevity increases that new deputies would enjoy.

The LAPD touts its great benefits - $47,700 starting salary for those who have high school diplomas or General Education Development diplomas, and $51,570 for those with college degrees. That compares with a starting salary range of $42,461-$70,105 in the Sheriff's Department; $58,572-$76,512 in the Glendale Police Department; and $56,184-$65,160 in the Burbank Police Department.

Still, the competition for recruits between the Sheriff's Department and the LAPD is rough.

Miller said about 600 candidates take the written test - the first step in the 90-day process - every month, but that only 3 percent wind up getting hired. He said that in order to fulfill Bratton's goal of hiring more than 700 cops next year, he will have to have about 800 people take the test every month.

``We've got a lot of great candidates,'' said Bruce Whidden, the spokesman for the city's Personnel Department. ``The biggest problem we've got is that other agencies are trolling out of the same pool.''

So, the LAPD last year tried adding some more bells and whistles to its recruiting campaign.

The city spent $500,000 from the General Fund to contract with the marketing and public-relations firm Weber Shandwick to create a flashy new recruitment movie that is being aired in movie theaters around the city and a stylish Web site.

``(It combines) the pizazz of Hollywood and the drama of real-life cops in action,'' said Eric Rose, a senior vice president of Weber Shandwick.

Troy Anderson, [phone]

troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com

THE PROCESS OF BECOMING AN LAPD OFFICER

QUALIFICATIONS:

Here are the qualifications for Los Angeles Police Department applicants:

--U.S. or naturalized citizens, at least 20 1/2 years old.

--Have at least a high school diploma or GED equivalent.

--Be able to read, write and communicate effectively; be good listeners.

--Do not have to live in city of Los Angeles.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

--A preliminary background application that identifies whether you have a realistic chance at becoming a police officer.

--A written test of reading comprehension, English usage and writing skills.

--An oral interview before a three-member LAPD panel to determine problem-solving abilities, personal accomplishments, respect for diversity, community service orientation, role adaptability and motivation.

--A physical abilities test that measures strength, agility and endurance. The tests are pass/fail involving a side-step exercise, cable pull and stationary bicycle. These tests can be retaken.

--A background interview that includes personal history, a questionnaire and fingerprinting. If you meet the city's standards, a thorough background investigation will be conducted.

--If you pass the background investigation, a polygraph test will be administered to confirm the information you have given.

--A medical examination and written psychological test will then be performed. Candidates must be able to perform the functions of the job; meet body-fat percent standards - a maximum of 30 percent for women, and 22 percent for men; have vision of 20/30 naturally or with corrective lenses; and be able to understand speech in noisy areas, whispered speech, and localize sounds. The psychological test consists of personality and life-history questionnaires and is reviewed by staff psychologists.

--If medical requirements and background standards are met, an oral psychological interview will be conducted.

--Candidates are certified based on their oral interview score and LAPD hiring needs. Applicants are not automatically hired, but are ranked according to their scores. Applicants then await selection by LAPD management for admission to the Police Academy.

ACADEMY TRAINING:

The academy is a 28-week series of classes on policy, arrest and booking procedures, radio and communications, report writing, traffic investigation, human relations, law, discipline, consent decree, emergency driving, and firearms and tactics training. Cadets begin receiving an annual salary, which begins at $47,000 a year.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Police Department

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) New LAPD Officer Nazik Halburian hugs her brother, Parsek, after graduation ceremonies for her recruiting class.

(2 -- color) Glendale Officer Jason Will prepares to write a traffic citation as Field Training Officer Carlos Alpuerto observes.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer

Box:

THE PROCESS OF BECOMING AN LAPD OFFICER (see text)