Thread: LAPD hopes to recruit by offering recession-proof jobs

LAPD hopes to recruit by offering recession-proof jobs
By Kevin Modesti, Staff Writer
Updated: 01/03/2009 10:44:28 PM PST

Jan 4:
Brothers' new jobs in Army secure, not safeApplications for Los Angeles police officer jobs surged last month as LAPD recruiters began advertising crime-fighting as one of the few recession-proof careers.

The spike in interest, from 401 people taking the applicants' written test in December 2007 to 870 a year later, followed months of sharp but less eye-popping increases, recruiters said.

Recruiters' message to job seekers: Although being a police officer might not be completely safe, it is relatively secure.

"During these times of economic uncertainty," read a full-page advertisement that appeared in December in the Daily News and on job-hunting Web sites, "the (LAPD) is always looking for a few good women and men to protect and to serve our communities.


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The downturn in the economy has offered an upside for the LAPD as it tries to meet Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's goal of achieving a 10,000-officer force by the fall. The department, which now has nearly 9,800 officers, has been hiring about 60 a month, more than making up for losses to retirement and attrition, Cmdr. Jim Cansler said.

Cansler, who heads the LAPD's personnel group, said only one in every 10 or 11 applicants typically ends up in uniform.

"With the demands on the department, the calls for service, as we try to make Los Angeles the safest city it can be, we need officers," Cansler said. "The only way to get there is to hire officers and not lay anybody off."

The LAPD has been trying to boost its officer ranks to bring it in line with staffing standards at other large metropolitan police departments. The LAPD has fewer officers per capita than many other major cities, and patrols a much larger geographic area.

The recruiting effort does not apply to the LAPD's nonsworn, civilian staffing, which has 500 open positions.

Cansler said the "economic uncertainty" ad - which made its first newspaper appearance shortly after Thanksgiving - can help LAPD reach beyond the military veterans and police officers' relatives who make up the typical applicants' pool.

"That ad is aimed at two (kinds of) people," Cansler said. "The young person who is aware of the downsizing of companies, letting them know that if you work for LAPD, you'll never have to worry about that. (And) the person who is in a job where they are contemplating layoffs.

"For somebody who has never considered being a police officer before, now is the time to think about it."

Cansler said that beyond the economy's impact on the job market, he can't think of a reason for the rise in applications for so-called "Officer I" positions, which promise starting salaries of $56,522 to $75,878 depending on education and experience.

Before December's 117 percent year-to-year increase in test-taking applicants, the LAPD had been exceeding its recruiting goals for months, said Janeshia Robinson, a senior recruiting analyst for the Los Angeles Police and Fire departments. Applications were up by about one-third in September, October and November compared with the same months in 2007, Robinson said.

Robinson said she's one of four people who dreamed up the ad reminding job-seekers that even as other industries are slowing down, crime and crime-fighting remain vigorous.

"Our team works hard to see we put out a message that's relevant and to-the-point," Robinson said. "We just tried to think of a way to speak to the current employment pool.

"Usually, we say we're looking for somebody who wants to make a difference, to appeal to pride in community. (But) seeing an ad like that (pitching job security) might prompt somebody to give us a second look.

"There are probably a lot of people out there who would be good at a career in public safety, and the economy might be the catalyst for them to try."

It generally takes three to four months for a successful applicant to enter the Los Angeles Police Academy - at which point he or she begins to draw a salary - and at least nine months to join the force, Robinson said.

She said applications to the Los Angeles Fire Department also have increased, but this is thought to stem more from changes in application requirements.

kevin.modesti@dailynews.com 818-713-3616

http://www.dailynews.com/breakingnews/ci_11364441

LAPD opens new digs $36 million police station debuts in Canoga Park
By Connie Llanos, Staff Writer
Updated: 01/03/2009 11:49:24 PM PST


Los Angeles Police Department service representative Monica Fairbanks monitors video displays and phone calls from the watch commander's office at the Topanga Area Community Police Station in Canoga Park on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2009. (Evan Yee/Staff Photographer)


CANOGA PARK - After years of planning and preparation, a crowd of more than 1,200 celebrated Saturday at the 21st station opened by the Los Angeles Police Department in its 140-year history.

From an explosive SWAT pursuit demonstration to an American Indian blessing, the dedication ceremony for the Topanga Area Community Police Station was marked by performances and speeches from local politicians.

A "fashionably late" Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who said he was delayed because he was making breakfast for his kids, stressed the importance of the new station's opening.

"What we are celebrating here is not just a building but that a community can live in peace," Villaraigosa said.

The $36 million Topanga station was funded under a $600 million voter-approved bond measure in 2002 to expand police services and facilities.

LAPD Police Chief William Bratton, who pointed to a 40-year low in city crime statistics last year, thanked the community for approving the bonds and hikes in trash fees that will help fund staffing for the new station.

"For too long, this organization has been asked to do too much with too few. You made the decision to use your dollars, your votes, and your voice to say you wanted a safer city," Bratton said.

"Without this support we would not be here celebrating this opening. There would be mothballs and plywood still here."

A community resident selected the station's name, Topanga, derived from a Chumash Indian term for the Santa Monica Mountains. Officers from the new station, located on Schoenborn Street near Roscoe and Canoga, will patrol 32 square miles covering West Hills, Canoga Park, Winnetka and Woodland Hills.

The station relieves the West Valley Division of about half of its workload and takes a slice of its patrol area from the southwest portion of the Devonshire Division.

Capt. Maureen Ryan said several things at this station will be done differently. For starters, Ryan is the first female to become a new captain at a new station in LAPD history.

"That's never been done," she said.

The station will be the first to have an all-keyless access system. It will also launch a new wireless video program allowing officers to use pan-and-tilt cameras that can be controlled from the station to watch problem areas or intersections.

The new station will also use an all-volunteer team to staff the front desk.

Sgt. Kimberly Harper, Topanga's community-relations liaison, said the opportunity to start a station from scratch made the recruiting process much easier.

"We have a lot of leaders working here, people with a lot of energy," she said.

For community members such as Vasilia Alvarez, 51, having the new station is a relief.

Alvarez said she often finds people at night drinking in her back alley or tagging the walls.

"Now we have our own community station. We know where to go, and we'll be safer," she said.

The new station is also an environmentally friendly facility, with energy-efficient lighting, drought- resistant landscaping and a high-tech irrigation system that controls water use based on outdoor temperatures.

Saundra Watson, a Canoga Park resident, said she hopes the station can help police reduce crime in an area that she said people often mistakenly think is crime-free.

"People might think this is the safest area

Click to enlarge in the city, but you have to live here, you have to hear the shooting, to know what's going on," she said.
"We'll see what they do."

For more information on the Topanga station, visit lapdonline.org or call 818-756-3180.

connie.llanos@dailynews.com 818-713-3634
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_11364313

I feel sorry for the LAPD and other police forces around our country, that want to protect our people but are only given limited authority because the elites have tied their hands, as is evidenced by the false incarceration of respected border guards Ramos and Compean.

Recession proof until there are budget cuts.