Los Angeles Police Department commanders are investigating if an uptick in officers who called in sick over the July 4 weekend was an intentional campaign organized by the police union.
An anonymous letter made the rounds through the LAPD encouraging officers to call in sick in order to make a point about defunding the police department, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“They succeeded in defunding the police; what do you think is next? Our pay? Our benefits? Our pensions? You’re God Damn right all those things are in jeopardy now,” the letter, obtained by The Times reads. “We have to send the city a clear message that we are not expendable and we are not going to take this crap anymore.”
The Times reports that 300 officers called in with "blue flu," (nearly all from one gang-unit) and if it is determined to be intentional, it would be illegal.
The Los Angeles City Council voted July 1 to cut hiring at the Police Department and bring the number of police officers down to below 10,000 by next summer.
The council voted 12 to 2 to cut the number of officers to 9,757, a number that hasn't been seen since 2008.
Much of the money will be coming from funds set aside for overtime pay for officers, and then redirected into community services for Black, Latino, and other marginalized groups, supporting jobs for young people and hiring programs.
The Budget and Finance committee agreed on June 23 to cut the Los Angeles Police Department's budget by more than $133 million.
The motion was initially filed by Council President Nury Martinez as well as councilmen Herb Wesson and Curren Price.
"We need to rethink what it is that makes people safer and makes communities stronger. We cannot just look at the police in isolation," the motion stated. "There is no doubt that communities of color suffer disproportionately from negative interactions with the police."
The operating budget of the LAPD was proposed to be nearly $1.86 billion, up about $122 million from last year, but advocates said, especially due to the financial reckoning of COVID-19, enhancing police spending is not the right move at this time.
"The city of Los Angeles is in the midst of a health and economic pandemic unlike any we have ever seen in our lifetimes," Martinez said. "Following the gruesome murder of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, we are also in the midst of a social and racial justice crisis of epic proportions, where the good people of Los Angeles, as well as the nation, are asking their leaders to re-examine our priorities and to commit to taking a giant leap forward in recognizing and ending racism against black Americans."
Martinez said the budget reduction is "just one aspect of change," and that to end racism will take broader and ideological changes.
"Ultimately, we cannot talk about change, we have to be about change," the council president said.