Despite a multimillion budget, the Los Angeles Police Department was forced to cut overtime pay to officers after spending $40 million on protests and coronavirus.
This comes amid a possible cut to LAPD's budget by $100 to $150 million and redirected into various other community programs. The council's Budget and Finance Committee voted unanimously Monday to move forward with the proposal, which won't be finalized until later this month. Tuesday, the City Council will meet to address the request to cut the budget.
According to reporting by the Los Angeles Times, the department used nearly 10,000 officers daily for a week starting May 30, creating a deficit in the emergency budget.
Chief Michel Moore said in a memo, that any overtime earned by officers from June 7 onward will be paid ou in compensation time.
"I recognize that you have worked tirelessly these past couple weeks during the protests and prior to that during the Safer At Home order. Your dedication and commitment have not gone unnoticed. During this extraordinary time, including the full mobilization of our sworn members, the Department has expended more than $40 million dollars in overtime expenses," Moore wrote Thursday. "This amount far exceeds any budgetary reserve to address unusual occurrences."
Additionally, Moore stated that all non-essential overtime would be canceled.
