LAPD budget breakdown

Chief William Bratton's monthly message on the status of the department gives some details about how the budget abundance provided by Mayor Villaraigosa and the city council (partly by raising the trash collection fee) will be spent. Key to note is that there will be no increase in the number of officers this year. They're still catching up to attrition:

The 1,000-officer build-up begins with the hiring of 650 new officers, to replace retiring officers, for fiscal year 2006/2007. This sets in motion a five-year hiring plan to reach the Mayor’s goal of 1,000 additional officers....

Recognizing the correlation between state-of-the-art equipment and technology, and safe and effective policing, $31 million has been budgeted to continue the Department’s vehicle replacement program, and $5.2 million to replace two helicopters. Two other replacement helicopters are scheduled to be delivered later this year.

The budget also includes $4.4 million for standard technology replacement and to provide field officers with immediate access to other agency databases using wireless data cards. Additionally, $5 million has been allocated from the year-end 2005/2006 budget to begin the replacement of police portable radios over the next several years.

Using money proposed in the 2006/2007 budget, there would be enough funding to install in-car camera systems in four geographic
Areas next year. The Cameras will, in effect, improve accountability, ensure the highest levels of officer integrity and provide concrete evidence for investigations into alleged misconduct. These video cameras will be an
officer’s strongest ally against false or erroneous complaints.

You have often heard me say, “you can expect what you inspect.” To that end, and to continue our policy of transparency and accountability, the budget provides more funding for the Office of the Inspector General and the Civil Rights Integrity, Audit and Force Investigation Divisions.

After the jump are the city's crime stats for 2006: