LAPD union wants officers to stop responding to more than 24 types of calls the department receives

The Los Angeles Police Department’s largest police union is calling on police to stop responding to more than 24 types of calls and to direct those inquiries to other city departments.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League, ahead of upcoming contract talks with the city, plans to ask nonprofits or other public departments to handle more than two dozen types of crimes.

Reassigned crimes include things like illegal sidewalk sales, public urination, non-violent mental health episodes, and complaints about dangerous dogs.

In addition to allowing the already understaffed force to focus on more violent crimes, the union says more cases will be solved and morale will be boosted.

“Police officers are being sent to too many calls better suited to unarmed service providers,” Craig Lally, the union’s president, said in a statement obtained by the Los Angeles Times.

During her campaign last year, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass had advocated the creation of a new public safety agency that would not involve the LAPD.

According to the LA Times, the Los Angeles City Council is currently planning to invest $1 million in an Office of Unarmed Response and Safety.

DailyMail.com reached out to Bass’ office for comment on Wednesday, but had not heard back at time of publication.

However, Councilman Tim McOsker said he is excited about the prospect of working with the union to establish the “unarmed response” program.

“This list includes calls for service that would reasonably and safely not require an armed officer,” McOsker said.

The councilman is also an attorney who represented the Los Angeles Police Department union for many years.

In recent years, the Los Angeles City Council has focused on shifting duties to the police for calls related to less serious situations.

Last year, two councilors called on the city to siphon money from the Los Angeles Police Department and redistribute the wealth to other social services.

In their new proposal, union representatives stated that they believe that “certain types of calls for service may not require an armed response.”

Under the new proposal, LAPD officers would no longer be required to attend homeless camp cleanups or most “welfare checks,” as well as calls related to illegal dumping of fireworks, partying and drinking in public.

The proposed changes come as the department continues to experience difficulties recruiting and retaining employees.

The LAPD has lost some 800 officers since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are still some non-violent or non-injury calls – specifically related to traffic accidents – the union is still in favor of monitoring traffic enforcement.

In their proposal, they cited an alarming number of pedestrian and motor vehicle deaths in Los Angeles in recent months and years.

The proposal must go through multiple steps, including the city’s Executive Employee Relations Committee, before formal approval.

In addition, the Los Angeles City Council would have to sign.

In 2022, the LAPD reported 229,584 crimes, an 11.6 percent increase from 2021.

Violent crimes were up 1.1 percent over the year, according to crime facts.

That said, by 2022 there were 15 fewer homicides.

Meanwhile, burglaries, robberies and robberies with weapons increased exponentially.