Slowing LAPD hiring?

Despite vowing that a trash-fee hike last year would be used only to hire more police officers, Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard Parks is suggesting reducing officer hiring and diverting the funds to balance a shaky city budget. Daily News.

Citing overspending by the Los Angeles Police Department, Parks said Monday that he plans to suggest the moves to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as a way to rein in spending and balance the city's budget.

"This is one of the things that happens when departments don't live within their budget," said Parks, a former LAPD chief and one of the department's sharpest critics.