STRUGGLING LOS ANGELES POLICE TO STEP UP RECRUITING EFFORTS

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 13 -- With morale sapped and hiring growing more
difficult at the Los Angeles Police Department, the force's newly installed
civilian oversight body has announced it will focus on recruitment in an
effort to restore some luster to the tarnished department.

The department has about 8,900 officers, well below its authorized level of
close to 10,200. This is in spite of an extensive campaign to bring in new
recruits.

Bernard Parks, the department's chief, has said that the biggest problem is
the strong economy and the fact of better paying jobs elsewhere. But many
experts have rejected that, saying that low morale within the force is a
critical factor.

"Given the difficulty that the department has had in reforming itself and
the notoriety produced by the Rampart scandal, it's not surprising the Los
Angeles Police Department has been unable to meet its recruitment goals,"
said Mark Steinberg, a lawyer who was a deputy general counsel to a reform
effort, called the Christopher Commission, almost a decade ago.

The department has had several scandals in the past decade. These include
the televised beating of Rodney G. King, accusations of racism in the O. J.
Simpson murder trial and, most recently, the Ramparts scandal, in which a
group of rogue officers were said to have beaten suspects, stolen drugs and
illegally shot gang members and planted guns on them.

The embarrassment deepened last year when the City of Los Angeles was
forced to sign a consent decree with the Justice Department. The decree,
which follows years of failed efforts at reform, has placed a federal
monitor over the department.

When the new mayor, James K. Hahn, took over in July, he chose a new police
commission, which had its first official meeting last week. Rick Caruso, a
lawyer and real estate developer, was named the new commission president,
and he and the other commissioners called for a major study by an outside
consultant of how the Police Department's compensation and benefit package
compared with those of other departments.

The proposal requires approval by the City Council, but it appears likely
that there will be strong support.

"This has to be one of our top priorities," Mr. Caruso said. "Morale is an
important factor, especially since we have a problem with the retention of
officers, who leave for other forces. That is not an economic issue."

The range of starting annual pay for officers here was raised last year to
$44,500 to nearly $60,000, depending on experience and educational levels.
That is described as competitive with police departments in other large cities.

"I think the commission is doing the right thing," said Dean Hansell, a
lawyer and departing member of the police commission. "This is a priority
issue."