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Tasked To Handle Fireworks Law-Flouters And Simultaneously Start Policing Metro's Blue Line July 1, LBPD Will Deploy 12 Officers On Blue Line Per 24 Hr Period Initially Using Overtime, Acknowledges These Officers Won't Be Available Citywide BUT Says They Will Support July 4th Mission...And Chief Luna Says All Officers Will Work July 4th Unless They Have Scheduled Vacation Or Unusual Circumstances


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(June 20, 2017, 8:55 a.m.) -- LBREPORT.com has learned that although a formal five-year contract isn't signed as of June 19, LBPD will start policing Metro's Blue Line in Long Beach on July 1, initially deploying twelve officers over each 24-hour operating period with the number subsequently adjusted up or down as necessary [source: Metro Communications Manager Dave Sotero, June 19.]

LBPD's Public Information Detail tells LBREPORT.com that an operating agreement is currently in effect that will enable LBPD deployment on the Blue Line effective July 1.

[Scroll down for further.]

LBPD's start of Blue Line officer deployment will hit during the July 4th holiday weekend, and during a June 6 City Council item on preparing for fireworks issues, Police Chief Robert Luna said July 4th "is the busiest day of the year for the Long Beach Police Department [as well as for LBFD]...Unless you have a scheduled vacation or there's some unusual circumstances, you are working one of the shifts on the 4th of July, so our staffing is significantly increased for that day."

In a June 15 statement to LBREPORT.com, LBPD said in pertinent part:

Beginning July 1st, sworn staffing will be deployed daily [on the Metro Blue Line in LB] utilizing overtime to supplement dedicated personnel.

Blue Line ridership on the 4th of July increases dramatically, bringing thousands into the downtown Long Beach area looking to enjoy the waterfront areas. Although officers assigned to Metro over the holiday will not be deployable in other areas of the City, they will still be working in support of the 4th of July mission.

This is consistent with LBREPORT.com's previous reports that LBPD plans to initially perform its contractual Blue Line deployment by using overtime, and LBPD has said that by using OT, the Metro deployment won't affect the number of LBPD officers deployed in neighborhoods citywide. LBPD also notes that it has used this method successfully in the past to ramp-up Port deployed officers until dedicated officers were hired.

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The number of officers visible [or not visible] citywide in Long Beach neighborhoods is a function of City Council budget votes (since LBPD can only deploy officers that the Council has budgeted to employ.) Entering this year's July 4th period, the City of Long Beach [with the area's highest sales tax rate under a City Hall-sought, voter-approved Measure A sales tax increase] has 17 more budgeted officers than last year at this time.

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In September 2016, the Council voted to restore 8 officers plus Fire Engine 8 as part of its FY17 budget and in Feb. 2017 voted to restore 9 more officers plus Paramedic Rescue 12. Long Beach taxpayers remain without 191 police officers, plus Fire Engine 17 (Stearns Park) and Engine 101 (second engine at downtown Station 1 to handle downtown density and high rises) that their City previously provided but no longer does.

In 2008 approaching FY09, Long Beach taxpayers had 1,020 total budgeted officers. These consisted of 961 citywide deployable officers (including 17 [half budget year] police academy recruits) plus 59 officers contracted to various entities (Port, LGB, LBUSD, LBCC, LBTransit, Carmelitos) paid for by those entities and not deployable citywide.

Approaching FY18, Long Beach has 823 total budgeted officers...which include (prior to the Metro contract) 67.25 officers contracted to other agencies (Port, LGB, LBUSD, LBCC, LBTransit, Carmelitos, paid for by those entities and not deployable citywide). By LBREPORT.com's unofficial reckoning, that leaves 755.75 officers budgeted as available for citywide deployment (823 - 67.25 = 755.75.)

This leaves Long Beach, L.A. County's second largest city, with a "thin-blue line" considerably thinner per capita than Los Angeles. L.A. would have to erase roughly 30% of LAPD's budgeted officers to reach Long Beach's Mayor-recommended, Council-voted current budgeted per capita citywide police level.

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Thus far, neither Mayor Garcia nor any Councilmembers have publicly indicated how many officers they'll propose to restore for LB taxpayers in the upcoming FY18 budget (proposed by management and recommended by Mayor by Aug. 1 with Council votes in September.) Previous Council votes have approved increased downtown density and Council decisions are now approaching on city staff-proposed increased commercial and residential densities citywide..

The upcoming FY18 budget and subsequent budgets will also have to handle pay raises approved in the past six months by the City Council for nearly all City employee unions, including a city managers' union.

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