Billionaire mayoral candidate wants to add 1,500 to LAPD

Billionaire mayoral candidate Rick Caruso is planning to add 1,500 officers to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) if he is elected to lead the city.

Caruso, a Democrat who formally joined the race for mayor last week, told the Los Angeles Times in an interview on Monday that he will bring 1,500 new officers into the LAPD if elected.

Roughly 9,500 officers currently work for the LAPD, which is 200 fewer than the authorized staffing level, according to the Times.

A number of candidates on the campaign trail in Los Angeles have put forward initiatives to address staffing at the police department.

Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) released a plan last week that calls for moving at least 250 officers working desk jobs to patrol assignments. She said she plans to do that by hiring and deploying civilians to “take over the paperwork,” which would allow 250 officers to transition to patrol jobs, if she is elected mayor of the city.

Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino (D) has previously said if he is elected he will grow the LAPD to 11,000 officers, according to the Times, which would also involve an increase of roughly 1,500 officers.

Caruso formally started his campaign for mayor on Friday. In a statement on Twitter, he pointed to homelessness, crime and corruption in the city.

“We cannot tolerate the homelessness, crime and corruption that the politicians have created for us,” Caruso wrote. “We can end homelessness. We can stop crime. We can end corruption.”

The billionaire businessman, known for developing shopping centers, said “we can fix LA,” adding that “the politicians can’t.”

A number of candidates are currently running to succeed Mayor Eric Garcetti (D), who is barred from running again because of term limits.

Bass has emerged as a front-runner in the race. As of last month, she had raised nearly $2 million since announcing her campaign for mayor.

Caruso, however, has a wealth of $4.3 billion, the Times reported, citing Forbes.

Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer (D) and former California state Senate leader Kevin de León (D) are also vying for the position.