Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell revealed a bitter truth that will challenge the city’s upcoming Summer Olympic Games: not enough cops for security.
McDonnell revealed during a city council meeting that the police department could be stretched too thin for the 2028 Olympics, adding that there have been “‘zero’ specific fundings for his team, aside from the pooled budget shared by cops, the fire department and federal agents,” per the New York Post.
“LA28 confirms that they have zero police or other safety budgets. While they do have a security budget, it doesn’t cover law enforcement,” he said.
“The funding that exists is for all agencies involved in the Olympics, not just the LAPD, and it will be restricted primarily to police officer overtime,” he added.
LAPD officials also revealed that over 500 officers are retiring per year, forcing other cops to work overtime.
“The department expects to log nearly 1.4 million hours of overtime this year, with a projected deficit of $16.5 million,” noted the NY Post.
“The Olympics Special Events Unit, which plans security, said LA will need to deploy about 6,700 officers across eight venues in 2028,” it added. “That operation would require another 700 to 800 patrol vehicles, equipment that is not fully funded. Even the funding that does exist comes with limits and delays.”
Far-left council members were dismissive of the chief’s comments, with Democratic Socialists of America member Eunisses Hernandez even going as far to say that police may not be needed.
“Do they all need to be cop cars? Can we not use school buses?” said Hernandez.
Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky said the city has been hearing mixed messages about the federal government’s role in providing security. An LA28 spokesperson told the post that the committee is “in the planning process with local, state, and federal partners to determine what security and other related costs for the LA28 Games will be.”
“We are grateful that the Administration and Congress recently appropriated $1 billion in security funding to support planning and operations, including reimbursements to local and state law enforcement,” the spokesperson said.
“We will continue to work with our partners at the federal, state, and local levels, including the City of LA, to ensure a safe, secure, and successful Games,” they added. “The Games have been designated a National Special Security Event, which will allow security to be coordinated among federal, state, and local public safety agencies, including LAPD services.”