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Contract Dispute May Lead To Reassignment Of LAPD Officers


LOS ANGELES (CBS/KNX) Because of disputes between LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and the police union, money and contract issues may force the reassignment of detectives back to patrol duty.

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KNX 1070's Pete Demetriou reports.

The key issue is the elimination of $80 million in overtime pay for officers as a part of budget cuts the department had to make and a lack of an agreement between the department and the LA Police Protective League. Under the existing contract, officers can accrue up to 400 hours of overtime. When the officers' contracts expire July 1, that maximum will go down to 96 hours, which "will mean having far fewer officers available to respond to emergency calls for help," Beck said.

The LA Police Protective League had temporarily agreed to have its members accept time off in lieu of pay. With the 2011-2012 fiscal year budget in place and the LAPD short $80 million, Beck says he will have to reassign detectives and other officers from specialized details beginning July 18. He says it's the only way to keep officers in sufficient numbers on the streets, but he's hesitant to the change.

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