LAPD Budget

Your story (“Mayor Asks LAPD to Cut Budget,” Oct. 13) was 180-degrees wrong.

You reported that my office asked the Los Angeles Police Department to “cut” its budget by up to 6% for the next fiscal year. This is wholly inaccurate.

In fact, the Police Department’s budget for fiscal year 1996-97 will increase; the only question is by how much. In the case of other departments, efficiencies may enable us to achieve budgetary savings.

The fact is that, as a first step in our budget process for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1996, I challenged every city department general manger, including Chief Willie Williams, to help achieve citywide efficiency savings of 6%.

The challenge is especially responsible and timely because our city faces a projected $250-million shortfall next year, and because I cannot believe there are not efficiencies to be found in a $3-billion annual budget.

The citywide efficiency savings will help us secure funding for continued implementation of Project Safety Los Angeles, our plan to increase the size and scope of the LAPD to record levels.

To put this in perspective, I called for a 10% efficiency goal for every department last year. Many general managers responded, enabling us to allocate an unprecedented $1.1 billion to the LAPD, an increase of $60 million, or 6%, from the previous year.

MAYOR RICHARD J. RIORDAN

Los Angeles