The Los Angeles Police Department is set to award officers who have college degrees nearly $41 million in bonuses in the coming budget year, even as thousands of other city employees face pay cuts amid a financial crisis at City Hall.
According to KTLA-TV, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and the City Council signed off on the new LAPD "education incentives" last summer, paving the way for officers with associates' degrees to receive an extra $190 every two weeks and those with bachelors' degrees an extra $290 per pay period.
The education bonuses went into effect in April, just as the Coronavirus "stay-in-place" orders were issued, causing a plummet in city tax revenue.
All LAPD officers are expected to receive a 4.8% pay raise as part of the city's newest contract with the Los Angeles Police Protective League.