LOS ANGELES – Vice president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL), the union representing roughly 9,000 LAPD officers, encouraged cops to find work elsewhere as a result of friction caused during salary negotiations with the city.
LAPPL Vice President Jerretta Sandoz made the recommending statement posted to her personal Facebook page as the negotiations were being handled in late June, according to reports.
In 2022, LAPD HQ Twitter wrote, “In honor of Black History Month we recognize Sergeant Jerretta Sandoz, who in 2014 became the first Black Director of the Los Angeles Police Protective League since its formation in 1922.”
In honor of Black History Month we recognize Sergeant Jerretta Sandoz, who in 2014 became the first Black Director of the Los Angeles Police Protective League since its formation in 1922. pic.twitter.com/4VN3jj89vn
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) February 19, 2022
However, things are currently not as harmonious since Sandoz wrote in the now-deleted statement that the Los Angeles City Council was stacked against police officers, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“Go somewhere that respects the work you do and you don’t have to beg for a great contract,” Sandoz recommended, according to the news outlet. “Go somewhere that has a city council or city manager that openly acknowledges the great work you do, go somewhere that doesn’t have two or more City Council members who hate you (no exaggeration).”
The City of Los Angeles has already lost 1,000 officers since 2019, reported Fox News.
In a statement to the Los Angeles Times, Sandoz defended her comments, saying officers were weighing the decision to leave the city long before she entered the discussion.
“My comments were part of a larger online thread about officers who stated they already decided to leave the LAPD,” she told the news outlet. “And I stand by every word I wrote to those who decided, or are strongly considering leaving the LAPD for another agency.”