By Steve Pomper
LAPD police union VP Sgt. Jerretta Sandoz
The LAPD has lost 1,000 cops since 2019 (actual losses are often higher than reported by officials), according to LawOfficer.com. Let’s begin with that manmade disaster. Like other blue jurisdictions, run by radical leftists, Los Angeles treats its police officers like trash. This treatment is reflected not only in those who have left the department and those who continue to leave, but also in police union leaders who now recommend officers continue to flee.
It’s a sad commentary on policing in blue America when some police leaders find themselves forced to overtly encourage their officers to find work elsewhere—where they are appreciated. That’s what the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) Vice President Sgt. Jerretta Sandoz, on her personal Facebook page, recently advised LAPD officers.
And before the horrendous, anti-cop LA political leadership starts to bash Sgt. Sandoz, a little recent history from 2022. The @LAPDHQ Twitter posted, “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.”
And don’t think Sgt. Sandoz was just pandering for union votes. I can tell you most cops begin their careers with a profound love of the profession, which most often extends to affection for their agencies. I’d bet this is the case with Sgt. Sandoz. This was likely difficult for her to do, but caring about the cops she represents, she felt she had to do it—for them.
Sandoz posted (now deleted) on her FB page, “‘Go somewhere that respects the work you do, and you don’t have to beg for a great contract,’ Sandoz recommended…. ‘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).’”
LA Ivory Tower (City Hall)
I worked for another major west coast city agency whose condition has similarly deteriorated over the past two-plus decades and whose decline has accelerated over the past three years, complete with city council members who also “hate you… no exaggeration.”
Yet, on the police social media pages I belong to, despite being upset with the current state of their agencies, most cops still speak affectionately of the department(s) they work(ed) for, especially of their fellow officers and the bosses who are still “cops.” They wish for nothing other than to see their department restored to their past glory.
I’m sure it’s the same with the LAPD, NYPD, Chicago; Boston Atlanta, Minneapolis; Portland, San Francisco, etc. across our great nation. Cops want to be allowed to be cops again and want politicians to stop calling for defunding police and passing fake “police reform,” which is camouflage for cop-hating policies and laws. Washington State is still busy “fixing” its last round of anti-cop legislative “police reforms.”
LO elaborated, “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.”
Unlike so many “leaders” who exhibit courage only to shrink at the least pushback, Sgt. Sandoz stands by her comments. But she let critics know she didn’t start any mass exodus. She said cops were leaving or considering it without any encouragement from her.
Like too many law enforcement agencies across the U.S., Sgt. Sandoz said her comments were part of a broader discussion among LAPD officers leaving the department. Sgt. Sandoz said, “I stand by every word I wrote to those who decided or are strongly considering leaving the LAPD for another agency.”
Good for her, and shame on Los Angeles’ leftist radical political leadership for not appreciating her and the great LAPD officers she represents.