LOS ANGELES _ Officials with the Los Angeles police union assailed Mayor Eric Garcetti on Friday for comments he made describing police officers as "killers," saying LAPD officers have lost confidence in the mayor's ability to lead the city after days of demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
At a news briefing, Los Angeles Police Protective League Director Jamie McBride accused Garcetti of "political pandering" and called him "unstable."
"He smeared every single police officer in Los Angeles and across the nation by calling us killers," McBride said.
The union's comments came after Garcetti announced this week that he would seek to cut up to $150 million from the Los Angeles Police Department and put the money toward funding new youth jobs, health initiatives and "peace centers" to heal trauma.
Garcetti's announcement followed days of pressure from activists, labor unions and community groups and nationwide protests against police violence, including a large demonstration outside his home.
Speaking at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Los Angeles on Thursday, Garcetti said that his proposal to cut the LAPD budget was getting attention from mayors across the country. "That's exactly the point," Garcetti said. "It starts someplace, and we say we are going to be who we want to be, or we're going to continue being the killers that we are."
Garcetti's office later said his "killers" remark referred to police agencies across the country.
Asked about the union leader's remarks Friday, Garcetti spokesman Alex Comisar forwarded a quote from the mayor that was contained in an email he sent Thursday to all city employees.
"Our officers put themselves on the line each day to answer calls for help whenever and wherever they're needed," Garcetti wrote. "I've met officers everywhere in our city, and I've seen them do the job selflessly and honorably. I've witnessed how they know the neighborhoods, speak the languages, and understand the experiences of the people they serve."
At the union media briefing, McBride said Garcetti blamed police officers for his "failed leadership."
"It's obvious that he now will do anything and say anything to get people to like him," McBride said. He also pointed out that LAPD officers guard the mayor's home.
"Eric, do you really believe that Los Angeles police officers are killers?" McBride said. "The same officers that provide you 24-hour security at your residence 365 days a year?
"The same officers that came ... to your political rescue when crime was out of control, when shootings were exploding? The same officers you sent to address your failure to get homelessness under control? I don't think so, Eric," McBride said.
When Garcetti ran for mayor in 2013, the union pumped about $1.5 million into the candidacy of his opponent, then-City Controller Wendy Greuel.
Garcetti and the union patched things up, and by 2016 the mayor was working with the league on a union-backed measure to change the LAPD's disciplinary process. Last year, Garcetti and the City Council signed off on a lucrative package of raises and bonuses for officers that is expected to add $123 million to the LAPD's budget.
