Under pressure from multiple sides, the Los Angeles Rams agreed to cover the cost of all LAPD officers assigned to game day deployments at the Coliseum, inside or out.
The agreement was announced by the office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who met personally with Rams owner Stan Kroenke during the course of the negotiations.
"The commitment they made today, to cover the cost of game-day impacts to the City ... is a win for all Angelenos," Mayor Garcetti said in a written statement.
Besides LAPD, the agreement also covers compensation for fire department deployments and "sanitation support," according to the mayor's statement.
The game day cost of all those services can run to a quarter-million dollars, Garcetti told KNX radio.
The agreement is to take effect immediately, in time for the Rams home season opener. The Rams also agreed to compensate the city retroactively for costs incurred during two pre-season Coliseum games.
For those games, the club did pay overtime to officers hired to work inside the stadium, but not the several hundred on-duty officers working outside. They were redeployed from their regular assignments, and therefore missed one day of regular duty for each game day worked.
U.S. & World
The officers union, the Los Angeles Police Protective League, raised concerns that game day commitments were diminishing police service to the city, and pushed for the outside assignments also to be on overtime, paid by the Rams. The League praised the new agreement to do so.
"It's great benefit to the city, to the officers, and to the citizens," said Jerretta Sandoz, an LAPD sergeant who currently serves as a League vice-president.
"Our fans' security is the top priority for the Rams and the National Football League," according to a written statement from Kevin Demoff, Rams Chief Operating Officer. "We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Mr. Garcetti and his team."
The city itself was also under pressure to reach an agreement, having been named as the defendant in a taxpayer lawsuit filed by two men, including Dennis Zine, the retired LAPD Sgt. and former LA City Councilman. The suit accused the city of illegally making a gift of public funds to the Rams. At the time the suit was filed two weeks ago, Zine indicated its only goal was to push the city to negotiate, and said it would be dropped when an agreement is reached.
Each Coliseum football game will now be regarded as a "special event" and require a separate permit to be issued, according to a source familiar with the details of the agreement.
The city of Los Angeles makes similar municipal service deployments for USC Trojans football games at the Coliseum. The Police Protective League believes USC should also cover the cost of on-duty officers assigned outside the Coliseum on game days.
"The Rams paved the way," Sandoz said. The Trojans "should pay their bill as well."
City Hall has yet to make a formal request to USC, and the University has yet to respond to a request for comment.
Garcetti said a non-profit educational institution such as USC might be regarded in a separate category from a for-profit company, with costs apportioned in a different "tier."
As it is, some special events in Los Angeles have previously negotiated individual agreements with the city for municipal services. The League called for greater transparency in the process.
Even with the new Rams agreement, there will be times when a large percentage of LAPD officers are committed to special events. Sandoz cited this Sunday as an example, when not only will several hundred officers be in Exposition Park for the Rams-Seahawks game, but another contingent of some 300 officers will work the Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater at LA Live.
Below are the full statements submitted by the city of Los Angeles, the Rams and the Police Protective Leauge.
Full Statement from City of Los Angeles:
MAYOR GARCETTI ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT WITH RAMS ON PAYMENT FOR CITY SERVICES
LOS ANGELES—Mayor Eric Garcetti announced today that the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Rams have reached an agreement on reimbursement for City services made necessary by home football games hosted at the Coliseum.
Mayor Garcetti met last month with Rams owner Stan Kroenke to request that the Rams cover the cost of security surrounding the Coliseum during Rams home games. With today’s agreement, the Rams honor that request, and enable the City to dedicate the necessary police presence to Rams games, while keeping patrol officers on the streets where they belong. The Rams have also agreed to make retroactive payments for services provided during two preseason games that were held last month.
Stan Kroenke and the Rams organization made it clear to me from the start that they intended to be partners with the City and good neighbors to the people of Los Angeles and the region. The commitment they made today, to cover the cost of game-day impacts to the City — including police, fire, and sanitation support at and around the Coliseum — is a win for all Angelenos. This partnership ensures that fans will continue to enjoy a secure and family-friendly experience at the venue, with no impact on our ability to provide public safety to all of our communities," said Mayor Garcetti.
Under the agreement, the Rams will reimburse the full cost incurred by the City to provide the necessary police, fire and street services personnel to keep the area surrounding the Coliseum safe during Rams home games. The agreement allows the City to dedicate the resources needed to Rams games, while keeping officers on the job, whether in stations or on the streets. As a result, security at Rams games will not impact the City's street patrol presence.
Full Statement from Kevin Demoff, Los Angeles Rams Chief Operating Officer:
“Our fans’ security is the top priority for the Rams and the National Football League. We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Mayor Garcetti and his team. We will work alongside the NFL, the Los Angeles Police Department and other state and federal agencies to ensure a safe gameday environment for all fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. We are excited to kick off the first NFL game in Los Angeles in two decades on Sunday and look forward to NFL Sundays being part of our community for years to come."
Full Statement from Los Angeles Police Protective League:
Statement on L.A. Rams Agreement to No Longer Accept Taxpayer Funded Police Services
Los Angeles, CA— The Los Angeles Police Protective League is pleased that the Rams receipt of taxpayer funded police patrols to secure their games will now end and that they will pay their bill. Keeping police officers on duty fighting crime was the reason the League exposed this arrangement and we now hope that other organizations, such as USC, will follow Mr. Kroenke's lead and to no longer accept free police officers for their events at the expense of neighborhood safety.
This shouldn’t have taken so much effort to achieve. Crime in Los Angeles is skyrocketing and we do not have the staffing to safely patrol our neighborhoods as it is. Neighborhood safety must be our priority above NFL games and other special events.
