Long Beach Police looks to bolster ranks ahead of large events – NBC Los Angeles

As the Los Angeles region prepares for several large-scale sporting events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games, the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) is working to bolster its police force by recruiting hundreds of new officers.

In an interview with NBC 4, LBPD Police Chief Wally Hebeish acknowledged that his department is not fully staffed and is operating at a roughly 17% vacancy rate, but that they are trying to close that gap.

In mid-January, the City of Long Beach unveiled its renovated police academy, which welcomed LBPD’s 100th police academy class, beginning with 98 officers.

“This class started with the goal of 100 officers, which represents a historic moment in our department’s history,” said Hebeish.

Encouraged by high interest in the department, with recruitment for the next academy class already underway, Hebeish sees the current class as a launching pad to prepare for the major events coming to the city and the surrounding region. He said the department’s growth represents an investment in the future.

The Long Beach Arena will be home to Olympic handball. Mekahlo Medina reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.

“It’s a pivotal moment in the growth of our department and in the region and really kind of continuing to serve as a benchmark agency in law enforcement, a benchmark police department,” Hebeish said.

While facing the officer shortage, the department is also adjusting how it responds to certain calls in an effort to reduce workload demands on existing staff.

“There are other ways to handle some of the workload that aren’t the traditional methods of deploying or sending out a police officer to handle a call. We have community services assistance that assists us with the workload. They go out and handle non-emergency calls, some non-emergency calls for us,” Hebeish explained.

Looking ahead, Hebeish acknowledged there are challenges to address as the city prepares for the World Cup and Olympics over the next two years.

The department and the police officers’ union are working to tackle those concerns, including improvements to officer benefits.

“You have to know that the organization you work for values you,” Hebeish said. “The police officers in this department for the past three years have done everything they can to make sure that we can keep that base staffing level… showing our public that we are here for the community.”

Like other nearby cities, Long Beach saw crime rates trend downward last year. Hebeish credited the reduction not only to the “boots on the ground,” but also to trust within the community.

“Enforcement is a big part of crime reduction. Statistics kind of show what’s happening in terms of crime, but they are not the only story. You can’t lead with statistics if you don’t have the trust of your community,” Hebeish noted.

But while overall crime is trending downward, traffic fatalities are moving in the opposite direction.

“In terms of traffic and traffic fatalities, we look at data to deploy our resources, but we also consider what we’re hearing from the residents and businesses in terms of speeding and violations of vehicle code,” said Hebeish.

“We’re seeing an uptick in people violating vehicle code laws and that’s a problem, but we all have a responsibility to make sure that we’re reducing traffic fatalities,” Hebeish pleaded, noting that traffic enforcement will be one of the department’s priorities in 2026, but expanding enforcement efforts ultimately depends on staffing levels.

Hebeish said that investments in the academy and large recruit classes are “investments in the city of Long Beach and those are investments in the future of public safety in our region,” adding that “ancillary functions within the department,” including a larger traffic and motorcycle patrol unit, would grow as additional officers join through the academy and large recruit class.