The State - News from Feb. 10, 1988

Prompted in part by a fatal shooting on a Westwood Village street last month, the Los Angeles City Council voted to increase the size of the Police Department by 150 officers--to a record level of 7,500--by June 30. The cost of the new officers, who would not be seen on city streets until near the end of the year, would be about $9 million the first full year. The increase was approved on an 11-1 vote and sent to Mayor Tom Bradley for his signature. The action comes less than two weeks after the shooting death of Karen Toshima of Long Beach on a Westwood street. Increased patrols have since blanketed the area, and police response to the slaying has spotlighted the issue of officer deployment in less affluent areas of the city. Police Chief Daryl F. Gates assured council members last week that no area receives preferential treatment.