LA Police Chief Warns Olympic Security Budget Shortfall

0:00On April 30, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell just dropped a reality check on the 2028 Olympics planning. He says there's a big hole in the budget for dedicated law enforcement, and right now, nothing covers the full policing needs for this massive global event. Earlier this week at a City Hall budget meeting, McDonnell pointed out that the LA-28 Organizing Committee has zero dollars set aside, specifically for police or safety. Their security budget exists, but it skips local cops like the LAPD, leaving on the ground work underfunded. Local agencies are sweating this, since current Olympic funds are spread then across all involved parties and mostly locked into officer overtime. McDonnell warns it won't cut it for the streets of LA during the games. Meanwhile, LA-28 fired back, saying they're deep in planning with local, state, and federal partners to nail down security costs. They're thankful for the recent $1 billion from Congress to back nationwide Olympic security, including reimbursements for local forces.

1:01This set up tags the games as a National Special Security Event, pulling in feds like the Secret Service and FBI to lead alongside locals. Organize his promise though, keep collaborating to lock down a safe show for everyone. That's the story for today, U.S. News Today, Driven by AI, I'm Cory with the Story.