LAPD union boss Jerretta Sandoz vents about anti-police sentiment, tells cops to work in a community that ‘respects’ them

A high-ranking Los Angeles police union official recently encouraged fellow LAPD cops to work in communities where local pols didn’t hate them and who “understand your worth.”

Jerretta Sandoz, vice president of Los Angeles Police Protective League, vented in a since-deleted Facebook comment last month amid ongoing talks over a new contract the LA Police Protective League is hoping to reach with the city, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“Go somewhere that respects the work you do and you don’t have to beg for a great contract,” she wrote, according to a screenshot of the post the LA Times reviewed.

“Go somewhere that has a city council or city manager that openly acknowledges the great work you do, go somewhere that doesn’t have Two or more City Council members who hate you (no exaggeration).”

She stressed to departing LAPD officers they should get new jobs in communities where politicians “understand your worth.”

Sandoz told the newspaper the fiery social media post was “much ado about nothing” and was part of a larger online thread focused on officers who already decided to leave the department.

“And I stand by every word I wrote to those who decided, or are strongly considering leaving the LAPD for another agency,” she said, adding in another email she hopes the department makes “improvements” and officers end up sticking with the LAPD.

“(The) criteria I advise officers to evaluate when they are choosing to work for another agency is, in many respects, the same criteria officers are using to determine if they are going to stay with the LAPD,” she reportedly said.

Sandoz also complained about the ban on displaying the “thin blue line” flag after Police Chief Michel Moore prohibited the symbol from appearing in public view at police stations.

The LAPD’s contract expired at the end of June and comes as the city’s police force is facing a notable decrease in headcount. Since 2019, the department has lost about 1,000 officers and is now at about 9,000, the LA Times reported.

A spokesperson for Mayor Karen Bass told the LA Times she is concerned about the number of officers leaving the force “and her budget reflects that concern.”

A new contract could be inked by August, City Council President Paul Krekorian said last week, with a union spokesperson reportedly saying there has been “substantial progress” to deal with recruitment and retention.