Take the California Highway Patrol, which in November graduated a class of 146 officers from its academy in West Sacramento. Now, the CHP uses a third-party company that Johnson said has significantly sped up the process for new recruits. As a result, the number of applicants who went through the background process jumped from about 1,500 in fiscal year 2021-2022 to 4,500 last year, she said. Earlier this year, Mayor Karen Bass signed an executive order to streamline the recruitment process, and department officials say it is now showing positive results. A recent class of 56 recruits started their training at the Police Academy — the largest class in the last five years, said Capt.

Source: Los Angeles Times December 29, 2025 15:45 UTC