City Pushes for New Police Academy Site in Westchester : Facilities: Department had sought land in Sylmar. But taking over an existing building would be less expensive and speed up LAPD expansion plans, officials say.

After years of searching for a site to build a new Police Academy, city officials have abruptly shifted gears and are prepared to pull the plug on a proposed Sylmar location in favor of a 13.8-acre site in Westchester.

The move will save the city $50 million and speed up Mayor Richard Riordan’s expansion plans for the Los Angeles Police Department, officials say.

“If it were not for the fact that there’s a God in heaven, it would be too good to be true,” Steve Hatfield, assistant commanding officer of the department’s Police Facilities Construction Group, said of the new site. “It’s just unbelievable.”

Acquiring the newly available Westchester site, near the San Diego Freeway and Manchester Boulevard, instead of building at the Sylmar location could save the city as much as $50 million, according to Hatfield and others familiar with the West Los Angeles location.

The acquisition also would shorten by 2 1/2 years the time needed to open a new Police Academy, Hatfield said.

Hatfield added that the new site, a building formerly occupied by the Hewlett-Packard electronics firm, is big enough to house a new LAPD communications facility on its second floor. That would cut five years off the development of that center, he said.

Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, whose district includes the new location, plans to file an emergency motion today to allow the city to bid on the Westchester building. Galanter is urging her colleagues to spend up to $14 million to outbid four prospective buyers.

Galanter’s motion would allow the city to move quickly, and she said it would produce an enormous savings to the city.

“It’s really worth the strenuous effort,” she said. “We need to get into the bidding right away.”

In her motion, Galanter says the new facility would dramatically increase the city’s ability to meet Riordan’s goal of hiring and training officers quickly.

“The mayor and the chief of police have developed a public safety plan, of which an integral ingredient is a mandate to hire and train 2,500 additional police officers,” the motion states. “This property acquisition would dramatically increase the city’s ability to achieve that objective. The facilities needed to train additional personnel are already substantially in place at the Hewlett-Packard site.”

Officials estimate that it would take 45 to 60 days to negotiate the purchase. If the plan passes muster--winning approval from the Police Commission, City Council and mayor, as well as clearing environmental tests--officials say police training classes could begin there as early as March or April.

Police Commission President Gary Greenebaum urged council members to approve Galanter’s motion. He said it would give city officials a chance to be in the running for the Hewlett-Packard site but still give them the option of pulling out of the deal if the property turns out not to be suitable.

“It could be a wonderful thing,” Greenebaum said. “It shows good hustle on the part of the department to have come up with this.”

Hatfield and other department officials said they have been aware of the Hewlett-Packard property for some time, but had not been able to take any action toward acquiring it because another potential buyer was negotiating for it. That deal fell through Thursday afternoon, Hatfield said, and the LAPD moved quickly to get in the running.

The Sylmar location has had strong support in some quarters, and Councilman Hal Bernson, whose district surrounds its location in county territory, was cautious about endorsing the Galanter proposal.

“My position has always been that whatever the Police Department thought was best, I would support.” Bernson said. “There is a lot of support (in Sylmar) for the academy and some opposition, too. I’m going to reserve my judgment until the department decides on what is the best site.”

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But an aide to Councilwoman Laura Chick said the new proposal appears too good to oppose. Among other things, aide Eric Rose said, a portion of the money saved by purchasing the Hewlett-Packard facility could be used to make improvements in west San Fernando Valley police operations, including expansion of the West Valley police station and the Harbor Division.

“It sounds like a wonderful opportunity to expand police services in the West Valley,” Rose said. “It looks like it’s going to be a win-win for the city.”

Galanter’s motion is scheduled to be heard by the City Council this morning. She is asking for an immediate vote, which officials said could clear the way for the city to enter the bidding in a day or two.