The Los Angeles Police Department is desperate for new recruits and is looking to Seattle, Chicago and other cities to find them.

“We’re in a hiring crisis,” said Officer Douglas Larkin, who handles advertising and other recruitment efforts for the department.

Larkin said the LAPD wants to hire 750 officers in the next year in the ongoing effort to expand the ranks by nearly 1,500 officers to about 10,000. To fund that push, the department has a budget of $1.6 million to advertise and conduct testing in 44 locations nationwide.

Last month, written applicant testing was conducted outside the L.A. area for the first time in history. The program in Tacoma, Wash. was more successful by far than recent local drives, with 193 people taking the test.

Larkin said the weather was the main reason given by Tacoma residents for taking the test. He believes that reasoning will apply in other markets, especially areas like Chicago.

In addition, the department recently offered a $2,000 relocation bonus to anyone who moves more than 150 miles to go through academy training. And the City Council approved a $200 bonus for current officers who are instrumental in bringing in a new recruit.

A lot is at stake in the recruitment drive. Time is running out for the city to take advantage of $8 million offered by the federal government to expand the department. If the city doesn’t hire at least 157 more officers in the coming months, it could lose those funds.

At this point, it’s not looking good. The current four-week cadet class has just 23 students, down from an average of at least 60 two years ago.

From 1995 to 1999 the average number of applicants taking the written recruitment exam fell by nearly 57 percent, from a high of 1,217 a month to 529 in 1999. Last November was the worst month in at least five years, with just 445 applicants.

The problem is complicated by an increase in attrition. In 1995, 165 officers left the department through resignation or termination. In 1999, that number reached 281.

On Jan. 13, Chief Bernard Parks sent a letter to City Council members, asking the council for assistance.

“This is deeply troubling for all of us who want a beefed-up police force,” said Councilman Michael Feuer. “But I don’t have new recruiting strategies in mind. The short answer is, we’re looking for any possible ideas. We need to expand the number of recruits and stem the tide of attrition, which are two different issues.”

Entry-level officers can make as much as $45,000 a year, but that’s not always competitive with other, less stressful jobs. Not helping matters is L.A. County’s declining unemployment rate, now at 5.7 percent. Besides, workers in general are more restless these days, and it’s harder to attract and keep them.

Also complicating the recruitment effort is the LAPD’s not-so-hot reputation. Dennis Zine, director of the police union, doesn’t believe that looking for officers in places like Tacoma, San Diego, Sacramento and Chicago will help.

“Even with the $2,000 bounty, it ain’t gonna happen,” Zine said. “It’s a lack of morale.”

Zine cites worsening morale under Parks as well as changes in the civilian complaints process that he says place an unfair burden on officers. “Our officers are not afraid of getting shot they’re afraid of getting disciplined,” Zine said. “The policies are not impartial under Parks, and morale is very bad.”

Parks was not available for comment.

While stepping up the search for new officers outside L.A., the LAPD has maintained local recruiting. The campaign now includes billboards and downtown buses along with buying space in newspapers and magazines that even target the alternate press, like New Times and the Gay and Lesbian Times. Advertising is also done on the back of fliers involving missing children and notices stuck on pay phones. In addition, the department stages job fairs at local colleges.

Larkin said that about a quarter of all of the people who apply for LAPD jobs have logged onto the department’s Web site for information. Through the Web site and college job fairs, Larkin believes the department has a better chance to find people with strong education.

“These people know that they can get paid more, and get promoted more quickly if they work for us,” he said.