LAFD for All
On Nov. 22, then-Mayor Eric Garcetti, the City Council and the LAFD announced the department’s first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Bureau, to be led by Deputy Chief Stephen Gutierrez, the LAFD’s first Equity Officer.
The DEI Bureau will “maximize the department’s efforts to build and promote a culture where diversity is valued, and its workspace is safe for all.”
The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Bureau will focus on building and fostering a Department committed to engaging the voices and respecting the humanity of all its members, reflected in how it handles recruitment and hiring, workplace conduct, retention and promotion. The DEI Bureau was expected to be up and running and fully staffed by January.
In 2022, of the more than 6,500 applicants to LAFD, 70 percent were people of color and nearly 8 percent of candidates were female, which is double the current percentage of female firefighters within the Department. The Los Angeles Fire Dept. Girls Camp, which introduces young women between the ages of 14 and18 to career opportunities in the Department, recently resumed operations after a pause during COVID.
“The LAFD is fully committed to creating positive change,” said Chief Kristin Crowley. “With the new DEI Bureau, the Department will develop and drive forward key diversity, equity and inclusion strategies and initiatives to enhance the LAFD’s work environment and performance. We will maximize our efforts to build and promote a culture where our diversity is truly valued and our work environment is safe and supportive for all.”
