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Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino said Thursday he would seek a major expansion of the Police Department if elected mayor, taking the LAPD up to 11,000 officers by 2027.

Buscaino, one of several candidates running to replace Mayor Eric Garcetti in next year’s election, said additional officers are needed at a time when homicides and other crimes are increasing. The LAPD is budgeted for about 9,700 officers this year, but has been nearly 200 below that figure in recent weeks.

Michael Trujillo, a Buscaino campaign strategist, said the hiring plan would be accomplished not by seeking higher taxes or fees, but by setting priorities within the existing city budget. He would not say what programs, if any, would need to be cut to accomplish such a significant staffing increase.

“We believe we can chip away at it each year until we reach [11,000] in the fifth year,” Trujillo said.

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