LOS ANGELES (CNS) — City Councilman Paul Koretz announced Thursday he was providing $250,000 in overtime funding for the Los Angeles Police Department.

The funds will come from Koretz’s office, which said the councilman has provided $750,000 in LAPD overtime funding to date.

Koretz said the funds will help lower crime rates.

“We did something similar, particularly on Melrose (Avenue) when we had a spike in crime and we were able to make that area much safer and reduce those (crime) numbers dramatically,” Koretz said to KNX.

Koretz announced the funding at a news briefing Thursday at the LAPD Operations West Bureau with Police Chief Michel Moore.

Moore cited a recent survey done by Loyola Marymount University that found three-quarters of Angelenos wanted to see more police patrolling their neighborhoods, but the survey also highlighted mixed reviews on residents’ attitudes toward LAPD.

Currently, LAPD is facing a deficit of approximately 800 officers, according to Koretz’s office.