Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

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Memorial to fallen deputies. Located outside the LASD Lakewood Station.
Memorial to fallen deputies. Located outside the LASD Lakewood Station.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) is a local law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. It provides general-service law enforcement to unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, serving as the equivalent of the county police for unincorporated areas of the county as well as incorporated cities within the county who have contracted with the agency for law-enforcement services (known as "contract cities" in local jargon). It also holds primary jurisdiction over facilities operated by Los Angeles County, such as local parks, marinas and government buildings; provides marshal service for the Superior Court of California - County of Los Angeles; operates the county jail system; and provides services such as laboratories and academy training to smaller law enforcement agencies within the county. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is sometimes referred as as the Los Angeles Sheriff's Office (LASO).

On March 10, 2007, actor Jackie Chan has joined forces with the LA County Sheriff's Department in their current recruitment campaign in encouraging the Asian community to be a deputy sheriff. In the announcement with Sheriff Lee Baca, Chan was seen wearing an LA County Sheriff's Deputy uniform. [1] [2]. An LASD public service announcement will feature Chan.

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[edit] Statistics

The LASD is the largest sheriff's department and the fourth largest state or local law enforcement agency in the United States with over 16,000 employees, over 8,400 of whom are sworn deputies. Leroy D. Baca is the current sheriff.

LASD deputies provided law enforcement services to 2,557,754 residents in an area of 3,171 square miles both in the unincorporated County land and within the contract cities (1995 figure).

The Sheriff's Department also operates one the largest jail systems which provides short-term incarceration services for all of the County (including the cities like Los Angeles which have their own police departments). The Men's Central Jail (MCJ) and Twin Towers Correctional Facility (TTCF) are located in a dense cluster northeast of Union Station that is next to the station's rail yard. The North County Correctional Facility (NCCF) is the largest of the four jail facilities locacted at the Peter J. Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic, California.

Some of the newer contract cities like Santa Clarita and West Hollywood have never had police departments. When their city governments were founded, they took over what was formerly unincorporated land (or in the case of West Hollywood, land from a much larger city), but then contracted their police responsibilities right back to the county sheriff. Since the sheriff already had substations in those areas anyway, the result was to maintain the status quo.

In contrast, Compton, California, used to have a police department, but in 2000 the city council voted to dismantle the police department and become a contract city. Compton has been at times notorious for gang violence.

[edit] Achievements

The LASD has gained an international reputation for its efforts in developing and integrating the latest law enforcement technologies, especially nonlethal weapons. Because many developers, especially those developing technologies for the U.S. Department of Defense, have little idea of the needs of domestic law enforcement, the LASD provides experts to assist in the development and implementation of technologies that will be of service to law enforcment when fully mature. In the late 1990's the LASD successfully designed a county wide sound recorder/meter system to detect loud noises and relay that info with GPS tracking to computers at both Communications and Deputies' vehicles. Towers are methodically located in area's of the county that on a 24-7 basis seek out sounds that could be relevant to crimes and has a 97% success rate of accurately sorting gunshots vs fireworks and things like loud pets.[citation needed] When dispatch has a call from a citizen reporting possible gunfire near their residence, these sound towers can pinpoint within about 25 to 30 feet where the shots were coming from and record the sound for investigative purposes, and at the same time, relay the GPS info to HQ and deputies on the street. The system is up and running and has already been responsible for the arrest of a felony shooting suspect.

Currently the LASD is working with the Federal Aeronautics Administration and local government officials to deploy their remote control aerial surveillance drone system. This would allow the Sheriff's Department to have real time imagery from the streets of Los Angeles to combat street violence and record crimes in progress, not mention searching for missing hikers, "patrolling" behind the surf zones of the beaches and looking for lost children. The drones are not intended to replace police helicopters, but in specific incidents could be of better, cheaper and quieter to use.

[edit] Fallen Members

The most notable fallen member of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department was Deputy David W. March, who was murdered by Mexican national Armando Garcia.

On April 29, 2002 in Irwindale, Deputy March pulled over a 1989 Nissan Maxima, driven by Garcia. After Deputy March attempted to frisk Garcia, Garcia pulled out a gun, fatally shooting Deputy March execution style. Garcia fled to Mexico within hours after the shooting.

This led to tense negotiations with U.S. and Mexican authorities, mostly about the death penalty. Under a treaty between the United States and Mexico, Mexico will refuse to extradite any fugitive who faces the death penalty. This led to Sheriff Lee Baca visiting Mexico City to negotiate with Mexican authorities to extradite Garcia. Mexico also refused to extradite fugitives who faced life in prison until 2004 when Mexico's highest court overturned the extradition policy.

Garcia was captured near Guadalajara, Jalisco in Mexico by U.S. and Mexican authorities. He fought extradition for months and was extradited back to the U.S. in January 2007.

The I-210/I-605 in Duarte was named in honor of Deputy March and is read "Deputy David W. March, Los Angeles County Sheriff Memorial Interchange."

As a result of this case, Congressman David Dreier, working with fellow Congressman Adam Schiff and Sheriff Lee Baca, introduced legislation that would make it a federal crime for any suspect who murders a public safety official and flees the United States. Three attempts have failed on committee and on February 22, 2007, Congressman Dreier introduced such legislation for a fourth time.

[edit] Controversy

Ironically for a law-enforcement agency, the Sheriff's Department was sued for violating the law regarding copyright infringement in 2006. As is the typical practice with large organizations which have a number of computers, the Sheriff's Department routinely would load all of the software which would be used on its computers onto an image used to create each computer to be used, which would then be customized as needed. While the department had, in the case of the software in question, 3,663 licenses, it had preloaded the software on over 6,000 machines. The department argued this was fair use since the software was blocked by a license management system unless the particular user had a valid license. The court, however decided this represented an unauthorized and unlicensed commercial use of the software and was illegal. Wall Data, Inc. v. L.A. County Sheriff’s Dep’t., 447 F.3d 769 (9th Cir. 2006).

[edit] Contract Law Enforcement by LASD

[edit] Cities

LASD has entered into contracts with the below cities to serve as their police department/law enforcement agency.

City Served by
Artesia Lakewood Station
Avalon (Catalina Island) Avalon Station
Bellflower Lakewood Station
Bradbury Temple Station
Calabasas Lost Hills Station
Carson Carson Station
Cerritos Cerritos Station
Commerce East Los Angeles Station
Compton Compton Station
Diamond Bar Walnut / Diamond Bar Station
Duarte Temple Station
Hawaiian Gardens Lakewood Station
Hidden Hills Malibu/Lost Hills Station
City of Industry Industry Station
La Canada Flintridge Crescenta Valley Station
La Habra Heights Industry Station
Lakewood Lakewood Station
La Mirada Norwalk Station
Lancaster Lancaster Station
La Puente Industry Station
Lawndale Lennox Station/Lawndale Sheriff's Department Service Center
Lomita Lomita Station
Lynwood Century Station
Malibu Malibu/Lost Hills Station
Norwalk Norwalk Station
Palmdale Palmdale Station
Paramount Lakewood Station
Pico Rivera Pico Rivera Station
Rancho Palos Verdes Lomita Station
Rolling Hills Lomita Station
Rolling Hills Estates Lomita Station
Rosemead Temple Station
San Dimas San Dimas Station
Santa Clarita Santa Clarita Station
South El Monte Temple Station
Temple City Temple Station
Walnut Walnut/Diamond Bar Station
West Hollywood West Hollywood Station
Westlake Village Malibu/Lost Hills Station

Santa Fe Springs was a contract city served by the LASD-Norwalk Station until the 1990s. It now contracts with Whittier Police Department.

[edit] Agencies that Contract with LASD for Law Enforcement Services

[edit] Transit Services Bureau

[edit] Community Colleges Services Bureau

[edit] Court Services Division

  • Prisoner Transport Services with 31 of the 58 counties in California
  • Los Angeles County Marshal/Municipal Courts (Merged into LASD Court Services)

[edit] Contract Custody Services

[edit] Reserve Program

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department supplements its full time ranks with over 700 reserve deputies.

Like Full-time Deputies, Reserve Deputies are professionally trained and duly sworn law enforcement personnel. In most cases, Reserves are assigned to the same duties as Full-time Deputies. Since Reserve Deputies have the same powers of arrest as Full-time Deputies they are required by law to meet the same hiring, background, medical and psychological standards as Full-time Deputies. Reserve Deputy Sheriffs enjoy the challenge and excitement offered by law enforcement, as well as the satisfaction of providing a worthwhile community service. Reserve Deputy Sheriffs first complete the extensive state mandated training and then work assignments on evenings and/or weekends as their regular jobs permit. Reserve Deputy Sheriffs are issued a badge, an identification card, uniforms, a Beretta 92FS duty weapon, handcuffs, baton, and most other necessary equipment. Reserve Deputy Sheriffs have full peace officer powers when on duty, and, if issued a CCW permit, may choose to carry a concealed weapon when off duty. Reserve Deputy Sheriffs volunteer 20 hours per month of their time with the regular compensation being one dollar per year. Reserve Deputy Sheriffs may also qualify for shooting bonus pay of up to $32.00 per month, and some paid special event assignments are occasionally available. Reserve Deputy Sheriffs serve at the will of the Sheriff, must obey all Departmental regulations, but do not fall into the framework of the civil service system. Reserve Deputy Sheriffs supplement the regular operations of the Sheriff's Department by working in their choice of Uniform Reserve (Patrol), Mounted Posse, Search and Rescue or as a Specialist.

[edit] Television shows based on LASD

In the late 1950's, a short lived "Dragnet (drama)"-style television series, "Code 3", aired based on real cases (though names and locations were changed) from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The late Eugene Biscailuz, then Sheriff of Los Angeles County, was featured in a cameo tag line at the end of every episode.

The department's Emergency Services Detail (ESD) which functions under the unbrella of the Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) was depicted in the short lived television series, 240-Robert. The SEB also includes the Canine Services Detail (K-9), and the Special Enforcement Detail (SED) which is the department's special weapons team.

In September 2003, ABC premiered 10-8: Officers on Duty a prime time drama (with a light comedy twist) based on a rookie with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. The show lasted one season. The show's name was based on the police radio code for "on duty".

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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