The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), officially the County of Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, is a
law enforcement agency
A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for law enforcement within a specific jurisdiction through the employment and deployment of law enforcement officers and their resources. The most common type of law enforcement ...
serving
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the List of United States counties and county equivalents, most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 202 ...
. LASD is the largest
sheriff's department in the United States and the third largest local police agency in the United States, following the
New York Police Department
The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...
, and the
Chicago Police Department. LASD has approximately 18,000 employees—9,915 sworn deputies and 9,244 unsworn members.
It is sometimes confused with the similarly-named but separate
Los Angeles Police Department
The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...
, which provides law enforcement services within the city of Los Angeles, which is the county seat of Los Angeles County, although both departments have their headquarters in downtown Los Angeles.
The department's three main responsibilities are to provide municipal police services within Los Angeles County, courthouse security for the
Superior Court of Los Angeles County, and housing and transportation services of inmates within the
county jail system. In addition to providing municipal police services to the
unincorporated communities within Los Angeles County, it has contractural arrangements to provide police services for
42 of the 88 independent cities within Los Angeles County. LASD also has contracts to provide police services for the
Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority and
Metrolink.
In 2021, it was confirmed that
numerous separate gangs of deputy sheriffs within the LASD had been known to be operating since the 1970s. These gangs engaged "in a pattern of on-duty behavior that intentionally violated the law or fundamental principles of professional policing," including racial profiling,
police brutality
Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or Public order policing, a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, b ...
,
police corruption, and other misconduct.
History
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which was founded in 1850, was the first professional police force in the Los Angeles area. The all-volunteer, Los Angeles-specific Los Angeles Rangers were formed in 1853 to assist the LASD. They were soon succeeded by the Los Angeles City Guards, another volunteer group. Neither force was deemed efficient and Los Angeles became known for its violence, gambling and "vice".
On December 15, 2009, the
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (LACBOS) is the five-member Board of Supervisors, governing body of Los Angeles County, California, United States.
History
On April 1, 1850 the citizens of Los Angeles elected a three-man Court of Se ...
voted 4–1 to merge the
Los Angeles County Office of Public Safety into the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The merger took place on June 30, 2010.
During the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the LASD refused to enforce mask mandates. LASD Sheriff
Alex Villanueva
Alejandro Villanueva is a former American law enforcement officer who served as the 33rd sheriff of Los Angeles County, California from 2018 until 2022. He defeated incumbent sheriff Jim McDonnell in the 2018 L.A. County Sheriff's race, makin ...
also refused to enforce a vaccine requirement for LASD staff, stating that large parts of the LASD would refuse to comply with it and he would "lose 5, 10% of
he LASDworkforce overnight on a vaccine mandate." In November 2021, Villanueva said only 42% of LASD staff were vaccinated against COVID-19.
List of sheriffs
County jail system
The Los Angeles County Jail provides short-term incarceration services for the entire county, including
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
Glendale,
Burbank, and
Long Beach, all of which have their own police departments. The
Men's Central Jail (MCJ) and
Twin Towers Correctional Facility (TTCF) are located in a dense cluster next the rail yard northeast of
Union Station
A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...
. The
North County Correctional Facility (NCCF) is the largest of the four jail facilities located at the
Pitchess Detention Center in
Castaic, California. The Los Angeles County Women's Jail, known as the Century Regional Detention Facility or the Lynwood Jail, is located in
Lynwood, California.
Concerns and challenges
The Los Angeles County Jail incarcerates about 200,000 individuals each year, and with such large numbers, the jail has faced numerous problems with its facilities.
In 1988, a scandal erupted after a Los Angeles jailhouse informant demonstrated that he was able to engineer
false confessions to murder from inmates he had never met before. In California, jailhouse informants have most frequently been used in murder cases.
In May 2013, the
Men's Central Jail and the
Twin Towers Correctional Facility (taken together) ranked as one of the ten worst jails in the United States, based on reporting in ''
Mother Jones'' magazine.
One of the issues the jails faced was with visitation, exemplified by an event in the Men's Central Jail. Twenty-three-year-old male Gabriel Carillo was severely beaten and
pepper sprayed by a deputy in Men's Central Jail on Saturday, February 26, 2012. Carillo was there with his girlfriend, Grace Torres, to visit his younger brother. Both Torres and Carillo illegally brought their
cell phones
A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive Telephone call, calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones (landline phone ...
into the jail and were caught in possession of the phones. Torres hid her cell phone in her
boot and snuck it into the visitor's lobby despite signs prohibiting doing so, while Carillo claimed he forgot to remove his cell phone from his pocket. The deputies confiscated both phones shortly after, handcuffed Carillo, and took both Carillo and Torres into the break room. Carillo got into a verbal altercation with officers and claimed he was then
assault
In the terminology of law, an assault is the act of causing physical harm or consent, unwanted physical contact to another person, or, in some legal definitions, the threat or attempt to do so. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may ...
ed by them.
Following the controversy, Los Angeles County Sheriff
Lee Baca announced that the Men's Central Jail could be closed. Construction of a new jail has been proposed to replace the Men's Central Jail.
Another challenge that the Los Angeles County Jail faces is
violence
Violence is characterized as the use of physical force by humans to cause harm to other living beings, or property, such as pain, injury, disablement, death, damage and destruction. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines violence a ...
within the jail community.
Related to this issue is Los Angeles County Jail's K6G unit, which is intended to be a separate unit for
gay-identified men and
transgender women. Although it has been shown that this unit is successful through its lower rates of
sexual violence
Sexual violence is any harmful or unwanted Human sexual activity, sexual act, an attempt to obtain a sexual act through violence or coercion, or an act directed against a person's sexuality without their consent, by any individual regardless of ...
, the creation and systematics of this unit have sparked controversy. In order to be admitted into the K6G unit, inmates must prove that they are
gay. However, those who identify inmates as
homosexual individuals eligible for the K6G unit rely on stereotypes constructed by society about gay men. This procedure prevents homosexual men who are not open about their sexuality, particularly those of color, from coming out as gay for fear of abuse if they do so.
Serious health concerns have begun to arise with the issue of mass
incarceration in the Los Angeles County Jails. Several organizations and scholars have analyzed random samples of prisoners with illnesses and the healthcare that they receive while incarcerated. The
American Public Health Association
The American Public Health Association (APHA) is a Washington, D.C.–based professional membership and advocacy organization for public health professionals in the United States. APHA is the largest professional organization of public health pr ...
claims that some of these prisoners suffer from a variety of other disorders. They also state that more than 30% of their sample group had a severe
mental disorder
A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...
or a
substance use disorder
Substance use disorder (SUD) is the persistent use of drugs despite substantial harm and adverse consequences to self and others. Related terms include ''substance use problems'' and ''problematic drug or alcohol use''. Along with substance-ind ...
. The detainees that were diagnosed with severe mental disorders or substance use were often in jail because they had committed nonviolent crimes. An issue that arises with the incarceration of individuals with mental disorders is that they must be tested for competency before they can be put on trial, which can leave inmates in jail for longer than necessary.
Richard Lamb and Robert W. Grant conducted a similar study of 101 women that are imprisoned in the Los Angeles County Jail system. In this study, they concluded that 70% of them had traumatizing experiences of
physical violence, 40% of these women were involved in
prostitution
Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...
, and 84% of the women with children were incapable of taking care of them. In addition, there were more mentally ill men in jail than there were women. In a study of male inmates, there appeared to have been issues of the "
criminalization" of those whom were mentally ill.
An issue that resides in these studies is that there is uncertainty when trying to determine if these prisoners receive any beneficial treatment. In response to this issue, Dr. Terry Kupers mentions that when considering the large proportion of prisoners with significant mental illness, few of these Los Angeles County Jail inmates receive adequate mental health treatment. However, mental illnesses have been and are currently being studied in the Los Angeles County Jail. For instance, several researchers studied
Bipolar I disorder and found that a way to decrease the number of inmates with the disorder is by having them participate in longer
psychiatric hospital
A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe Mental disorder, mental disorders. These institutions cater t ...
stays.
One solution to this issue could be opt-out
screening and
vaccination
Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine to help the immune system develop immunity from a disease. Vaccines contain a microorganism or virus in a weakened, live or killed state, or proteins or toxins from the organism. In stimulating ...
s for
STIs and other infectious diseases, which has the potential to improve health conditions in jail and in surrounding communities. This can be accomplished by providing health care that many inmates, especially impoverished blacks and Latinos, would not receive otherwise. In addition, the implementation of this action would decrease the spreading of diseases from the jail to home communities. Using opt-out screenings and vaccinations can be used as a mechanism to reach out to inner city community health issues as well as provide a new area for research in the effectiveness in vaccinations and screenings.
[
The Los Angeles County Jail system incarcerates a large number of minority inmates. Victor Rios argues that a new era of mass incarceration has resulted in the development of a youth control complex. This complex resulted from a network of racialized criminalization, and the punishment arrived from institutions of authority that patrolled and incapacitated Black and Latino youth. Rios concludes that it is not policing but the harsh policing of inner cities that marks young people from their early years, effectively stigmatizing them through negative credentials before they have an opportunity to acquire the more positive forms demanded for participation in mainstream society.
In 2021, a '']Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' analysis found that in 44,000 bike stops for drugs and weapons (since 2017) that 85% were searched without reason and that the overwhelming majority of stops were non-white individuals.
Deputy gangs
There are at least 18 active deputy gangs within the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. The 1992 Kolts Commission report said they were found "particularly at stations in areas heavily populated by minorities—the so-called 'ghetto stations'—and deputies at those stations recruit persons similar in attitude to themselves."
During his tenure as Sheriff, Alex Villanueva
Alejandro Villanueva is a former American law enforcement officer who served as the 33rd sheriff of Los Angeles County, California from 2018 until 2022. He defeated incumbent sheriff Jim McDonnell in the 2018 L.A. County Sheriff's race, makin ...
, who according to Los Angeles County Court documents, was a member of the "Banditos" deputy gang himself, announced a "zero tolerance" policy to curb what he referred to as "deputy cliques." Villanueva has never acknowledged membership in the Banditos deputy gang, but did admit to being a member of the "Cavemen" while stationed in East Los Angeles. A 2020 county inspector general report concluded that the Banditos gang at the East LASD station were "gang-like and hat
A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...
their influence has resulted in favoritism, sexism, racism and violence."
The first deputy gang acknowledged by the LASD was the "Little Devils" in an internal memo in 1973, although they are believed to have been involved in the death of ''Los Angeles Times'' reporter and law enforcement
Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...
critic Ruben Salazar during the National Chicano Moratorium March against the Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
on August 29, 1970. They operated out of the East Los Angeles station and sported tattooed caricatures of a small, red devil on their left calves. They were known at the time to have at least 47 members.
The "Wayside Whities" operated out of the Peter J. Pitchess Detention Center throughout the 1980s, their alleged mission being to "bring to heel" any incarcerated black men, especially those who fought with white prisoners.
Following years of police violence in the city of Lynwood, over two dozen civil rights attorneys compiled claims and filed a class action lawsuit in 1990, in which they asked the federal court to take over the Lynwood Station, home of a deputy gang known as the Lynwood Vikings. A federal judge described the Lynwood Vikings as a neo-Nazi
Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...
and white supremacist gang.
Los Angeles blog outlet Knock LA has published a database of hundreds of LASD employees found in court documents to be associated with deputy gang activity, including names of officers, gang affiliation, case number, deputy/badge/serial number, and department title. The database includes Undersheriff Timothy Murakami, identified in court documents as a member of the Cavemen. Former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka
Paul K. Tanaka (born 1959) is an American convicted felon, former politician, and former law enforcement officer who served with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department until his conviction in 2016. He was convicted April 4, 2016, in Federal ...
, who also served as the mayor of Gardena, California, is identified as a member of the Lynwood Vikings, and was convicted of federal obstruction charges in 2014.
In July 2021, U.S. Representative Maxine Waters called for a United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...
investigation into allegations that a violent deputy gang known as the Executioners was running the Compton station of the LASD.
Misconduct
In October 1969, LASD deputies bungled a drug raid
RAID (; redundant array of inexpensive disks or redundant array of independent disks) is a data storage virtualization technology that combines multiple physical Computer data storage, data storage components into one or more logical units for th ...
in Whittier along with officers from the California State Bureau of Narcotics and one officer from nearby Vernon. The team went to the wrong address
An address is a collection of information, presented in a mostly fixed format, used to give the location of a building, apartment, or other structure or a plot of land, generally using border, political boundaries and street names as references, ...
. In the confusion, the Vernon officer, Detective Sergeant Frank Sweeny, fired his rifle. The bullet went through the floor of the apartment and killed Heyden Dyer who lived downstairs.
On February 11, 1989, deputy sheriffs in riot gear invaded the family home of GLOW professional wrestler Emily Dole, also known professionally as Mt. Fiji, in Cerritos, California
Cerritos (; Spanish for "Little hills") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of several cities that constitute the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. It was municipal corporation, incorporated on ...
during a bridal shower for Dole's sister, Melinda. Much like the Rodney King
Rodney Glen King (April 2, 1965June 17, 2012) was a Black American victim of police brutality. On March 3, 1991, he was severely beaten by Police officer, officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) during his arrest after a high spe ...
incident two years later, the event was videotaped by a neighbor, Doug Botts, showing the sheriffs beating the family. Despite her imposing physique, Dole remained in a passive stance with her arms folded in the middle of the street, where the video showed her being beaten to the ground with police batons and flashlights. All 34 members of the party, all Samoan, were beaten and arrested. The Samoan-American community was angered, contending the incident was racist
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
in nature. The family sued the Sheriff's Department and won a $23 million settlement.
In 2006, an investigation into corruption
Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...
at the department collapsed due to "the intimidation tactics of the LASD". A summary of the allegations claimed that captains in the department were ordered to collect $10,000 from each towing contractor doing business with the department. The payments were used as contributions to political causes favored by the sheriff.
In December 2009, the '' L.A. Times'' reported that L.A. County Auditor-Controller Wendy L. Watanabe's office found 348 deputies worked more than 900 hours of overtime between March 2007 and February 2008. This would equal an extra six months of full-time work. The audit found that over the last five years, the department had exceeded its overtime budget by an average of 104 percent for each year.
In September 2009, Mitrice Richardson was observed in a Malibu, California restaurant experiencing an apparent mental health crisis. She made statements regarding being from Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...
and avenging the death of Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
, and was unable to pay her restaurant bill. Out of concern for her mental health, restaurant staff called the sheriffs, who arrested her. She was subsequently released by sheriffs at 12:38am, with no means to access her car, phone, money or any means of caring for herself. Her naked skeletal remains were discovered approximately eleven months after her disappearance. The county settled with the family for $900,000.
According to the ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'', in 2010, the department hired almost 300 new officers. The department later discovered about 100 of the new hires had lied on their applications. Fifteen of the new deputies cheated on the department's polygraph test. About 200 of the new deputies and guards had been disqualified by other law enforcement agencies
A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for law enforcement within a specific jurisdiction through the employment and deployment of law enforcement officers and their resources. The most common type of law enforcement ...
for misconduct or having failed qualification tests. The department launched an investigation of how the media found out about the flawed hiring process.
In September 2010, three deputies (Humberto Magallanes, Kenny Ramirez and Lee Simoes) pleaded no contest to charges related to their beating of a prisoner in 2006. The three men were sentenced to various periods of parole and resigned from the department.
In December 2010, members of a widely known gang-like group of L.A. County Sheriff's Deputies known as 'The 3,000 Boys' were involved in a violent fight in the parking lot of the Quiet Cannon Restaurant in Montebello. An anonymous call made to the Montebello police department reported three Sheriff's Deputies were holding down a fourth, beating him severely. Montebello Police arrived on the scene and broke up the fight; however, no arrests were made. The '3,000 Boys' is a name referring to a gang of L.A. County Sheriff's Deputies and Jailers who have been involved in the beatings and organized fights of inmates in the 3,000 block of the Men's Central Jail in Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...
. In May 2011, six deputies were suspended without pay (pending termination and criminal prosecution) for the beating of Evans Tutt, an inmate who had been filing complaints about living conditions within the jail.
In January 2011, Deputy Patricia Margaret Bojorquez was sentenced to a year in custody for making a false police report against her husband and recklessly firing a gun in her home.
In April 2011, Deputy Sean Paul Delacerda was convicted of breaking into a woman's home kidnapping, assaulting her with a handgun and falsely imprisoning her.
In July 2011, the department agreed to pay a half million dollars to the family of 16-year-old Avery Cody Jr. Cody was shot by Deputy Sergio Reyes in 2009. Reyes made several statements under oath that were disproven by video of the incident. The department then agreed to settle, but admitted no guilt.
In October 2011, Deputy Mark Fitzpatrick was convicted of an on-duty sexual assault
Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally Physical intimacy, sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or Coercion, coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their w ...
and false imprisonment during a May 2008 traffic stop. Fitzpatrick has a long history of similar complaints against him during his career with the LASD. The department agreed to pay the woman $245,000.
In January, 2012 Jazmyne Ha Eng was shot and killed by Deputy Brian Vance outside a mental-health center in Rosemead, where she was a patient
A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by Health professional, healthcare professionals. The patient is most often Disease, ill or Major trauma, injured and in need of therapy, treatment by a physician, nurse, op ...
. Vance said Eng charged him and the other three deputies on the scene with a hammer
A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nail (fastener), nails into wood, to sh ...
, making them fear for their lives. Eng was 40 years old, weighed 93 pounds and stood five feet one inches tall. An internal investigation ruled the killing justifiable, but in February 2014, the county agreed to pay $1.8 million to settle the matter.
In May 2012, part of the Gang Enforcement Team was accused of being a clique called "Jump Out Boys" after a pamphlet was discovered indicating that members would receive a tattoo after being involved in a shooting, glorifying the incident. It drew comparisons to the problematic Rampart Division of the LAPD in the 1990s, who had the same tattoo.
In June 2012, Deputy Rafael Zelaya was sentenced to six months in jail for stealing drugs from someone while on duty.
In July 2013 Eugene Mallory was fatally shot in his house while the police alleged that he ran a meth lab
Clandestine chemistry is chemistry carried out in secret, and particularly in Illegal drug trade, illegal drug laboratories. Larger labs are usually run by gangs or organized crime intending to produce for distribution on the black market. Smalle ...
, no such drugs were found in his house.
In July 2013, a federal jury awarded $200,000 to a 69-year-old man who had his rib broken by two sheriff's deputies attempting to arrest him in 2009. The jury also ordered Deputy Mark Collins to pay punitive damages of $1,000.
In October 2013, Deputy Mark Eric Hibner, was convicted by a jury of two counts of domestic violence
Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...
and three counts of making threats.
In December 2013, Deputy Michael Anthony Grundynt was sentenced to three years probation for a fleeing the scene of an accident in 2011. He had been driving while drunk.
In March 2014, Deputy Jose Rigoberto Sanchez pleaded no contest to one count each of rape under color of authority and soliciting a bribe. He was sentenced to eight years and eight months in prison. His rapes happened in 2010 while he was on duty.
In July 2014, six correctional officers (two deputies, two sergeants and two lieutenants) were convicted by a federal court of interfering with a federal grand jury investigation of the county jail. In 2011, the officers obstructed an FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
undercover operation which was using an inmate informant to report on brutality and misconduct by jail deputies. Overall, a total of 21 LASD officers were convicted or pleaded guilty to federal civil rights violations, obstruction of justice, conspiracy to obstruct justice, falsifying reports, bribery, and firearm violations.
Personnel, programs and equipment
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is the largest sheriff's department and the fourth largest local policing agency in the United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. There are approximately 17,926 employees; over 9,972 sworn deputies and 7,954 non sworn members (professional staff).
By sex:
* Male: 86%
* Female: 14%
By race/ethnicity:
* Hispanic: 45%
* White: 39%
* African American/Black: 9%
* Asian: 5%
As of the 2nd quarter of 2018, the Los Angeles County Human Resources Department reported a total of 15,521 employees: 4,586 White, 1,921 Black, 7,130 Hispanic, 45 American Indian/Alaska Native, 1,320 Asian, 537 Filipino, 5 Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander, and 40 are two or more races.
There are an additional 4,200 civilian volunteers, 791 reserve deputies and 400 explorers. On December 3, 2022, Robert Luna took the oath of office and was sworn in as the 33rd Los Angeles County Sheriff.
Notable deputies
* Lillian Copeland (1904–1964), Olympic discus champion; set world records in discus, javelin, and shot put
* Shane Minor (born 1968), singer-songwriter
*
Programs
LASD deputies provided law enforcement
Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...
services to over three million residents in an area of of the 4,083 square miles on the county, both in the unincorporated county land and within the 42 contract cities.
The LASD runs an Air Rescue program. In 2012, LASD's Air Rescue 5 began replacing Sikorsky H-3 Sea Kings with 3 Eurocopter AS332 Super Pumas as primary rescue helicopters. In addition to having a fleet of three Sikorsky Sea Kings, the LASD also utilizes 14 Eurocopter
Airbus Helicopters SAS (formerly Eurocopter S.A., trade name, trading as Eurocopter Group) is the helicopter manufacturer, helicopter manufacturing division of Airbus. It is the largest in the industry in terms of revenues and turbine helicopte ...
AS-350 AStar helicopters and 3 Hughes/Schweizer 300 series S-300C helicopters.
The Sky Knight Helicopter Program is an airborne law enforcement program in Lakewood, California which began in 1966. The unit operates using non-sworn pilots, employed by the city of Lakewood, partnered with a sworn deputy sheriff from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Lakewood station. The unit currently operates three Schweizer 300C helicopters, based at Long Beach airport
Long Beach Airport is a public airport northeast of downtown Long Beach, California, Long Beach, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is also called Daugherty Field, named after local aviator Earl Daugherty. The airport was an ...
and flies about 1,800 hours per year. Today, the Sky Knight program is completely integrated within the sheriff's tactical operations. Five other cities ( Artesia, Bellflower, Hawaiian Gardens, Paramount
Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to:
Entertainment and music companies
* Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS.
**Paramount Picture ...
and Cerritos) contract with Lakewood to participate in the Sky Knight program. These five cities also contract with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for police services.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department supplements its full-time ranks with over 800 reserve deputies. Reserve sheriff's deputies are issued a badge, an identification card, uniforms, a Smith & Wesson M&P duty weapon, handcuffs
Handcuffs are Physical restraint, restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists in proximity to each other. They comprise two parts, linked together by a Link chain, chain, a hinge, or rigid bar. Each cuff has a rotating arm whi ...
, baton, and other equipment. Reserve deputy sheriffs must 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, as well as overtime. Like full-time deputies, 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 deputies 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.
Equipment
Current
In 2013, the department transitioned to the Smith & Wesson M&P in 9mm. Shortly after the M&P's adoption, LASD deputies experienced a rash of accidental discharges in the field, later attributed by the Inspector General's office to insufficient weapon transition training for sworn personnel. In the past few years the LASD has also been issuing the M&P9 2.0 handgun as well, which is an upgraded version of the M&P9.
Historical
Prior to 1991, the standard sidearm of the LASD was the Smith & Wesson Model 15 Combat Masterpiece revolver in caliber .38 Special, with blue steel finish, four inch barrel, and adjustable sights. Deputies were permitted to purchase, at their own expense, a stainless steel version of the same weapon, the Smith & Wesson Model 67 .38 Caliber revolver. Ammunition evolved during the tenure of the .38 Caliber revolver. For most of the time period 1939–1976, the standard ammunition was a 158 grain lead round nose bullet propelled at 750 feet per second. In 1978, Remington High Velocity +P 125 grain ammunition was used. In 1985, Federal Law Enforcement Only +P+ ultra high velocity 110 grain ammunition was issued.
From 1947 on, patrol cars were issued with the Ithaca 37 Pump Action "Deerslayer" shotgun with 20 inch barrel, loaded with four rounds of "00" (double ought) buckshot. By 1973, the department had switched to a custom ordered short barreled shotgun with a 15-inch barrel, recoil pad, and glow in the dark sights. This custom shotgun was also used by certain police agencies that trained their deputies at the Sheriff's Academy, particularly Palos Verdes Police, Torrance Police and West Covina Police. In 1981, the department switched to a smaller buckshot size, #4 buckshot, to decrease the danger to bystanders.
Until the department switched to semiautomatic sidearms, Sheriff's Deputies were permitted to purchase any Colt or Smith & Wesson revolver with a 4-, 5-, or 6-inch barrel, provided only department-issued ammunition was used in the weapon. Officers were permitted to carry off duty any Colt or Smith & Wesson revolver chambered for .38 Special, typically with a 2-inch barrel. For a short period of time, the Smith & Wesson Model 59 9mm pistol was permitted to be carried off duty, or on duty as a backup weapon. Approved ammunition was Remington 115-grain jacketed hollow point.
Before 2013, the standard issue sidearm of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department was the Beretta 92FS in 9mm.
In the late 1990s, the LASD implemented a county-wide sound recorder/meter system, ShotStopper, to detect loud noises. The Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) is the LASD's equivalent of a SWAT
A SWAT (''Special Weapons and Tactics'') team is a generic term for a police tactical unit within the United States, though the term has also been used by other nations.
SWAT units are generally trained, equipped, and deployed to res ...
team, which was originally a creation of the nearby Los Angeles Police Department
The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...
during the 1960s.
Contract law enforcement
Cities
The LASD has entered into contracts with the numerous cities to serve as their police department/law enforcement agency. Forty-two of the eighty-eight cities in Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...
contract with the Sheriff's Department for their complete municipal law enforcement services.
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, and then contracted their police responsibilities to the county sheriff. Since the department had substations in those areas, the result was to maintain the status quo.
In contrast, Compton, California
Compton is a city located in the Gateway Cities region of southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county, and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth ci ...
, once had a police department
The police are a constituted body of people empowered by a state with the aim of enforcing the law and protecting the public order as well as the public itself. This commonly includes ensuring the safety, health, and possessions of citize ...
. In 2000, the city council voted to dismantle the troubled police department and contract for police services. Compton has been at times notorious for gang
A gang is a social group, group or secret society, society of associates, friends, or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over Wiktionary:territory#Noun, territory in a ...
violence, especially during its recent history.
Other agencies
LASD provides dispatch services by contract to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is the penal law enforcement agency of the government of California responsible for the operation of the California state prison and parole systems. Its headquarters are in Sacra ...
for state parole agents. The services are provided by LASD County Services Bureau dispatchers.
Sheriff's dispatchers at the Avalon Sheriff's Station on Santa Catalina Island also provide dispatch services for the city of Avalon Fire Department.
By liaison via the Sheriff's Scientific Services Bureau, cybercrime
Cybercrime encompasses a wide range of criminal activities that are carried out using digital devices and/or Computer network, networks. It has been variously defined as "a crime committed on a computer network, especially the Internet"; Cyberc ...
detection and investigation often operates in conjunction with other agencies.
Transit Contracts
* Metrolink
* Los Angeles MTA (L.A. Metro)
* Antelope Valley Transit Authority
* Foothill Transit
Community Colleges Services Bureau (#87)
* Los Angeles Community College District
* Antelope Valley Community College District
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 January 1. 1994)
Contract Custody Services
*California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is the penal law enforcement agency of the government of California responsible for the operation of the California state prison and parole systems. Its headquarters are in Sacra ...
(Housing Parole Violators)
Rank structure
The following is the rank structure used by LASD.
Members killed on duty
As of 2023, 139 sheriff's deputies have been killed in the line of duty since the department's founding in 1850.
Awards, commendations, citations and medals
; For bravery
*
Medal of Valor
*
Meritorious Conduct Gold Medal
*
Meritorious Conduct Silver Medal
; Other
*
Lifesaving Award
*
Purple Heart Award
*
Meritorious Service Award
*
Exemplary Service Award
* Distinguished Service Award
* Humanitarian Award
*
Unit Commander Award
In popular culture
*The Sheriff's Department Emergency Services Detail was depicted in the fictional television series
A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
, '' 240-Robert'', which ran from 1979 to 1981.
* 1989 film Dead Bang stars Don Johnson
Don Wayne Johnson (born December 15, 1949) is an American actor and singer-songwriter. He played the role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s television series '' Miami Vice'', for which he won a Golden Globe, and received a Primetime Emm ...
as an LASD homicide detective.
* 2003 - 2004 TV series 10-8: Officers on Duty depicted a rookie deputy in the LASD.
* 2018 film '' Den of Thieves'' stars Gerard Butler as a LASD deputy.
* 2013 Video Game Grand Theft Auto 5 features a fictional representation of the LASD in the form of the Los Santos County Sheriff's Department (LSSD) which patrols the rural and desert areas of ''San Andreas,'' a parody of California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
.
* 2020 TV series '' Deputy'' is about a new Sheriff of Los Angeles County, the characters are mostly LA County Sheriff's Deputies, with it involving the duties that they have almost entirely.
See also
* List of law enforcement agencies in California
References
Sources
*
Bibliography
*
External links
*
{{Authority control
Sheriffs' departments of California
Organizations based in Los Angeles County, California
Monterey Park, California
1850 establishments in California
Organizations established in 1850