Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
Encyclopedia : L : LO : LOS : Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) serves Los Angeles County, California. It also serves the incorporated cities and towns within the county who have contracted with the agency for law-enforcement services (known as "contract cities" in local jargon).
The LASD is the largest sheriff's department in the United States with over 13,000 employees. On December 1, 1996 the LASD had 8,028 sworn deputies and 4,377 civilian employees.
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 a gigantic jail system which provides short-term incarceration services for all of the County (including the cities like Los Angeles which have their own police departments). Most of the jail facilities are located in a dense cluster northeast of Union Station that is surrounded by the station's rail yard. The most important is the Twin Towers Correctional Facility. The Department claims that it operates the largest jail in the free world.
Some of the newer contract cities like Santa Clarita and West Hollywood never had police departments. When their city governments were founded, they took over what was formerly unincorporated land, 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 then the city council in 2000 voted to dismantle the police department and become a contract city. Compton has been at times notorious for gang violence.
Leroy D. Baca is the current sheriff.
Contract Law Enforcement by LASD
Cities
LASD has entered into contracts with the below cities to serve as their police department/law enforcement agency.| City | Served by |
|---|---|
| Agoura Hills | Malibu/Lost Hills Station |
| 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 | Altadena 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 | Lynwood 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 |
Agencies that Contract with LASD for Law Enforcement Services
Transit Services Bureau
- Metrolink
- Los Angeles MTA Blue Line/Green Line/Red Line and Buses
Community Colleges Services Bureau
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)
Contract Custody Services
- California Department of Corrections (Housing Parole Violators)
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Detention of Illegal Aliens arrested by ICE)
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 was depicted in the short lived television series, 240-Robert.
In September 2003, ABC premiered a prime time drama (with a light comedy twist) based on a rookie with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. The show lasted one or two seasons. The show's name was based on the police radio code for "on duty".
External links
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