Emergency Services Division

Emergency Services Division
Abbreviation	ESD
Organizational structure
Part of	Los Angeles Police Department Counter-Terrorism Bureau Special Operations Bureau
Headquarters	2029 North Main Street, Los Angeles
Command staff
Commanding Officer	Captain III

The Emergency Services Division (ESD) of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is responsible for responding to incidents involving explosives and other destructive devices as well as hazardous materials.

Organization of Emergency Services Division

Hazardous Devices and Materials Section

Bomb Squad Unit

Patch used by members of the Bomb Squad

The Bomb Squad Unit is responsible for:

• responding to incidents involving real or potential criminal use of hazardous materials and render safe and/or remove suspected destructive devices, hazardous materials devices, improvised explosive devices, incendiary devices, explosives, explosive chemicals, pyrotechnics, military ordnance
• maintaining security and preservation of crime scenes involving bombings, attempt bombings, and bomb threats until determining it to be safe
• exercising functional supervision over the physical collection, preservation, marking, and booking of evidence
• conducting post-blast crime scene investigations

In addition to the main Bomb Squad component, it maintains a satellite office at the Edward M. Davis Training Facility in the Granada Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles (in the San Fernando Valley) in order to maintain better coverage and quicker response time to incidents throughout the city.

Hazardous Materials Unit

Patch used by members of the HAZMAT Unit

The Hazardous Materials Unit is responsible for:

• investigation and enforcement of hazardous materials transportation safety laws
• investigation of environmental crimes, including illegal storage and disposal/discharge of hazardous substances/materials
• providing first responder awareness training for all department employees relating to hazardous materials incidents and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats
• responding to weapons of mass destruction (WMD) incidents, assisting federal authorities in gathering and preserving evidence, conducting reconnaissance for and assisting the Bomb Squad in locating potential chemical, biological, and radiological dispersal devices

Known personnel

	Lieutenant Reid is the Officer-in-Charge of the Hazardous Devices and Materials Section during Major Crimes, Season 2. Lt. Reid has only been seen in “Year-End Blowout”. He was portrayed by James MacDonald (at IMDb).
	Detective Ronald "Ron" Capra is real life LAPD a bomb tech assigned the Bomb Squad Unit. Capra joined the LAPD in 1985 and the Bomb Squad in 2000; he has since retired. Capra has appeared as himself (though credited only as "Bomb Tech") on Major Crimes in “Flight Risk” and “Shockwave, Part 2”, and has also served as a technical advisor on the show.
	Lieutenant Capra is the Officer-in-Charge of the Hazardous Devices and Materials Section during Major Crimes, Season 5. Lt. Capra made appearances in “Shockwave, Part 1” and “Shockwave, Part 2”. He was portrayed by Lochlyn Munro (at IMDb).

Bomb Detection K-9 Section

Patch used by Bomb K-9 handlers

The Bomb Detection K-9 Section is a specialized group of explosive detection canine handlers and their K9 partners, whose mission is to deter and detect the introduction of explosive devices in transportation systems, public events and venues, the City of Los Angeles, and the Metropolitan Transit Authority. The section operates in a partnership with the Transportation Security Administration and the Los Angeles World Airport Police to provide security at the Los Angeles International Airport, conducting canine explosive searches at LAX, and planning, directing, and implementing detailed searches of aircraft, terminals, vehicles, warehouses, luggage, and any other structure or open area, to respond to bomb threats at LAX.

The explosive detection K9 teams are available to respond to calls, seven days a week, throughout the city for the following types of duties:

• bomb threat incidents
• searches for secondary devices during Bomb Squad responses or other large-scale operations where the need for such sweeps are anticipated such as post-blast incidents, large evacuation incidents where crowds may be targeted, and command post locations
• special events
• dignitary protection details
• search warrants
• unattended items/vehicles (suspicious items/vehicles are handled by Bomb Squad)

Appearances/mentions

• In “Year-End Blowout”, Bomb Squad was responsible for handling the crime scene investigation to the car bombing. Bomb K9s were also used to search the rest of the used car dealership to check for other bombs. Later, when another bomb was found elsewhere, Bomb Squad removed it and blew the bomb up in a containment vessel (rather than driving it around the city to be disposed of elsewhere).
• In “Special Master Part Two”, Bomb Detection K9 was deployed to search "Burning Man's" Oldsmobile before forensics was allowed to search it; thankfully no bombs were found.
• In “Shockwave, Part 1” and “Shockwave, Part 2”, the Bomb Squad and the Bomb Detection K-9 Section were heavily featured during the LAPD's hunt for Christian Ortiz.

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