Patch of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), is the primary law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California.
Seal of the County of Los Angeles
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is the largest sheriff's department in the United States, and it provides law-enforcement and court bailiff duties to unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, as well as incorporated cities within the county. The department has over 9,100 sworn deputies and over 8,000 civilians. There is also an additional 4,200 civilian volunteers, 900 reserve deputies and 400 explorers.
42 of the county's 88 municipalities contract with the Sheriff’s Department to provide local law-enforcement services. These cities range in population from 800 to 177,000, and in size from 1 to 100 square miles. The LASD also provides security to the nine campuses of the Los Angeles Community College and Lancaster Community College District.
Organization[]
Rank structure[]
- Sheriff
- Undersheriff
- Assistant Sheriff
- Division Chief
- Commander
- Captain
- Lieutenant
- Sergeant
- Deputy Sheriff (Master Field Training Officer)
- Deputy Sheriff (Bonus I/II)
- Deputy Sheriff
- Deputy Sheriff Trainee
Organizational structure[]
- NOTE: The following organizational structure describes the Sheriff's Department as it was organized during Major Crimes, Season 6, and therefore it may not reflect the organization of the current LASD.
The elected Sheriff leads the Department. The Undersheriff, appointed by the Sheriff, is the second-in-command. The Sheriff and Undersheriff also supervise components which are not subordinate to Assistant Sheriffs, such as Risk Management and Professional Standards (i.e. Internal Affairs).
When compared to the Los Angeles Police Department, the LASD uses different organizational unit terminology. For example: where the LAPD has Bureaus, the LASD has Divisions; where LAPD has Divisions, the LASD has Bureaus.
- Assistant Sheriff, Administrative Operations is responsible for following divisions:
- Administrative Services Division, comprised of Bureaus such as Facilities Planning, Financial Programs, and Fiscal Administration.
- Personnel Command, comprised of Bureaus such as Labor Relations, Personnel Administration, Psychological Services, and Training.
- Technology & Support Division, comprised of Bureaus such as Communications & Fleet Management, Data Systems, Records & Identification, and Scientific Services.
- Assistant Sheriff, Custody Operations is responsible for following divisions:
- Custody Services Division, General Population, comprised of the Men's Central Jail, Inmate Reception Center, North County Correctional Facility, and the Peter Pitchess Detention Center.
- Custody Services Division, Specialized Programs, comprised of the Century Regional Detention Facility, Twin Towers Correctional Facility, Inmate Services Bureau, Custody Compliance & Sustainability Bureau, and Mira Loma Detention Facility.
- Custody Services Administration Command, comprised of the Custody Support Services Bureau, and the Custody Training & Standards Bureau.
- Assistant Sheriff, Patrol Operations is responsible for following divisions:
- North Patrol Division, comprised of the following stations: Lancaster, Palmdale, Malibu/Lost Hills, Santa Clarita Valley, and West Hollywood.
- Central Patrol Division, comprised of the following stations: Avalon, Compton, East Los Angeles, Century, Marina Del Rey, and South Los Angeles.
- South Patrol Division, comprised of the following stations: Carson, Lakewood, Norwalk, Cerritos, Lomita, and Pico Rivera.
- East Patrol Division, comprised of the following stations: Altadena, Crescenta Valley, Temple, Industry, San Dimas, and Walnut/Diamond Bar.
- Assistant Sheriff, Countywide Operations is responsible for following divisions:
- Detective Division, comprised of the following bureaus: Operation Safe Streets Bureau, Fraud & Cyber Crimes Bureau, Homicide Bureau, Major Crimes Bureau, Narcotics Bureau, Special Victims Bureau, and Task Force for Regional Auto Theft Prevention (TRAP)
- Court Services Division, comprised of the following bureaus: Civil Management Bureau, Court Services Central, Court Services East, Court Services West, and Court Services Transportation Bureau.
- Countywide Services Division, comprised of the following bureaus: Community Oriented Policing Bureau, Community College Bureau, County Services Bureau, Parks Bureau
- Special Operations Division, comprised of the following bureaus: Aero Bureau, Emergency Operations Bureau, Special Enforcement Bureau, Metrolink Bureau, and Transit Services Bureau.
County Jail System[]
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department operates the largest jail system in the United States. The Los Angeles County Jail provides short-term incarceration services for all of the County (including cities like Los Angeles, Glendale, Burbank, and Long Beach which have their own police departments).
LASD in the Major Crimes Universe[]
As in reality, the sheriff's department provides law enforcement to Los Angeles County as well as court bailiff duties to the Los Angeles County Courts. Most of the LASD's appearances relate to it's role protecting the County Courts, with only minor appearances outside of this context.