The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is the police department for the City of Los Angeles, California. It is the third largest police department in the United States, with 10,000 sworn officers and 3,000 civilian employees.
The LAPD featured in the Major Crimes Universe is fictional, although the department's organizational structure was originally based on the organization of the real LAPD from the summer of 2005 (when The Closer premiered). Regardless, it's presumed that the organization has evolved alongside its real life counterpart. The Major Crimes Universe's LAPD also features many fictional units, including the titular Major Crimes Division, the Criminal Intelligence Division, and the Counter-Terrorism Division, to name a few. Additionally, some units and divisions which exist in the real LAPD have been modified in the Major Crimes Universe to have different, reduced, or additional responsibilities.
Organization of the Major Crimes Universe LAPD
- For a full list of Offices, Bureaus and Divisions, see Los Angeles Police Department/Organization.
Major Crimes, Season 6, "By Any Means, Part 1" – "By Any Means, Part 4" (.PDF Version)
Headquarters
The current LAPD headquarters, the Police Administration Building.
The current headquarters of the LAPD is the Police Administration Building (PAB) which opened in October 2009. It replaced the aging Parker Center which was named after Chief of Police William H. Parker, who died of a heart attack while still in office in 1966. In the Major Crimes Universe, the move from the Parker Center to the PAB happened five days before “The Big Bang” of The Closer, Season 6.
The LAPD's old headquarters, Parker Center.
The Police Administration Building houses the Office of the Chief of Police, the Office of the Assistant Chief of Operations, and the Major Crimes Division, among others. These offices were previously located in the Parker Center when the building was still in use.
The 9th floor of the PAB
In the Major Crimes, Season 5 finale, “Shockwave, Part 2”, the PAB was the target of a bombing, severely damaging it's ninth floor, which houses the Major Crimes Division (MCD) and the Office of the Assistant Chief of Operations. The bomb detonated in the offices of the Major Crimes Division, but most of the damage was contained within, with other rooms suffering only dust and debris damage. There were no casualties in the attack. In “Sanctuary City, Part 1”, the building was shown to be completely fixed.
Board of Police Commissioners
The Board of Police Commissioners (BOPC), often shortened to just "the Board", serves as the head of the LAPD. The Board sets overall policy while the Chief of Police manages the daily operations of the LAPD and implements the Board's policies or policy direction and goals. The Board of Police Commissioners is comprised of five civilians who are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council. The Commissioners serve a maximum of two five-year terms.
- Executive Director: the Executive Director manages the Board's full-time staff. They are responsible for the coordination of the Commission's agenda and managing the functions of the Executive Office. The Executive Director is the Board's liaison to the Office of the Chief of Police and Police Department. The Executive Director also represents the Commission at various meetings and events.
- Commission Investigation Division: the Commission Investigation Division (CID), under the supervision of the Executive Director, is the regulatory arm of the Police Commission with respect to the processing, issuance, investigation, enforcement and discipline of Police Commission permits. The Board issues over 60 various permits for businesses requiring regulation, e.g. massage establishments and therapist, café entertainment establishments, tow unit operations and operators, valet operations and operators, carnivals, dance halls, and pool rooms.
- Office of the Inspector General: the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is an independent entity which operates as the "eyes and ears" of the Board of Police Commissioners. The OIG provides civilian oversight of the LAPD and supports the Board and the public by providing information and analysis regarding the conduct and performance of the LAPD. The OIG is not to be confused with the Professional Standards Bureau.
Office of the Chief of Police
The Office of the Chief of Police has the responsibility for assisting the Chief of Police in the administration of the department. The Chief of Police is the highest-ranking officer who directs, plans, and coordinates the enforcement of laws for the purpose of protecting persons and property, and for the preservation of the peace in the community.
Chief Pope
The current Chief of Police is William Pope. Chief Pope was the Assistant Chief of Operations before he was appointed as the Interim Chief of Police after the tragic and untimely death of Chief Thomas Delk. Pope was officially confirmed as the Chief of Police for the beginning of Major Crimes and approved for his second and final term as the Chief during the break between Season 5 and Season 6 of Major Crimes. (Chief of Police from The Closer, Season 7 onward)
Professional Standards Bureau
The Professional Standards Bureau (PSB) is the investigative arm of the Chief to identify and report corruption and employee behavior that discredits the LAPD or violates a department policy, procedure, or practice.
- The Force Investigation Division (FID) of PSB is responsible for the investigation of all incidents involving the use of deadly force by an LAPD officer as well as all use of force resulting in an injury requiring hospitalization. Investigative responsibility of FID also includes all deaths while the arrested or detained person is in the custodial care of the LAPD, accidental shootings as well as animal shootings and other investigations as directed by the Chief of Detectives.
Office of Operations
The Office of Operations (OO) is responsible for all general policing activities, specialized uniformed and tactical resources, as well as most investigative services. The Office of Operations oversees the vast majority of the LAPD's sworn personnel.
Major Crimes Division
The Major Crimes Division (MCD) investigates homicides that involve multiple or high-profile victims and/or high-profile suspects; all cases involving missing, kidnapped or murdered LAPD officers; select sexual assault investigations and kidnappings; and select missing person cases including "critical missing" cases, involving children who are under 14 years old and/or have mental illnesses or disabilities.
Detective Bureau
The Detective Bureau (DB) provides functional leadership for detective operations citywide, including all specialized detective functions assigned to the Detective Bureau and the 21 geographic detective divisions throughout the city.
- The Robbery-Homicide Division (RHD) investigates select homicides, threats against officers, bank robberies and other selected robberies, extortions, sex crimes, and kidnappings on a citywide basis.
- The Detective Support Division (DSD) is responsible for investigating missing persons, hate crimes, threats made to public officials/prominent persons, and aggravated stalking. The division is also responsible for enforcing firearm laws and processing concealed firearm license applications.
- The Scientific Investigation Division (SID) is responsible for collecting evidence at crime scenes or from suspects and victims, and later processing it at the Regional Crime Laboratory.
Special Operations Bureau
The Special Operations Bureau (SOB) provides specialized uniformed and tactical resources in support of daily field activities, unusual occurrences, and during serious disturbances and elevated threat conditions; provides intelligence and surveillance support, and investigates terrorism, organized crime, and other illegal actions that could result in a significant disruption of public order; and responds to and investigates incidents involving explosives, destructive devices, and hazardous materials.
- The Special Investigation Section (SIS) is the tactical surveillance unit of the LAPD. Its primary mission is to determine if the suspects under surveillance are connected to the crimes under investigation, and, if needed, to locate and arrest the suspects.
- The Criminal Intelligence Division (CI) is responsible for gathering and analyzing intelligence and criminal information, developing strategies for crime prevention as it relates to terrorism or other major crimes, and investigating organized crime.
Trivia
Ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department
For the complete list and description for all of the police ranks of the LAPD, please see: Ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department.
| Senior ranks | Insignia |
|---|---|
| Chief of Police |  |
| Assistant Chief |  |
| Deputy Chief |  |
| Commander |  |
| Captain |  |
| Lieutenant |  |
| Senior rank insignias are worn as metal pins on the collars of a shirt or a jacket. | |
| Police Officers | Insignia | Detectives [RANK 1] | Insignia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sergeant II |  |
Detective III |  |
| Sergeant I |  |
Detective II |  |
| Detective I |  | ||
| Police Officer III+1 |  | ||
| Police Officer III |  | ||
| Police Officer I & II [RANK 2] | No insignia | ||
| Insignias for Officers and Sergeants (as well as Detectives when in uniform) are worn as embroidered chevrons on the upper sleeves of a shirt or jacket. | |||
Notes
- ↑ Detectives are considered specialists within the LAPD and they are normally considered to be separate from the uniformed chain-of-command. This means that the senior-most detective on the scene is permitted to take charge of an incident when it is necessary for investigative purposes, even if other higher-ranking officers are present.
- ↑ Police Officer I is a probationary rank. Officers gain an automatic promotion to Police Officer II upon satisfactory completion of an 18-month probationary assignment.
Salary
In 2010, the Los Angeles City Controller posted the annual salaries of every L.A. city employee, including police officers. Salaries for all officers in a certain rank is not always the same as it is dependent on the officers assignment and other possible personal bonuses. At the time of this listing, the LAPD had 9926 Police Officers on the job.
- NOTE: this list does not include the most extreme outliers (i.e. salary given to only one employee which is considerably lower or higher than the rest of the group as such deviation could be for a number of reasons and therefore doesn't give an accurate representation of the situation). Additionally, all figures are rounded to the nearest full dollar.
| Rank | No. of Officers | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Chief of Police | 1 | $307,291 |
| Assistant Chief | 3 | $206,086–$256,072 |
| Deputy Chief | 7 | $195,708–$218,092 |
| Commander | 16 | $179,589–$189,695 |
| Captain III | 37 | $161,194–$170,235 |
| Captain II | 15 | $151,171–$161,194 |
| Captain I | 21 | $134,342–$152,633 |
| Lieutenant II | 159 | $127,326–$145,972 |
| Lieutenant I | 99 | $120,624–$138,246 |
| Detective III | 346 | $109,307–$125,171 |
| Detective II | 652 | $102,542–$125,134 |
| Detective I | 704 | $92,895–$118,536 |
| Sergeant II | 477 | $108,263–$134,625 |
| Sergeant I | 738 | $99,911–$127,545 |
| Police Officer III | 2113 | $83,269–$112,120 |
| Police Officer II | 3987 | $61,095–$127,610 |
| Police Officer I | 544 | $45,226–$71,869 |
Awards of the Los Angeles Police Department
For award descriptions, please see: Awards of the Los Angeles Police Department
Medal of Valor- Preservation of Life Medal
- Police Distinguished Service Medal
- Police Commission Unit Citation
- Police Medal
- Purple Heart
- Police Meritorious Service Medal
- Police Meritorious Achievement Medal
- Police Meritorious Unit Citation
- Police Star
- Lifesaving Medal
- Police Commission Distinguished Service Medal
- Police Commission Integrity Medal
- Community Policing Medal
- Human Relations Medal
- Commendation Ribbon
- Reserve Exceptional Service Ribbon
- Patrol Service Ribbon
- Detective Service Ribbon
- Reserve Officer Service Ribbon
- 1984 Olympic Ribbon
- 1987 Papal Visit Ribbon
- 1992 Civil Emergency Response Ribbon
- 1994 Earthquake Ribbon
- 2000 Democratic National Convention Ribbon
- 2019 150th Anniversary Ribbon
- Urban Police Rifle Cadre Ribbon
- Shotgun Slug Ammunition Cadre Ribbon
Known ribbon racks
Service Stripes
Service stripes on the sleeve
Officers will be awarded service stripes for their long sleeved uniforms to be worn above the left cuff. Each stripe represents five years of service in the LAPD. Laterally hired officers shall wear one service stripe for each five years of California law enforcement experience, or law enforcement experience with another state accredited law enforcement agency equivalent to California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST).
Note that the Major Crimes Division is not usually seen in uniform, therefore their service years can not be accurately determined.
- Chief Will Pope: six tripes, indicating 30 to 34 years of service. (“The Last Word”)
- Assistant Chief Russell Taylor: five stripes, indicating 25 to 29 years of service. (“White Lies, Part 1”)
- Assistant Chief Leo Mason: four stripes, indicating 20 to 24 years of service. (“By Any Means, Part 4”)
- Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson: four stripes, indicating 20 to 24 years of service with the LAPD, even though she had only served for seven years at the end of The Closer. Her previous positions in law enforcement throughout the country are most likely the reason for her stripes. (“Repeat Offender”)
- Commander Sharon Raydor: four stripes, indicating 20 to 24 years of service. (“Repeat Offender”) Raydor would have had five or six stripes at the time of her death in “Conspiracy Theory, Part 4” (26 to 30 years of service).
- Lieutenant Louie Provenza: seven stripes, indicating 35 to 39 years of service. (“By Any Means, Part 1”) Provenza actually should have had eight stripes (40 to 45 years of service) as he joined the LAPD in 1973. (“Bad Blood”)
- Lieutenant Andy Flynn: six tripes, indicating 30 to 34 years of service. (“Turn Down”)
- Lieutenant Michael Tao: six tripes, indicating 30 to 34 years of service. (“By Any Means, Part 1”)
- Detective Julio Sanchez: four stripes, indicating 20 to 24 years of service. (“By Any Means, Part 1”)
- Detective David Gabriel: three stripes, indicating 15 to 19 years of service. (“Repeat Offender”)
- Detective Amy Sykes: three stripes, indicating 15 to 19 years of service. (“By Any Means, Part 1”)
- Detective Wes Nolan: two stripes, indicating 10 to 14 years of service. (“By Any Means, Part 1”)
- Detective Camila Paige: two stripes, indicating 10 to 14 years of service. (“By Any Means, Part 1”)
Badge
Adopted in 1940, the LAPD Series 6 badge is oval in shape and it features a representation of the Los Angeles City Hall and the city seal, as well as the officer's rank and badge number.
Badges used on the show are not real LAPD badges as they are protected by copyright. They feature minor differences in the design of the LA City Hall, center seal, and in the font used as well as in the star insignias of higher ranking officers, while still keeping the iconic and easily recognizable look. Only TV-shows ever to have featured authentic LAPD badges are Jack Webb's Dragnet (1951–1959 and 1967–1970) and Adam-12 (1968-1975), made with cooperation of then-LAPD Chief William H. Parker.
Comparison of a real LAPD Police Officer's badge and the (approximate render of the) prop badge used in the Major Crimes Universe.
Ranks from Police Officer to Captain have a badge number for identification and ranks from Commander to Chief have their symbol of rank in lieu of badge numbers.
It should be noted that the main cast of both The Closer and Major Crimes wear the same badge in nearly every episode. Only a handful of continuity errors can be seen in regards to badge numbers.
- The Chief of Police has four stars on his badge.
- Assistant Chiefs have three stars on their badges.
- Deputy Chiefs have two stars on their badges.
- Commanders have one star on their badges.
- Captain Sharon Raydor's badge number is 951753.
- Lieutenant Louie Provenza's badge number is 35082.
- Lieutenant Andy Flynn's badge number is 2805.
- Lieutenant Michael Tao's badge number is 2641.
- Lieutenant Chuck Cooper's badge number is 2841.
- Sergeant David Gabriel's badge number during The Closer (Seasons 1-5) is 714. Sometimes he can be seen with a badge that has four numbers ending with 02, but the first two numbers can not be seen clearly.
- Detective Gabriel's badge number during The Closer (Seasons 6-7) is 5349. This number is later used by Det. Sykes during Major Crimes.
- Detective III Julio Sanchez's badge number is 34150.
- As a Detective II, Julio's badge number was 39089.
- Detective Amy Sykes' badge number is 5349, same number Det. Gabriel had during The Closer.
- Detective Robby Oderno's badge number is 40225.
- Detective Wes Nolan's badge number is 43205.
- Buzz Watson's badge number on his Scientific Investigation Division issued badge is 77 and as a Reserve Police Officer/Detective, he has a badge number of 62941.
Badge images
The following images are of real LAPD badges and of the prop badges used in the Major Crimes Universe.
Rendered badge images (Major Crimes Universe)
The following images are computer generated renders of the prop badges used in the Major Crimes Universe.
Windbreaker
LAPD windbreaker worn by sworn law-enforcement officers.
Sometimes when the MCD detectives go to arrest suspects or on stake-outs, they wear the LAPD Windbreaker. The jacket features the patch of LAPD on both sleeves, picture of the LAPD badge, and the text Los Angeles Police for easier identification of plain-clothes officers to other law-enforcement and possible suspects.
SID windbreaker worn by Buzz.
A different version of this jacket can be seen worn by Buzz Watson with the police identification being replaced by the text "SID". This is used do differentiate sworn law-enforcement officers from civilian investigators employed by the Scientific Investigation Division (SID).
Vehicles
Most of the LAPD fleet is comprised of Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptors, Dodge Chargers, and more recently Ford Police Interceptors and Interceptor Utilities.
General goofs relating to vehicles
- The vehicles used on the shows, while the models are accurate to what the LAPD uses, their emergency lighting set-ups, for example, do not match the real LAPD configurations. The only exceptions to this are the Ford Police Interceptor Utilities used by Lieutenants Provenza and Flynn which are quite accurate to their real world counterparts.
- All of the police vehicles used by Major Crimes have California Exempt license plates (reading CA EXEMPT), but in the real world all CA EXEMPT plates start with the number 1 and do not contain any letters. This, however, is an understandable "goof" as the license plates are props made for TV/movie use.
Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor
The LAPD has used the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor (CVPI) since the first generation was introduced in 1992 and continues to use the second generation CVPI, which debuted in 1998 and remained virtually unchanged until it ended production in 2011. After the CVPI ceased production, the LAPD has been slowly replacing its aging fleet of CVPI's with Dodge Chargers and the new Ford Police Interceptors.
The CVPI was the main vehicle used by the cast of The Closer and Major Crimes, although in the most recent seasons of Major Crimes, the MCD detectives have had their CVPI's replaced with more modern vehicles.
- A dark red CVPI is used by Lt. Andy Flynn
- A dark red CVPI is used by Lt. Michael Tao (the license plate, emergency lights set-up, and rims are different from Flynn's vehicle, indicating it is not the same car "in-universe" even if the prop vehicle might be the same).
- A tan CVPI is used by Det. Amy Sykes
- A dark green CVPI is used by Det. Julio Sanchez
.png "2000 CVPI, Sykes (MC102).png (595 KB)")
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Dodge Charger
In 2008, the Dodge Charger was approved for duty within the LAPD. Since 2014, the LAPD has not purchased new Chargers to be used as marked patrol vehicles but purchases continue for unmarked vehicles.
2008 Charger:
- A gray Charger is used by Capt. Sharon Raydor, starting in Major Crimes, Season 1. Raydor continued to drive this Charger all the way through to Season 5; she received a newer Charger for Season 6.
- A blue Charger is used by Lt. Michael Tao and Det. Amy Sykes
- Det. Wes Nolan drove the 2008 Charger before he received an upgrade to a 2015 model for Season 6.
.png "2008 Charger, Raydor (MC105).png (344 KB)")
.jpg "2008 Charger, Raydor (MC219).jpg (1.43 MB)")
.jpg "2008 Charger, Raydor (MC319).jpg (840 KB)")
.jpg "2008 Charger, Sykes & Tao (MC219).jpg (619 KB)")
2011 Charger:
- A black 2011 Dodge Charger was used by Det. Julio Sanchez during Major Crimes, Seasons 2 & 3.
- A gray 2011 Dodge Charger is used by Cmdr. Sharon Raydor and Lt. Andy Flynn in “Sanctuary City, Part 1”. This is most likely Raydor's new vehicle considering her promotion to Commander and the fact that Lt. Flynn has a Ford Police Interceptor Utility, as noted below.
.png "2011 Charger (MC601).png (53 KB)")
2015 Charger:
- A black 2015 Charger is used by Det. Julio Sanchez from Major Crimes, Season 4 onward.
- A black 2015 Charger is used by Det. Wes Nolan on Major Crimes, Season 6, indicating that he has received a newer vehicle (the license plate is different from Sanchez's vehicle, indicating it is not supposed to be the same car "in-universe" even if the prop vehicle might be the same).
.png "2015 Charger, Nolan (MC608).png (194 KB)")
Ford Police Interceptor Utility
Ford started offering the Ford Police Interceptor Utility (FPIU) in 2013, in order to return to the police market after the discontinuation of the CVPI. The Ford Police Interceptor Utility has become the most commonly purchased and used patrol vehicle in the LAPD.
The change to these new vehicles was mentioned in “Turn Down”, after Lieutenant Flynn complained to Lieutenant Provenza that Reserve Officer Buzz Watson gets "The Batmobile", while they still drive a car from the nineties, referencing the Ford Police Interceptor Utility and the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor they drove at the time, respectively. At that point Buzz Watson remarked that the vehicle wasn't for him, rather that the entire LAPD is moving towards the new vehicles.
- A gray FPIU is used by Lt. Provenza starting in “Snitch”, even though he had trouble even starting the vehicle in the previous episode, let alone using it in a official capacity.
- A silver FPIU is used by Lt. Andy Flynn from Major Crimes, Season 5 onward.
| MAIN ARTICLE: LAPD | Full organization list • Chart/image • Chart/PDF |
• Awards of the LAPD • Ranks of the LAPD |
• Police Administration Building • Piper Tech | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office of the Chief of Police | Professional Standards Bureau | FID • IAG • SOD | ||
| Office of Administrative Services | ||||
| Office of Constitutional Policing and Policy | ||||
| Office of Operations | Major Crimes Division | |||
| Assistant to the Director | CSD • PD • RACR • SECSD | |||
| Detective Bureau | CCD • DSD • FD • JUV • ND • RHD • SID • VD | |||
| Special Operations Bureau | SIS • ASD • CT • CI • EOD • ESD • GOSD • METRO • SCID | |||
| Field Operations | OCB/OSB/OVB/OWB • TSB • Gang Units | |||
| Disbanded components | Office of Human Resources • Counter-Terrorism Bureau | |||