Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

The **Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department** (LASD), officially the County of Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, is a police force serving Los Angeles County, California. It is the largest sheriff's department in the United States, and the fourth largest local police agency (after the NYPD, the Chicago PD, and the LAPD) with approximately 18,000 employees, 9,915 sworn deputies and 9,244 unsworn members..

The department's three main responsibilities entail providing municipal police services within Los Angeles County, providing courthouse security for the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, and the housing and transportation of inmates within the county jail system. The LASD provides municipal police services to the unincorporated communities, and 40 of the 88 cities, within Los Angeles County.

The LASD also contracts with the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Metrolink, provides law enforcement services to ten community colleges, patrols county parks, golf courses, special event venues, lakes, hospitals, and county facilities. Additionally, LASD provides services, such as crime laboratories, homicide investigations, and academy training, to smaller law enforcement agencies within the county.

## 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 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, once had a police department. 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 violence, especially during its recent history.

### Other Agencies

LASD provides dispatch services by contract to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for state parole agents. The services are provided by LASD County Services Bureau dispatchers.

Sheriff's dispatchers at the Avalon Sheriff's Station on Catalina Island also provide dispatch services for the city of Avalon Fire Department.

By liaison via the Sheriff's Scientific Services Bureau, cybercrime detection and investigation often operates in conjunction with other agencies.

### Transit Contracts

* Metrolink
* Los Angeles MTA (Metro)
* Antelope Valley Transit Authority
* Foothill Transit

### Community Colleges Services Bureau

* 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 (Housing Parole Violators)

## Rank Structure

* Sheriff
* Undersheriff
* Assistant Sheriff
* Division Chief
* Area Commander
* Captain
* Lieutenant
* Sergeant
* Deputy Sheriff (Bonus II)
* Deputy Sheriff (Bonus I)
* Deputy Sheriff

## See also

* Los Angeles Police Department
* Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner