City of Los Angeles Police Department | |
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Common name | Los Angeles Police Department |
Abbreviation | LAPD |
Patch of the LAPD (worn on jackets only)
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Seal of the Los Angeles Police Department
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Badge of a Los Angeles Police Department officer
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Flag of the Los Angeles Police Department
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Motto | "To Protect and to Serve" |
Agency overview | |
Formed | 1869 |
Employees | 12,616 (2013) |
Annual budget | $1.4 billion |
Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
Jurisdictional structure | |
Operations jurisdiction* | State of California, United States |
Map of City of Los Angeles Police Department's jurisdiction. | |
Size | 503 sq mi (1,300 km2) |
Population | 4,030,904 |
Legal jurisdiction | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Governing body | Los Angeles City Council |
General nature | |
Operational structure | |
Overviewed by | Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners |
Headquarters | 100 West 1st Street Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Police officers | 10,000 (2015) |
Unsworn members | 2,773 |
Commissioners responsible |
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Agency executives |
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Divisions |
19
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Bureaus |
6
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Facilities | |
Areas |
21
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Police boats | 2 |
Helicopters | 26 |
Planes | 3 |
Horses | 40 |
Dogs | 2 Bloodhounds 20 German Shepherds |
Website | |
www.lapdonline.org | |
Footnotes | |
* Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. |
Coordinates: 34°03′07″N 118°14′40″W / 34.051941°N 118.244514°W
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the law enforcement agency for the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 9,843 officers and 2,773 civilian staff, it is the third-largest municipal police department in the United States, after the New York City Police Department and the Chicago Police Department. The department serves an area of 498 square miles (1,290 km2) and a population of 4,030,904 people.
The LAPD has been fictionalized in numerous movies, novels, and television shows throughout its history. The department has also been associated with a number of controversies, mainly concerned with racism, police brutality, and police corruption.
The first specific Los Angeles police force was founded in 1853, as the Los Angeles Rangers, a volunteer force that assisted the existing County forces. The Rangers were soon succeeded by the Los Angeles City Guards, another volunteer group. Neither force was particularly efficient and Los Angeles became known for its violence, gambling and vice.
The first paid force was created in 1869, when six officers were hired to serve under City Marshal William C. Warren. By 1900, under John M. Glass, there were 70 officers, one for every 1,500 people. In 1903, with the start of the Civil Service, this force was increased to 200.