LAPD SWAT
| Los Angeles Police Department Metropolitan Division | |
|---|---|
| Common name | Metro Division |
| Abbreviation | LAPD |
The shoulder patch of the LAPD Metropolitan Division.
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| Motto | "To Protect and to Serve" |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1933 |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | City of Los Angeles in the state of California, United States |
| Size | 498 sq mi (1,290 km²) |
| Population | 3.8 million |
| Legal jurisdiction | City of Los Angeles, California |
| General nature |
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| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | 251 East 6th Street Los Angeles, California |
| Police Officers | Approx. 350 |
| Unsworn members | Approx. 15 |
| Agency executives |
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| Parent agency | Los Angeles Police Department |
| Platoons |
7
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| Website | |
| Metropolitan Division - Los Angeles Police Department | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
| Randal David Simmons | |
|---|---|
Randal Simmons
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| Born |
July 22, 1956 Los Angeles County, California, U.S. |
| Died | February 7, 2008 (aged 51) Winnetka, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Randy |
| Police career | |
| Department |  Los Angeles Police Department |
| Country |
 United States of America |
| Years of service | 27 |
| Rank | Sworn in as an officer - 1981 - Police Officer III - Police Officer III+1 |
The Los Angeles Police Department Metropolitan Division, also known as Metro, is an elite division within the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). The Metro Division, which also contains LAPD's Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, contains seven platoons of specially-trained police officers. It is tasked with numerous crime-fighting duties including solving major crimes, surveillance, providing counter-terrorism details and attending high-risk barricaded situations, such as a hostage situation.
Metro Division developed from a compact, mobile crime-fighting team formed by Chief James E. Davis in 1933. Named the Reserve Unit, it was formed to work throughout Los Angeles to specifically suppress criminal activity. By 1968 the unit was expanded from 70 officers to approximately 200 officers. In 1997, following the North Hollywood bank robbery, numbers were increased to approximately 350 sworn officers and 16 civilian support personnel.
The Reserve Unit was originally based out of Room 114 at Parker Center, the LAPD's headquarters. The code number 114 is used today to refer to the Metropolitan Division and its headquarters. Metro is now based at LAPD's Central Facilities Building.
The Metropolitan Division's primary responsibility (other than SWAT) is to provide support to the LAPD’s community-based policing efforts by deploying additional crime suppression resources throughout Los Angeles when needed. Assignments of both SWAT and Metro Division as a whole include:
There are seven field platoons (A, B, C, D, E, G, and K-9 Platoons) an operations platoon (M Platoon) and a dignitary protection platoon (H Platoon); all platoons are supervised by a Lieutenant. The Operations Platoon performs the administrative and support functions. “A, B, C, and G" Platoons are primarily responsible for crime suppression. Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), “D” Platoon personnel, respond to emergency situations involving barricaded suspects or hostages. “K-9” Platoon and “E” (Mounted Unit) Platoon makes up the remainder of the Division. The Division also maintains a doctor, crisis negotiators and other specialists in weaponry, computer science, and audio-visual technology.
A, B, C, E, H, G and K-9 Platoons have gradually been issued the Heckler & Koch HK416 rifle to be placed alongside the M4 carbine.
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Wikipedia