ABOUT LAPD
A Model for 21st Century Policing.
The mission of the Los Angeles Police Department is to safeguard the lives and property of the people they serve, to reduce the incidence and fear of crime, and the enhance public safety while working with the diverse communities of Los Angeles to improve their quality of life. The Department’s goal is to do so with honor and integrity, while conducting themselves with the highest ethical standards to maintain public confidence.
The highly skilled and expertly trained officers of the LAPD possess the knowledge, ability, and experience necessary to identify and minimize threats to public safety. We invite you to learn more about some of the Department’s Specialized Units.
AIR SUPPORT DIVISION
The LAPD Air Support Division (ASD) is the largest municipal airborne law enforcement operation in the world and boasts the nation’s biggest rooftop heliport. By delivering rapid response air assessments and tactical insights to patrol officers and specialized units on the ground, the ASD serves as an invaluable resource for real-time information that directly improves public and officer safety, aids in the capture of criminal suspects and maximizes incident containment.
ANIMAL CRUELTY TASK FORCE
The LAPD Animal Cruelty Task Force (ACTF), established in 2005, is a specialized unit consisting of LAPD detectives and animal control officers dedicated to investigating animal abuse, neglect, and organized animal fighting. They work with the City Attorney to prosecute, often focusing on cases involving felonies.
BOMB SQUAD
The primary mission of the Bomb Squad is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the members of the City’s diverse communities as well as the safety of all public safety personnel who may be first responders to an explosive-related incident. The LAPD Bomb Squad has been serving the residents of Los Angeles since 1950. They are comprised of 28 highly trained bomb technicians and five explosive detection canines. The Bomb Squad averages approximately 500 calls for service per year. They are responsible for the handling, transporting, and rendering safe of all explosive items located within the City.
COUNTER-TERRORISM AND SPECIAL OPERATIONS BUREAU
Counter-Terrorism and Special Operations Bureau (CTSOB) is comprised of Counter-Terrorism Group and Special Operations Group. The goal of CTSOB is to prevent terrorism by effectively sharing information aimed at disrupting terrorist’s operational capability and addressing the underlying causes associated with the motivational component; to protect the public and critical infrastructure by leveraging private sector resources and hardening targets; to pursue terrorists and those criminal enterprises that support them; and, to prepare the citizenry and the city government for consequences associated with terrorist operations against the city.
GANG & NARCOTICS DIVISION
The mission of Gang and Narcotics Division is to disrupt violent street gangs and the means by which they support their lifestyle, including the manufacture, transportation, sale and use of illicit drugs, and sales of firearms in the greater Los Angeles area. Gang and Narcotics Division’s enforcement efforts also focus on street-level enforcement strategies to affect a reduction in crimes, thereby resolving community problems and facilitating uniformed officer’s involvement.K-9 PLATOON
The K-9 Platoon deploys highly trained handlers and their canine partners to conduct searches and apprehend felony suspects. The dogs are agile and well-disciplined. K-9 personnel are deployed around-the-clock, seven days a week. They are available to assist any Department entity with searches for felony suspects.
MOUNTED PLATOON
The full-time Mounted Platoon was established in 1987 as a component of Metropolitan Division and is currently composed of 35 full-time sworn police personnel. Mounted officers are deployed throughout the City for demonstrations, crowd management, and special events.OFF ROAD DETAIL
The unit is responsible for patrolling the hillsides and the mountains that encompass the City of Los Angeles. The mountains that surround the City of Los Angeles are rugged, steep, and not easily accessible to the normal patrol vehicle. Their mission is to patrol these hillsides and conduct any criminal investigation that they may encounter and provide enforcement within this rugged terrain.
SWAT TEAM
Since 1967, the Los Angeles Police Department’s SWAT team has provided a ready response to situations that were beyond the capabilities of normally equipped and trained Department personnel. SWAT responds to barricade or hostage episodes when the suspect is probably armed, suicide intervention, as well as initiate service of high-risk warrants for all Department entities. Since its inception, LAPD SWAT team members have affected the safe rescue of numerous hostages, arrested scores of violent suspects, and earned hundreds of commendations and citations, including several Medals of Valor, the Department’s highest award for heroism in the line of duty.UNDERWATER DIVE UNIT
The Los Angeles Police Department’s Underwater Dive Unit (UDU) has been in operation since 1957. Department divers have participated in hundreds of recovery operations in its history and are responsible for the investigation of numerous underwater crime scenes, as well as homeland security sweeps and searches. Divers have recovered significant amounts of stolen property, weapons used in crimes, aircraft, and bodies from various underwater locations throughout the city of Los Angeles.
EXPLOITATION & INVESTIGATIVE SECTION
The Exploitation & Investigative Section is responsible for the investigation and enforcement of state and federal crimes involving the sexual exploitation of human beings. They work to reduce the vulnerability of children to acts of sexual criminal activity and strengthen the capabilities of federal, state, and local law enforcement through training programs and investigative assistance. The objective of the section is to identify and rescue individuals who are being sexually exploited through prostitution, as well as to identify and initiate investigations into those responsible for this exploitation. A primary function of the unit is the identification and rescue of juvenile victims lured into the sex trade.DRONE AS FIRST RESPONDER
The mission of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Drone as First Responder (DFR) Pilot Program is to protect the lives of both citizens and first responders. This innovative program not only aims to enhance transparency in Department operations but also prioritizes the protection of individual privacy. By deploying drones as an invaluable resource for patrol officers, the DFR Pilot Program provides a cutting-edge tool that can respond swiftly to emergencies, ensuring a safer environment for all.