The Los Angeles Police Departments Overview

Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) was formed in 1853 after a murder that occurred in the city. It started as a volunteer force that was formulated to assist the existing within the county (History of the LAPD, 2021). The police department is found in California state. LAPD is one of the largest police departments globally and most renowned today. In the United States, it is the third largest police department. It becomes third after the New York Police department and the Chicago police department.

The Los Angeles Police Department is headed by the board of police commissioners, which comprises a five-member team appointed to oversee the departments operation. The board of officers also takes part in the management of the police department. The chief of the police is the only sworn officer who reports to the board, and the rest of the officers employed by the department report to the chief (Office of the chief of police, 2021). The LAPD has been featured in various movies and dramas around crime, making it famous among other police departments.

The police department has over 10,000 personnel, including civilians and police officers. The police department also prides itself as the first police department in the United States to introduce its first female officer. The lady officer was tasked with imposing laws that govern picture shows, dancehalls, and other roles. The police department has also attracted some controversies, which attracted international headlines, for instance, the Simpson O.J. murder, among others.

Los Angeles Police Department was headquartered at Parker Center downtown from 1954 to 2009. It was also identified as the Police Administration Building; the building was renamed after William Parker, a former LAPD boss (History of the LAPD, 2021). The police department is located at the civic center, not far from Parker center. The current department host different police divisions which are committed to various operations and administrative works. The police divisions within LAPD include homicide, traffic, burglary, fraud, arson, patrol, vice, and forgery.

The robbery and homicide department was later fused to form a single robbery-homicide division. This department is approximately 60 sworn personnel and 10 civilian support staff, and 20 reserve police officers (Robbery-homicide division, 2022). This section is divided into homicide, gang homicide, robbery, and special investigation. The special robbery section of LAPD is a very important section of the robbery-homicide division. It investigates robberies, extortion, extortion, and kidnapping threats. The homicide special section, on the other hand, is responsible for homicide cases that involve multiple cases, serial murders, and arson.

The Gang Homicide Unit at the police department is tasked with investigating and targeting specific gangs. The section of the LAPD investigates their involvement in the murder and other gang-related crime (Los Angeles Police Foundation ABOUT LAPD n.d.). The special investigation section is the tactical surveillance unit within the department. The role of the personnel attached to the unit is to connect the suspect to crimes under investigation. The other major unit within the Los Angeles Police Department is the Central Police Division. This department division has 150 sworn police and civilian attached to the department (Central Traffic Division, 2022). It is responsible for enforcing traffic laws and investigating accidents for all central bureaus.

LAPD is staffed with various resources, which include transportation, personnel protective gear, and weaponry. When it comes to the transportation of staff, the department has a range of vehicles and helicopters (Inside the LAPD, 2022). Los Angeles Police Department has 20 helicopters and uses various types of vehicles which include ford police special among other types of vehicles. The department also deploys the use of various types of weapons, such as revolvers of different types.

As mentioned earlier, the police department is headed by the board, which oversees its governance and management. This has aided in improving the department to the better under the structure of the organization. The department employs an officers tracker scheme, which is vital in forcing the supervisors and other authorities to pay attention to civilian complaints about an officer. The system also assists in analyzing the use of force by an officer than their peers. To achieve the departments goals, LAPD has deployed a CompStat, a management tool that has aided in transforming the police chief into a strategic commander leading to a crime reduction. At the same time, this has boosted public trust in the department. By deploying the management tool, there has been an increment in the level of integrity within the department.

The management tool has enabled the police commission and the inspector general to scrutinize police officers handling of civilians and use of force in governance. The police department has also integrated other systems of management which enable it to work closely with the communities through partnerships and engagements. Community partnership and engagement have now been implemented as part and parcel of the LAPD organization culture.

In summary, the organization aims to safeguard the lives and property of the people they serve. The organization also seeks to reduce incidences and cultivate fear of crime. The department also targets to improve the quality of life by improving public safety while working within a diverse community. The organization works towards achieving its mission while ensuring integrity and working under high ethical standards.