The Los Angeles School Police Department (LASPD) is a law enforcement agency in Los Angeles, California, whose duties are to provide police services to the Los Angeles Unified School District (thus, sometimes called L.A. Unified Police), also enforcing state and city laws. LASPD officers assist staff with disturbances and potential criminal activity on the campuses and in the surrounding communities on a daily basis.
The Los Angeles School Police Department was established in August 1948 to provide police services to the Los Angeles Unified School District. The department deploys six police divisions (Northwest, Northeast, West, Central, East, and South) with assignments consisted of Canine (K-9), Youth Services Divisions (Police Explorers, PALs Program), Safe Passages, Honor Guard, C.R.T. (Critical Response Team), Communications, Recruitment, Training Unit, Fleet Management, Payroll Section, Budget Services Unit, Records Unit, and Crime Analysis Unit.
Responsibility
24 hours a day, the LASPD is responsible for providing police services to:[1]
A jurisdiction covering 710 square miles (1,800 km2)
Approximately 618,000 students
Approximately 72,000 teachers, administrators and additional school staff
Approximately 1,300 schools, centers, and administrative offices
Ranks
The LASPD deploys sworn personnel in a variety of ranks:
Records, payroll, subpoena and other clerical support staff (civilian position)[16]
All police officers must complete an intensive probationary period after graduation from the police academy. Prior to selection to any specialized unit, there may also be an additional 3-5 year field assignment prerequisite.
Controversy
The Los Angeles School Police Department has accepted crowd- and disturbance-control weapons including one armored vehicle and firearms from the federal government.[17] Superintendent Ramon Cortines of LA Unified School District confirmed in June 2015 that the district's police force has ended its involvement in a federal program that delivered military-grade weapons to school districts. The decision on the so-called 1033 Program came on the heels of President Obama‘s announcement in May that he was severely restricting the parameters of the program.[18]
On June 23, 2020, following student activism inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, the LA Unified School District school board considered three resolutions to begin de-funding of the department.[19][needs update] Also at issue was the departments use of pepper spray, which had been used 11 times in the 2018-2019 school year.[19]
