Los Angeles County Office of Public Safety
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- For other police services named after the county or city of Los Angeles see: Los Angeles Police
| Los Angeles County Office of Public Safety | |
| Common name | Los Angeles County Police |
| Abbreviation | LACP |
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| Patch of the Los Angeles County Office of Public Safety. | |
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| Badge of the Los Angeles County Office of Public Safety. | |
| Motto | Dedicated to the Community We Serve |
| Agency Overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1998 |
| Annual Budget | $100 million |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional Structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | County of Los Angeles in the state of California, United States |
| General nature | |
| Specialist jurisdiction | Buildings and other fixed assets. |
| Operational Structure | |
| Police Officers | 580 |
| Civilians Contracted Security Guards |
160 750 |
| Agency executive | Steve Lieberman, Acting Chief of Police |
| Website | |
| Official Site | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The Los Angeles County Office of Public Safety (LACOPS), less formally known as the Los Angeles County Police (LACP), was formed in 1998 as a consolidation of the Department of Parks and Recreation Park Police and the Department of Health Services and Internal Services Department’s Safety Police. LACOPS is the fourth-largest law enforcement agency in Los Angeles County, employing 580 sworn peace officers and 160 civilian personnel, and contracts 750 private security guards. The agency has an annual budget of $100 million. LACOPS was previously a division of the Los Angeles County Department of Human Resources (LACDHR). Currently, they are under a newly-created Public Safety branch of the Chief Executive Office.
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[edit] Merger proposals
There have been occasional calls for the County Police to be merged with (absorbed into) the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, but the offers have been repeatedly rebuffed by its officers and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. On August 8, 2007, the California State Supreme Court denied hearing the appeal of a discrimination lawsuit brought by County police officers. The officers prevailed at trial, convincing a jury that the predominantly minority force had been denied appropriate pay and benefits due to racial discrimination, but the jury's decision had since been reversed by the Appellate Court. The high Court's refusal to hear a final appeal appears to have made a merger with the Sheriff's Department more likely, as they restarted their take-over study just days after the decision was handed down. The merger study reports submitted to the Board of Supervisors will serve as a basis for what should be a final decision about the proposed merger; however, budgetary considerations have recently put a hold on the process.
[edit] Mission
The County Police mission is "To provide Protection for patrons, employees, and properties of County departments which contract for such services, and to provide a safe environment for those who use County parks and recreation areas. The Office of Public Safety is committed to maintaining a level of professional competence among its sworn personnel that will ensure the safety of those receiving services, as well as protecting the safety of our police officers."
The current County Police Chief is Steven S. Lieberman, a twenty-four-year veteran of the department.
The County Police is not to be confused with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department or with the City of Los Angeles General Services Police.
[edit] OPS Structure
The OPS maintains four bureaus:
- Administrative Services Bureau
- Contracts & Monitoring
- Fiscal Services
- Fleet Management
- Human Resources
- Information Systems
- Facilities Services Bureau
- DPSS Offices
- Dispatch Center and Communications
- Parks Services Bureau
- Belvedere Station
- South Station
- Whittier Narrows Station
- Quartz Hill Substation
- Castaic Station
- Bonelli Station
- Health Services Bureau
- Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center
- Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
- King/Drew Medical Center & Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center
- Olive View Medical Center
[edit] Requirements to become an OPS Officer
OPS requires Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST License) for all sworn officers.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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