Los Angeles Police Department

Also known as LAPD

POST participating California Law Enforcement Agency

Key facts

Common name: Los Angeles Police Department
Abbreviation: LAPD
Motto: To Protect and to Serve
Formed: December 13, 1869 ; 156 years ago ( 1869-12-13 )
Employees: 12,000 (2020)
Annual budget: $1.9 billion (2023)
Operations jurisdiction: Los Angeles , California , United States
Size: 503 sq mi (1,300 km )
Population: 3,979,576 (2019)
Governing body: Los Angeles City Council
Constituting instrument: Los Angeles City Charter, Article XIX
General nature: Local civilian police

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Article

The City of Los Angeles Police Department, also known as the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-largest municipal police department in the United States, after the New York City Police Department and the Chicago Police Department.

The LAPD is headquartered at 100 West 1st Street in the Civic Center district. The department's organization and resources are complex, including 21 community stations (divisions) grouped in four bureaus under the Office of Operations; multiple divisions within the Detective Bureau under the Office of Special Operations; and specialized units such as the Metropolitan Division, Air Support Division, and Major Crimes Division under the Counterterrorism & Special Operations Bureau.