The Los Angeles School Police Department (LASPD) is the largest school police department in the country. Working within the 708 square miles that encompass the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), LASPD personnel commingle with eleven municipalities, provide protection for 1,030 schools and learning facilities, care for the safety of nearly 905,020 students and ensure that the 80,325 school employees receive a full array of police services. Due to the overwhelming size of the LAUSD and the ongoing five-year plan to build approximately 155 new schools and administrative offices, the LASPD is hiring an additional 30 officers, which will bring the total sworn officer deployment to 365 men and women. A superb cadre of 120 School Safety Officers and approximately 40 civilian support staff employees complement the remainder of the LASPD.

Department personnel endeavor to serve the LAUSD and the surrounding communities with swift, efficient and courteous police service. Although faced with many challenges, Department personnel continue to foster partnerships with school administrators, students, community members, business owners, and outside law enforcement agencies and develop innovative policing strategies. Additionally, the LASPD is a member of the Safe Passage Program headed by the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.

Working in concert with the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Probation Department representatives, community leaders, and school administrators, the LASPD strives to ensure that students enjoy safe passages while commuting to and from school. The complexities associated with school policing requires LASPD officers to be multifaceted, intuitive, and capable of resolving seemingly minor issues before they become overwhelming tasks. School campus policing is considered to be the number one priority of the men and women serving within the sworn and civilian ranks of the Department.

Taking into consideration the LAUSD is actively involved in the most immense school construction program in the history of the United States of America, the LASPD embraces innovation and continually hones the intricacies of school policing techniques. Working together with outside law enforcement agencies, LAUSD District representatives, school administrators, community leaders, and parents, the LASPD focuses on providing the optimum safety for the children of today and the leaders of tomorrow. I commend the men and women of the LASPD for their superlative law enforcement service, and applaud all of the LAUSD personnel who contribute significantly to the education process.

Lawrence E. Manion
Chief of Police