| NOTE: The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) featured in the Major Crimes Universe is fictional but it's loosely based on the organization of the real LAPD from 2005, the year The Closer premiered. This article about the Major Crimes Division is fiction, as the way it's depicted in the Major Crimes Universe differs from its real world counterpart. |
The Major Crimes Division (MCD), or "Major Crimes" as it is generally called, is an elite investigative unit of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) which investigates a wide variety of select crimes on a citywide basis which are often high-profile in nature.
Investigative responsibilities[]
As most cases featured on The Closer and Major Crimes are homicides, many of the division's investigative responsibilities are seldom seen. That said, the following responsibilities are stated, or alluded, to belong to Major Crimes:
- homicides involving:
- multiple victims in one incident
- explosives (other than acts of terrorism)[2]
- intense media coverage or high-profile (often tied to the identities of the victim and/or suspect)
- homicides committed during the commission of an armed robbery of a bank, armored car, store or other comparable facility[3]
- homicides and suspected homicides when the victim(s) are found on public/city property (e.g. a city park)[4]
- solicitation, extortion or conspiracy to commit murder (murder for hire)[5]
- investigating and arresting individuals involved in criminal activity that may be connected to a larger criminal enterprise[6]
- incidents where an active or retired LAPD officer or civilian employee is killed or seriously injured as a result of being the victim of, or suspect in, a crime[7]
- any investigation as assigned by the Chief of Police or Assistant Chief of Operations[8]
- requests for assistance from area detectives[9]
- requests for assistance from outside law enforcement agencies[10]
- select high-profile sexual assault investigations and sexual homicides[11]
- select kidnappings and missing persons when:
- Note: A "critical missing" is defined as any missing or kidnapped child who is under 14 years old and/or has mental illnesses or disabilities.
Additionally, Major Crimes can initiate investigations into any and all crimes it comes across, either during ongoing investigations or off-duty. It can also unilaterally assume responsibility for all investigations which are related to their ongoing case(s), should they so choose, and these have included homicides involving serial killers[note 1] and fire (arson homicides),[note 2] and fraud investigations.[note 3]
History[]
The Major Crimes Division started out as the Priority Murder Squad (PMS), answering to Captain Russell Taylor of the Robbery-Homicide Division (RHD). After Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson took command of the squad it was placed under the direct supervision of the Assistant Chief of Operations and quickly renamed as the Priority Homicide Division (PHD) because of the negative connotation of the abbreviation. In “Tijuana Brass” of The Closer, Season 4, Assistant Chief Pope disbanded the PHD after the LAPD came under criticism from the press that it was assigning Priority Homicide cases in anticipation of newsworthy crimes, which primarily had victims who were white and/or rich. Immediately after PHD was disbanded, the Major Crimes Division was created under Chief Johnson's command. At this time, Johnson was able to dictate the "new" division's investigative responsibilities to a reporter (the same one who published the damaging article about PHD in the first place), much to the chagrin of Chief Pope and Commander Taylor who were also present. Pope and Taylor obviously did not expect Johnson to be so brash in her desire to expand her division, but they couldn't stop her from making the statement in front of the reporter either, having just promised the reporter that the LAPD would make "real changes" because of his scathing article.
After the Priority Homicide Division was established outside of the Robbery-Homicide Division, a huge interdepartmental rivalry started between them, as RHD was unaccepting of the new division which began to assimilate RHD's investigative responsibilities into itself (which, at that point, were mostly just related to homicide investigations). The rivalry was the most heated during Season 1 of The Closer but continued, in one form or another, into Season 4 during which Taylor and Johnson developed a better working relationship as they became more amicable and grew to respect each other. This interdepartmental rivalry has since been resolved and both divisions seem to accept their position within the LAPD. By some, Major Crimes is, and always has been, regarded as the "Chief's favorite", always getting what it wants in terms of resources.(“Heart Failure”) While the statement is somewhat hyperbolic, as the division has often clashed with its superiors about resources (including overtime and support from other divisions), Major Crimes generally holds good rapport with its direct supervisors (the Assistant Chief of Operations and the Chief of Police) which more often than not aids in the division's investigations.
The Priority Homicide Division, and later Major Crimes Division, was headed by Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson for seven years and following her retirement from the LAPD, command of the division was assumed by Captain (later Commander) Sharon Raydor. Following Cmdr. Raydor's death in “Conspiracy Theory, Part 4”, Lieutenant Louie Provenza assumed command of the division, first as the Acting Commanding Officer before being confirmed as the new permanent Commanding Officer in “By Any Means, Part 4”.
During The Closer and most of Major Crimes, Lt. Provenza was the division's Assistant Commanding Officer and in that capacity, he was the division's immediate supervisor in standard day-to-day operations. After Provenza was confirmed as the new Commanding Officer, the role of Assistant Commanding Officer was assumed by Lt. Andy Flynn.
Squad room[]
The LAPD's current headquarters, the Police Administration Building.
The Major Crimes Division is currently located in the ninth floor of the LAPD's headquarters, the Police Administration Building (PAB), located in downtown Los Angeles, next to the Los Angeles City Hall.
The 9th floor. Note that this layout doesn't actually fit anywhere within the real PAB.
The Priority Homicide Division (and later Major Crimes Division) was originally located in the Parker Center which was the LAPD's headquarters until October 2009. The Major Crimes Division moved out from the Parker Center and into the PAB just before “The Big Bang” of The Closer, Season 6.
The LAPD's old headquarters, Parker Center.
For Major Crimes, Season 5, the MCD received a miniature version of the RACR system used by the LAPD to their office. MCD can be seen using this new room extensively when going through large quantities of video material or when they are watching live-feed from surveillance operations conducted by the division and/or by the Special Investigation Section.
In Major Crimes, Season 5 finale, “Shockwave, Part 2”, the Major Crimes' squad room was the target of a bombing, severely damaging it. In “Sanctuary City, Part 1”, it is shown that the squad room has been repaired since the explosion and upgraded. These upgrades include a sliding wall between the murder room and Electronics instead of a opaque glass wall and a simple door, although it still remains, and a TV connected to Buzz's computer that's used in conjunction with the murder board. Provenza's printer appears to have survived or been replaced and he continues to use the money jar for it.
Personnel[]
- See also: Personnel during The Closer and Personnel during Major Crimes
Personnel of the Major Crimes Division after the events of Major Crimes, Season 6.
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 Lieutenant II Louie Provenza, Commanding Officer
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Lieutenant II Andy Flynn, Assistant Commanding Officer
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Lieutenant II Michael Tao
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 Detective II Amy Sykes
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 Detective I Wes Nolan
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Detective I Camila Paige
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Detective I Buzz Watson
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Notes:
- Lieutenant Louie Provenza is made the permanent Commanding Officer of the Major Crimes Division.
- Lieutenant Andy Flynn is designated as the Assistant Commanding Officer.
- Detective Julio Sanchez accepts a promotion to Lieutenant and transfers to the Criminal Intelligence Division.
- Lt. Provenza arranges for Civilian Surveillance Coordinator/Reserve Detective Buzz Watson to attend the police academy for eighteen weeks to return to the division as a full detective.
Support personnel[]
Los Angeles Police Department[]
- Assistant Chief Will Pope is the Assistant Chief of Operations during The Closer. Later in the series, he becomes the Interim Chief of Police and is subsequently appointed as the Chief of Police.
- Assistant Chief Russell Taylor is the Assistant Chief of Operations during Major Crimes until “White Lies, Part 1” of Season 5 when he was killed in the line of duty. The former commanding officer of the Robbery-Homicide Division and later the Office of Operations' Operations Coordinator, Taylor long felt passed over and unappreciated by Chief Pope and the LAPD upper echelon command.
- Assistant Chief Leo Mason is the Assistant Chief of Operations during Major Crimes, Season 6. After his promotion, he had his own ideas about how to improve the Major Crimes Division. Mason was previously the Commander of the Criminal Intelligence Division.
- Deputy Chief Fritz Howard is the Commanding Officer of the Special Operations Bureau during Major Crimes from Season 3, “Sweet Revenge” onward. During The Closer and the beginning of Major Crimes, he was a Special Agent for the FBI and the liaison officer to the LAPD. Chief Howard served as the Acting Assistant Chief of Operations following Chief Taylor's murder (“White Lies, Part 1” to “Shockwave, Part 2”).
- Lieutenant Chuck Cooper is the Officer-in-Charge of the Special Investigation Section of the LAPD. He and his unit has helped the MCD multiple times with surveillance and arrests. He is also dating Major Crimes detective Amy Sykes.
Los Angeles County Department of Coroner[]
- Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Crippen (2005–2007)
- Forensics Support Technician, later Deputy Medical Examiner, Terrence Hynes (2006–2009)
- Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Fernando Morales (2007– )
- Coroner's Investigator Kendall (2008– )
Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office[]
- Deputy District Attorney Andrea Hobbs
- Deputy District Attorney Emma Rios
- Deputy District Attorney Martin Garnett
- Deputy District Attorney Claire Baldwin
- Deputy District Attorney Ozzy Michaels
- Deputy District Attorney Janet Powell
Superior Court of California[]
- Judge Steven Grove
- Judge Craig Richwood
Trivia[]
Call signs[]
In the Major Crimes Universe, the Major Crimes Division appears to have the call signs of the 4 King 60–series. In the real LAPD, the call sign 4K is assigned to the Robbery-Homicide Division (RHD). The unit's numerical designation (last two numbers) would be assigned by the RHD commanding officer to a member of the division. Call signs ending in the number 0 (e.g. 10, 20, etc.) are used by supervisory personnel. It's possible that the reason why MCD has call signs from the Robbery-Homicide Division is because MCD was originally a squad of the Robbery-Homicide Division (Priority Murder Squad). Realistically, if a unit was to transfer from one division to another, it would receive a new call sign from it's new parent Office/Bureau/Group/Division.
In the real LAPD, the call sign for the Major Crimes Division is 6K. The Major Crimes Division Commanding Officer would be identified by the word Commander followed by 6K (i.e. Commander 6K). All other personnel would be identified by 6K, followed by the numerical designation assigned by the commanding officer. It's more than likely that the call sign 6K is used by another entity of the Major Crimes Universe LAPD, like the Counter-Terrorism Division, which has some investigative responsibilities of the real life MCD.
When Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson was the MCD Commanding Officer (and after Sharon Raydor was promoted to Commander for Major Crimes, Season 6), the Commanding Officer would have been given a call sign representing their Staff Officer–status (e.g. Staff 2 G, which would have been unused at the time).
Based on rank and seniority, the call signs for the division are, or should be, as follows (as of Major Crimes, Season 6):
- 4 King 60 — Commanding Officer: Commander Sharon Raydor
NOTE: Heard in “Heart Failure”. Sharon was never heard using this call sign as a Commander but, as mentioned above, her new call sign should be a "Staff Officer" call sign, e.g. Staff 2 G.
- 4 King 61 — Assistant Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Louie Provenza
NOTE: Used the call sign 4 King 60 in “By Any Means, Part 4” when acting as the Commanding Officer.
- 4 King 62: Lieutenant Andy Flynn
NOTE: This call sign was also used by Deputy Chief Fritz Howard in “Foreign Affairs” even though his call sign should have been Staff 2 D.
- 4 King 63: Lieutenant Michael Tao
- 4 King 64: Detective III Julio Sanchez
- 4 King 65: Detective II Amy Sykes
NOTE: Heard in “Bad Blood” & “Shockwave, Part 1”.
- 4 King 66: Detective Wes Nolan
- 4 King 67: Detective Camila Paige
NOTE: Used the call sign 4 King 64 in “By Any Means, Part 1” even though divisional seniority at the time would have made her call sign 4 King 66.
References / notes[]
- ↑ Seen in Major Crimes, Season 6
- ↑ Investigative responsibility of the real MCD, which apparently has been assigned to Major Crimes rather than to the Counter-Terrorism Division, though Counter-Terrorism still retains jurisdiction for acts of terrorism. Examples: “Time Bomb”;“Year-End Blowout”; “Shockwave, Part 1”; “Shockwave, Part 2”
- ↑ “Next of Kin, Part 1”; “Jump the Gun”; “Reloaded”; “Chain Reaction”
- ↑ Such cases are stated to be de facto "major crimes", though MCD can transfer them to the concerned Geographical Detective Division if they so choose. Examples: “The Last Word”; “Return to Sender”; “Cashed Out”; “Heart Failure”; “Dead Drop”
- ↑ “Dial M for Provenza”; “Fate Line”; “Backfire”; “Quid Pro Quo”
- ↑ Investigative responsibility of the real MCD, stated to belong to MCD rather than to the Criminal Intelligence Division. Examples: “Backfire”; “Dead Zone”–“White Lies, Part 3”
- ↑ Investigative responsibility of the Robbery-Homicide Division which has been transferred to MCD. Examples: “Blue Blood”; “Strike Three”; “Targets of Opportunity”; “N.S.F.W.”; “White Lies, Part 1”; “Bad Blood”; “Shockwave, Part 1”
- ↑ “Batter Up”; “Dead Man's Hand”; “High Crimes”; “Out of Bounds”; “Cheaters Never Prosper”; “Taking the Fall”; “Intersection”
- ↑ MCD is known to fill in for other homicide divisions when needed (e.g. when the other division is in training or otherwise unavailable).
- ↑ “Waivers of Extradition”; “A Family Affair”; “Cheaters Never Prosper”; “Jailbait”; “Hostage to Fortune”; “Foreign Affairs”
- ↑ Presumably a concurrent jurisdiction with the Special Assault Section of RHD, with MCD assuming responsibility at its discretion. Examples of MCD's involvement: “Fantasy Date”; mentioned in “Tijuana Brass”; “Power of Attorney”; “Hostile Witness”; “Conspiracy Theory, Part 1”–“Conspiracy Theory, Part 4”
- ↑ “FindKaylaWeber”; “Sanctuary City, Part 1”–“Sanctuary City, Part 5”
- ↑ “Zoo Story”
- ↑ “Ruby”; “Under Control”; “Boys Will Be Boys”; “Flight Risk”; “Two Options”; “FindKaylaWeber”; “Present Tense”
- ↑ Robbery-Homicide Division has primary jurisdiction on serial killers. Examples of MCD's involvement: “Critical Missing”; “Ruby”; “Manhunt”; “Waivers of Extradition”; “Poster Boy”; “Return to Sender”; “Wish You Were Here”; “Dead Zone”
- ↑ Robbery-Homicide Division has primary jurisdiction on fire-related deaths. In “Special Master Part Two”, Provenza wondered why MCD was called to a arson homicide, confirming that MCD doesn't usually investigate such cases. Examples of MCD's involvement: “Trial by Fire”; “Special Master Part One”; “Special Master Part Two”; “Cashed Out”
- ↑ Mentioned in “Tijuana Brass” by Chief Johnson but never seen, except when such cases are discovered during other (usually homicide) investigations (e.g. “Cheaters Never Prosper”, when an identity theft ring was connected to a murder).
See also[]
| MAIN ARTICLE: LAPD | Organizational chart (.PDF version) |
Ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department | Awards of the Los Angeles Police Department | Police Administration Building | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office of the Chief of Police | Professional Standards Bureau: Force Investigation Division |
Counter-Terrorism Bureau | |||
| Office of Operations | Major Crimes Division | Criminal Intelligence Division | |||
| Special Operations Bureau: SIS • ASD • Metro • SOSD • SCID |
Detective Bureau: CCD • DSD • JUV • ND • RHD • VD | ||||
| Other units | Office of Support Services: Scientific Investigation Division |
Office of Constitutional Policing and Policy | |||
