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 Office of Operations is fiction, as the way it's depicted in the Major Crimes Universe differs from its real world counterpart. |
The Office of Operations (OO) of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has functional control of all field law enforcement, special operations, and detective operations throughout the city.
Director / Assistant Chief[]
The Director, Office of Operations, also known as the Assistant Chief of Operations, is responsible for managing and coordinating all matters related to field law enforcement, special operations, and detective operations throughout the city.
In the Major Crimes Universe, the Assistant Chief of Operations is also designated as the First Assistant Chief. Unless directed otherwise by the Chief of Police or the Police Commission, the First Assistant Chief will assume command of the department during an authorized absence of the Chief of Police. The Assistant Chief of Operations is most likely chosen to be in that position because they already oversee most of the department's personnel and as such, they are the most qualified person to lead the department during the Chief's absences.
The Assistant Chief is also a member of some review boards and committees, including:
- K-9 Bite Review Board (chairman) — responsible for reviewing incidents in which a member of the public is bitten by a LAPD canine wherein hospitalization is required
- Merit Pay Review Board — responsible for the authority to withhold the fifth pay step of Lieutenants and below and to remove or reduce any merit pay step
- Home Garaging Review Committee — responsible for managing the LAPD's Home Garaging Program, establishing a submission schedule for renewal applications, and reviewing all home garage applications annually.
Assistant Chief Leo Mason is currently the Director, Office of Operations. Mason was promoted to Assistant Chief at the end of Major Crimes Season 5 finale, “Shockwave, Part 2”, effectively taking over the role for Season 6. Before his promotion to Assistant Chief, he was the Commanding Officer of the Criminal Intelligence Division at the rank of Commander. |
Assistant to the Director / Deputy Chief[]
The Assistant to the Director, Office of Operations, also known as the Deputy Chief of Operations, performs duties as assigned and assists the Director in coordinating office activities. The Assistant to the Director is responsible for:
- auditing LAPD operations, including:
- administrative procedures such as roll call training, incidents involving a personnel complaint or commendation, desk operations, pursuit protocol, use of force incidents, in-car video, incidents resulting in death or serious injury to an officer or suspect, Area and Bureau commanding officer response time, and effective utilization of overtime; and
- field deployment, with special emphasis on patrol division coverage, basic car integrity, PM watch detective operations, supervisory personnel levels, field training officer efforts, and specialized unit activities;
- conducting follow-up evaluations to ensure that standard procedures and policies are followed by all organizational units assigned to the Office of Operations; and
- coordinating budget requests for the Office of Operations (Office of Operations' budget officer);
- coordinating the evaluation of field deployment, crimefighting, and community policing strategies;
- coordinating the Operations Duty Officer and Senior Lead Officer programs;
- coordinating with Training Division, Office of Support Services, to ensure the completion of required training exercises for all organizational units assigned to the Office of Operations;
- evaluating practices and preparing reports regarding personnel deployment citywide;
- making recommendations to the Assistant Chief of Operations regarding personnel deployment to ensure the highest level of efficiency and effectiveness;
- monitoring significant planned or spontaneous events, when appropriate or at the request of the Chief of Police, Assistant Chief of Operations, or Bureau Commanding Officers; and
- overseeing the destruction of narcotics evidence.
Deputy Chief Winnie Davis is currently the Assistant to the Director, Office of Operations. Davis is a tenured and experienced officer, having spent a good portion of her career in leadership and management positions, though it's alluded those positions have not included many, or possibly any, detective/investigative positions. Davis is shown to prefer the LAPD's community policing policies and patrol division operations in solving and preventing crime, rather than, in her opinion, overstaffing and overfunding specialized investigative divisions. |
Notes[]
- While the Assistant to the Director holds the rank of Deputy Chief, they normally operate outside the office's regular chain of command, unless otherwise directed by the Chief of Police or Assistant Chief.
- In the real LAPD, the Assistant to the Director is a Commander rather than a Deputy Chief. It's presumed that the position of Assistant to the Director was created to replace the Operations Coordinator in 2012 when Russell Taylor was promoted to Assistant Chief of Operations for the beginning of Major Crimes. In the real LAPD, this change happened sometime between February, 2003 and December, 2003.
Subordinate components[]
In addition to the aforementioned duties, the Assistant to the Director also supervises and exercises line command over some administrative and specialized operational support components:
- Evaluation and Administration Section is responsible for conducting research and preparing correspondence, as needed, for the Assistant to the Director and the Director as well as assisting the Assistant to the Director in the discharge of their duties. Some of the specific duties of the Evaluation and Administration Section include:
- conducting follow-up evaluations as required to ensure that standard procedures and policies are adhered to by all organizational units within the Office;
- conducting studies and making surveys of field-related problems;
- developing a formula for deploying uniformed and traffic personnel;
- disseminating information as it relates to community policing;
- evaluating and analyzing the performance of, and the procedures used by, employees assigned to the Office;
- making appropriate recommendations in order to ensure the highest level of efficiency and effectiveness;
- providing speakers to the department and community groups on the topic of community policing and problem solving, as requested;
- providing training to LAPD personnel on the topic and underlying philosophy of community policing;
- researching and developing operational standards for the Office;
- reviewing, analyzing, and maintaining community survey results;
- where appropriate, representing the department on matters pertaining to community policing; and
- when appropriate, preparing directives related to department-wide issues concerning community policing.
- Labor Liaison Section is responsible for establishing and maintaining liaison with labor and management groups and monitoring possible disputes; investigating crimes arising from labor disputes (except homicides, kidnappings, bombings, attempted bombings, and bomb threats); and gathering, correlating and disseminating information related to labor disputes.
- Real-Time Analysis and Critical Response (RACR) Division analyzes crime city-wide on a real-time basis to look for patterns and make deployment recommendations. It also tracks the state of the City of Los Angeles, including tracking all uniformed resources, the state of radio calls, and other indicators to constantly monitor the state of the City of Los Angeles. RACR was also designed as the Department Command Post and it is used to manage the city during major occurrences, whether they be natural or man-made.
- Jail Division is responsible for the care and custody of all arrested person within the LAPD. The Jail Division also physically maintains and supervises all of the jails used by the department.
- Security Services Division (SECSD) is responsible for the safety and security of City buildings, facilities, parks, shops, yards and warehouses, the Los Angeles Civic Center, the Los Angeles Zoo, Public Works Bureau of Sanitation Water Treatment Facilities, City Libraries, City Parks, and all non-proprietary City facilities, their employees, and visitors.
Subordinate units of the Office of Operations[]
The following divisions and bureaus operate under the direct supervision of the Assistant Chief of Operations.
Specialized divisions[]
- Major Crimes Division (MCD) investigates homicides that involve multiple or high-profile victims and/or high-profile suspects; all cases involving missing, kidnapped or murdered LAPD officers; select major fraud investigations; select sexual assault investigations; and select kidnappings and missing person cases, including "critical missing" cases, which involve children who are under 14 years old and/or have mental illnesses or disabilities.
- Criminal Intelligence Division (CI) is responsible for gathering and analyzing intelligence and criminal information, developing strategies for crime prevention as it relates to terrorism or other major crimes, and investigating organized crime.
- COMPSTAT (computer statistics) Division (CST) is responsible for analyzing, monitoring, and auditing the production and dissemination of all crime analysis information relating to crime series, patterns, hot spots, trends, clusters, spikes, and victim/offender information for the purpose of identifying, arresting, and prosecuting criminals.
Specialized bureaus[]
- Detective Bureau (DB) provides functional leadership for detective operations citywide, including all specialized detective functions assigned to the Detective Bureau and the 21 geographic detective divisions throughout the city.
- Special Operations Bureau (SOB) provides specialized tactical resources in support of daily field activities, unusual occurrences, and during serious disturbances and elevated threat conditions.
- Transit Services Bureau (TSB) provides police services to portions of the LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) transportation bus and rail system within the City of Los Angeles. These services include: area patrol officer response to calls for service, area detective follow-up investigations, critical infrastructure protection at Union Station and other designated stations, and police presence on platforms, trains, and buses.
- NOTE: The Transit Services Bureau was created on July 1, 2017, when the LAPD entered into an agreement with LACMTA to provide contract police services to the portions of the LACMTA transportation system that operates within the City of Los Angeles (taking over the duties from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), though LASD is still responsible for policing the system outside of the City of Los Angeles).
Geographical bureaus[]
Geographic operations bureaus are responsible for providing primary uniformed, traffic, and investigative activities within their jurisdictions. There are four geographical bureaus which are divided into 21 geographic areas, commonly referred to as divisions, and a dedicated traffic division.
- Central Bureau responsible for downtown Los Angeles and Eastern Los Angeles, and it's the most densely populated of the four patrol bureaus. The Central Bureau is currently comprised of the Central Area, Rampart Area, Hollenbeck Area, Northeast Area, Newton Area, and the Central Traffic Division.
- South Bureau oversees South Los Angeles with the exception of Inglewood and Compton, which are both separate cities that maintain their own law enforcement agencies. The South Bureau is currently comprised of the 77th Street Area, Southwest Area, Harbor Area, Southeast Area, and the South Traffic Division.
- Valley Bureau oversees operations within the San Fernando Valley. The Valley Bureau is currently comprised of the Van Nuys Area, Mission Area, North Hollywood Area, Foothill Area, Devonshire Area, West Valley Area, Topanga Area, and the Valley Traffic Division.
- West Bureau covers most of the well-known areas of Los Angeles, including Hollywood, Westwood, the Hollywood Hills area, the UCLA campus and Venice. This does not include Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, which are both separate cities that maintain their own law enforcement agencies. The West Bureau is currently comprised of the Wilshire Area, Hollywood Area, West Los Angeles Area, Olympic Area, Pacific Area, LAX Field Services Division, and the West Traffic Division.
Organization of a geographical bureau and area[]
- Deputy Chief, Commanding Officer – Geographical Bureau
- Commander, Assistant Commanding Officer – Geographical Bureau
- Captain III, Commanding Officer – Geographical Area
- Captain I, Commanding Officer – Patrol Division: responsible for providing uniformed law enforcement to their jurisdiction.
- Lieutenant II, Commanding Officer – Detective Division: responsible for investigating felony and misdemeanor crimes which are not solved by an arrest by patrol or which do not fall under the jurisdiction of another specialized division. The Detective Division is comprised of the following investigative tables:
- Homicide. Starting in 2007 with the South Bureau and ending in 2015 with the Valley Bureau, centralized homicide units have been established at every geographical bureau; Area Detective Divisions therefore no longer investigate homicides.
- Robbery
- Narcotics
- Major Assault Crimes
- Burglary / Property Crimes
- Auto Theft / Auto Crimes
- CAPs (Crimes Agains Persons)
- Juvenile
- Gangs (see Gang Impact Team, Investigation Detail)
- Sex Crimes. Following budget cuts in 2021, the Special Assault Section of the Robbery-Homicide Division was disbanded and centralized Special Assault Sections were established at every geographical bureau. Area Detective Divisions therefore no longer investigate sex crimes.
- Lieutenant II, Officer-in-Charge – Gang Impact Team (GIT)
- The Gang Enforcement Detail (GED) is the GIT's primary uniformed component focusing on gang members and associated crimes.
- The Narcotics Enforcement Detail (NED) shall address street sales, illegal use, and covert trafficking of narcotics.
- The Investigation Detail is responsible for investigating gang-related crimes, with the exception of homicides and sex crimes. The Investigation Detail is staffed by detectives from the Area Detective Division.
- The Gang Crime Analysis Detail (G-CAD) shall review all Area crime, arrest and follow-up reports that are completed for identified gang crimes, and review all crime, arrest and follow-up reports to determine gang involvement using the gang-related indicators.
- Captain II, Commanding Officer – Traffic Division
Personnel levels for all Geographical Areas are dependent on the area's size and overall crime statistics and therefore no universal pattern exists for personnel deployment. For an example, though, below is listed the authorized personnel levels for the Devonshire Area (Valley Bureau) for July, 2021:
- Captain III — 1
- Captain I — 1
- Lieutenant II — 2
- Lieutenant I — 4
- Sergeant II — 6
- Sergeant I — 23
- Detective III — 6
- Detective II — 11
- Detective I — 12
- Police Officer III+1 — 7
- Police Officer III — 47
- Police Officer I & II — 133
Other OO personnel[]
Operations Coordinator[]
- NOTE: The position of Operations Coordinator has been superseded by the position of Assistant to the Director.
The Operations Coordinator assisted the Assistant Chief of Operations with coordinating between bureaus and divisions to ensure that all commands throughout the city are notified of any major events and that major investigations are shared across geographic boundaries if it is needed for investigative purposes. The Operations Coordinator also provided supervision for the Jail Division, the Department Command Post and the Labor Liaison Section.
The last person to hold this position was Russell Taylor before his promotion to Assistant Chief of Operations.
Adjutant/Aide to the Director[]
The Adjutant/Aide acts as a liaison between the Director, his staff and subordinates, and other commands throughout the department; presents any administrative documents and issues for consideration to the Director; works closely with the Executive Administrative Assistant to process and prepare correspondence to and from the Director; accompanies the Director during official business, acting as their driver and security aide; and acts as the external representative of the Director, when needed.
For staff officers at the Assistant Chief–level, their Adjutants/Aides are usually Lieutenants. The Adjutant/Aide has never been properly introduced and multiple persons have been seen in the role, though usually only very briefly in the background and they've had no significant role in the episode.
Unnamed Lieutenant accompanying Assistant Chief Howard in “Intersection” (uncredited). |
Executive Administrative Assistant to the Director[]
The Executive Administrative Assistant performs staff and clerical work and does related work, including (but not limited to):
- accepting and routing all correspondence and telephonic communications directed to the Director;
- preparing and composing correspondence and staff reports, as required, for the Director;
- maintaining the accuracy of the Director's appointment calendar;
- scheduling, preparation, setting up and taking notes for meetings; and
- assuring timely completion of projects that are due to the Director.
The Executive Administrative Assistant has never been properly introduced and multiple persons have been seen in the role, though usually only very briefly in the background and they've had no significant role in the episode.
Unnamed Assistant seen in “A Rose Is a Rose” (portrayed by Molly Marrs). |
Office of Special Operations[]
In Season 7 of The Closer, when Tommy Delk was appointed as the Chief of Police, he planned on restructuring the department, including the creation of the Office of Special Operations. Delk had planned on Russell Taylor becoming its first Assistant Chief / Director, Office of Special Operations.
The Office of Special Operations would have overseen the specialized field operations of the LAPD, including the Detective Bureau, Counter-Terrorism Bureau, and the Special Operations Bureau. This change would have also modified the Major Crimes Universe LAPD's organization to more closely match the real LAPD of the time.
Before Tommy Delk could make these changes public, he died of a sudden brain aneurysm. After Assistant Chief of Operations Will Pope was appointed as the Interim Chief of Police (and later permanently to Chief of Police), he did not implement any of Delk's proposed changes.
MAIN ARTICLE: LAPD | Organizational chart (.PDF version) |
Ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department | Awards of the Los Angeles Police Department | Police Administration Building | |
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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 |