LAPD vs LASD

[Flanker]

I looked around the forums to see if this had been discussed before, but couldnt find much.

What are the pros/cons of working for each organization? Which one would be better for someone like me (white, recent college grad, and new to the LA area)?



Thanks...

[SgtCHP]

"Six of one, half a dozen for the other!"

Both are great agencies and each has its own goods and bads. If you go with LASD it means a period of service working in the custody section - LAPD no! LASD has a larger geographical area of responsibility than LAPD. Pay is nominal in both. Retirement programs are nominal. Opportunities for advancement are about equal. Both academies are fairly equal in application. One wears Tan and Green and the other wears Blue. Either way is a good choice for career opportunity. Good luck with which ever agency you choose.

[JRODF4]

I would have to say equal. It would depend on what color you would want to wear Blue or Tan.

[Retired96]

Being retired from LASD I would take the Sheriff's Dept. There are many more duty assignments that one can pursue.. Granted all new Deps start in the jail and will eventually go to patrol, but you can't drive a radio car forever. As one gets older many do like working custody, courts, transportatrion. There are many units that are Monday/Friday with weekends and holidays off. Overall both ae good Depts. but I think LASD has many more choices of assgnments. I have known Deps. that spent their entire careers in the jails and courts etc. because that is what they wanted in life for their career. With a Dept. that large not everyone can work patrol or be a detective.

[Five-0fromSoCal]

Another area mentioned was retirement. LASD gets lifetime medical for you and your spouse. Very few depts get that (LAPD doesn't). There's also more overtime with LASD and different units you can work it at.

[StoneWalJackson]

HOw long you have to work the jails, I have heard anywhere from 6 months - 2 years?

[LA DEP]

HOw long you have to work the jails, I have heard anywhere from 6 months - 2 years?

Depending on which station you choose to do your field training at, your stay in custody will range from 6 months to 3-5 years......

The numbers vary depending on how many people we are hiring at the time, and how many are moving from patrol to specialized units and/or promotion....

[417Lt]

HOw long you have to work the jails, I have heard anywhere from 6 months - 2 years?

My cousin was told near the end of his LASD academy that because he had a Class A driver's license and 10 years experience driving a gas tanker through the streets of LA County he would be working transportation. He drove the big bus for a while then got put in a van doing high profile stuff. He taxied some of the big names in the mid 90's and enjoyed it. When he did get out on patrol he found it wasn't to his liking so he went back to custody. He has over 10 years at Wayside NCCF and says he'll never leave. I guess predictable hours and lots of OT can be attractive.

[LA DEP]

My cousin was told near the end of his LASD academy that because he had a Class A driver's license and 10 years experience driving a gas tanker through the streets of LA County he would be working transportation. He drove the big bus for a while then got put in a van doing high profile stuff. He taxied some of the big names in the mid 90's and enjoyed it. When he did get out on patrol he found it wasn't to his liking so he went back to custody. He has over 10 years at Wayside NCCF and says he'll never leave. I guess predictable hours and lots of OT can be attractive.

It sure can......

I'm surprised he didnt go back to transportation......they have some gigs over there that get serious OT.......

This is one big advantage of LASD.....if you dont like custody, you dont ever have to go back (until you promote) once you get out to patrol......if you dont like patrol, you dont ever have to do that either, once you do your one year patrol time.......

[Sgt.Reality]

This site still surprises me how few LAPD guys with more than 8 years on frequent this site.

Both agencies have a lot to offer.

I'll be to the point:

If you're a white male, LAPD is not interested in you at this time. I really don't care if that's not politically correct but the writing's on the wall. Too many white males have submitted apps. with us and LASO on the same day and ended up hired by LASO after having their package's dragged on and reviewed over and over unnecessarily by civillian (vs. sworn LASO) polygraphers and background personnel.

Too many political chiefs via the police commission, city council, and city personnel have lofty goals of hiring people based on a laundry list of priorities that have nothing to do with quality.

Trust me, it was tough to post this but that is the truth. And for any LAPD sworn backgrounds personnel reading this, come talk to me when you've worked the majority of your career in patrol and worked Metropolitan Division, otherwise, you have'nt been out there in this dept. to truly understand what is going on. The Federal Consent Decree is also another hurdle our officers must deal with, does'nt tie your hands but equals more paperwork for sure.


On the flip side, if you are'nt caucasian, or you are a female, you can't beat LAPD for variety or chance to get a specialized spot. 250 motor officers compared to about 100 at LASO, 280 Metropolitan/SWAT officers compared to 80 at LASO SEB, SIS with 20 dedicated Detectives, Air Support for the biggest police air ship fleet in the country-25 pilots.

Big difference is with us, you take a civil service exam to make Detective. That means you can be a detective your whole career, without risking getting the boot out of a specialized Det. spot if funding ceases and you are only a senior deputy vs. a tenured Sergeant in LASO Detectives.

Many more ranks, three levels of detective, two levels of Sergeant, two levels of Lieutenant, three levels of Captain.

Spouses DO get medical in retirement(starting at age 55), pension is roughly 8% less at 25 years, but most LAPD retire at a higher rank than slick sleeve PII so that percentage is equal or more. Pay scale will bounce back and forth. We've had more the last 6 years, that can change in one new contract either way. And the DROP program (paid retirement rate on top of your current rate for last 5 years of your career=double pay), has made some savy old timers very well off.

Not a dis by any means, I have plenty of friends at LASO, even a former LAPD Captain (Conte), that promoted at LASO. Find out what YOU want to do, then go for it. Jail time was'nt for me, and I always wanted to work Metropolitan Division, so my choice was easy. I am also "dual status"(Sergeant/Detective), so I can try out for many more openings than just having one or the other rank.

I am Glad LASO still runs a somewhat stressful academy, most So. Cal academies (ours included) are a ghost of what real pressure induced training used to be back in 92 when I got on. Of course, my father in law could say the same thing about me since he went through LAPD's back in 65"/LOL.

Good luck in your endeavors

[DOAcop38]

I looked around the forums to see if this had been discussed before, but couldnt find much.

What are the pros/cons of working for each organization? Which one would be better for someone like me (white, recent college grad, and new to the LA area)?



Thanks...

Don't buy into "i'm a wht guy",i don't have a chance mindset!!! Most of those "so called" minorities have names like "hernandez" and "ortiz" and couldn't speak a lick of spanish IF their lives depended on it ( mainly 'cause they are only using their "grandma's name" to identify themselves as "hisp" for the job application)-Stop by the Academy on Manchester and LOOK at the classes- very few dark skinned recruits in these classes- so much for the "Affirmative action edge",IF there ever was one.... what you will be facing is STIFFER competition becuase as a young white person , the MAJORITY of the people they'll have you competing against are people that match YOU- its not right,but thats how the game is played! Apply for LAPD and I guarantee you'll get processed fast. My own city dept-LAX- wouldn't even get "touched" by a young wht applicant with your education level even as early as 7 yrs ago- but nowadays,the majority of people coming into probation in my Dept are both young,white,predominently male,and educated( second largest # are Asian males, then Hisp males,hisp females,then Blks).also expect competition from people with equal educational background and more life/work experience-the economy is bad and people who are "30 somethings" ,from wht collar jobs, are opting for the more secure L.E. and civil servant gigs( my personal feelings on this are on "RECORD" here and mixed,as I'd take a former marine grunt,or a waitress ANYDAY over some"9-5",coffe sucking, former desk jockey looking for a pay check to stay middle class!).

what have you got going for yourself OTHER than "I'm young and have a college education"? volunteer work? good employment track record? specialized clubs or groups in college? knowledge of the community you'll want to serve? THATS what will sell you OVER the avg applicant. LASD will probably process you faster,you can make a very good salary- my compton buddy is a FTO making $8,000/mo,and a SGt I know cleared $160K last yr with very little OT- but for promotions and opportunities,I'd say LAPD. you deal with a diverse community and its not all hell and high water,compared to being tossed to the proverbial wolves in Century,Lennox,Compton,Carson and East L.A. stations with LASD or doing 3-5 in the county jails!I like LASD,but in reality,by the time you hit patrol as a Deputy sheriff, you'll probably be a Detective or SGT with LAPD!

www.lapdonline.org

P.S.

Try good alternate depts like :

Santa monica PD

Glendale PD

Beverly Hills PD

Culver City PD

torrance PD

Inglewood PD

LAUSD PD ( "yup"-L.A. unified School dist,PD)

L.A. Port PD

[cbuckle]

as it is not "proof" because it is only one case, my situations speaks to Sgt. Reality's statements.

I am a white male. i scored 96 on my written as well as scored the highest in my group on the PAT. i have a squeaky clean driving/criminal record and in addition, passed my poly and oral board with flying colors and was subsequently sent my letter of DQ.

a friend of mine, who is hispanic, went through the process concurrently. we tested on the same day for written and PAT. he got an 85 on the written. he had to take 2 polys(due to drug history which was more extensive than my own) and did not pass the oral board the first time. he is now clear for hire and has been told by his BI to expect a call for the next academy.

my process with the lasd was as smooth as silk. written to cleared for hire was just over 3 months. my BI, as well as my fathers friend in IA with LAPD, contacted LAPD personnel and were unable to get a straight answer from anyone.

as i said, its only one case. no disrespect to LAPD as many family friends are with the agency, it just has been the direction they have been going.

--might be interesting to see some demographics on the topic.

[DOAcop38]

cbuckle - sometihing "smells" about what you are telling me! DQ after a "clean background check?" NO WAY..even here at LAX,I don't KNOW of one current or even past applicant here at LAX that got on the job with less than a score of "90"-the current exam is pass/fail and is all essay writing.I'd seriously be concerned if LAPD was processessing your buddy ! People,even myself have been critical of LAPD, but - having been in their process in the past and having trained (Academy and AOT courses) ,LAPD is alot of things, but NOT scraping the bottom of the barrel for qualified applicants.and coming from a generation that KNEW drug use of any kind was a "no" if you wanted to be a cop, I find it seriously disturbing of the non chalant attitude this current generation have about "trying" drugs, drug use, and taking jobs of responsibility !!! If you are successful in your LASD process,I wish you well,an i hope you THINK about what your "babbling" could have cost you. As for your "friend"?With a nearly 50% Hisp community in L.A. , I SERIOUSLY DOUBT yOUr buddy with an "85" score as you say, was the BEST qualified out of his batch of applicants,particularly in light of the FACT that my former trainee is a background inv,and daily in contact with LAPD /L.A. city back grounds,nor even the BEST hisp MALE CANDIDATE they could have chosen........

[cbuckle]

my sentiments exactly. my DQ letter was a little fishy as well. it listed about 8 "possibilities" for DQ. i was was not through the backgrounds completely, however, my BI with LASD spoke to all the same people and i was cleared with no snags. he even made it a point to bring up the reasoning(or lack of) behind the DQ. kinda odd.

[417Lt]

You're better off not worrying about why it seems someone is getting an advantage over you. That is, unless you want to make a career out of fighting LE agencies instead of working for them. Try harder or go to an agency where that problem doesn't happen as much. There are some things you just can't change and you'll be bitter from the start if you dwell on them.
Like you I had a cumulative score of 95% in the hiring / testing process. I thought I was hot stuff until the list came out and I found out I was competing against people at 115%.
115%:WTF! How do you get 115%?
Afirmative action was raging in State service at that time and all I could do was try harder and hang in there. I hung in there and prevailed but the best part was that I developed a mindset and a work ethic that I benefit from to this day.
I kept a copy of that list with those names and numbers. Everyone above 95% is gone.