This section contains information on deputy demographics and departmental initiatives related to equitable policing practices that was provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
South LA, CA 2025
DEPARTMENTAL CONTEXT
Findings should be interpreted alongside context about the demographics of local residents, the demographics of sworn officers, and the department’s work toward racial equity.
RESIDENT DEMOGRAPHICS
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) South LA Station deputies do not patrol certain areas of the county that are patrolled by other LASD stations. Therefore, this assessment only includes resident demographic data from areas of Los Angeles County that are patrolled by South LA Station deputies.
The resident population included in this assessment is is 62% Latinx, 19% Black, 9% White, 6% Asian, 4% Multiple Racial Groups, 0.7% Other, 0.4% Native Hawaiian Or Pacific Islander, and 0.2% Native. The total population of South LA Station’s patrol area is 114,677.
ABOUT THIS ASSESSMENT
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) South LA Station joined CPE’s National Justice Database project in July 2023. LASD South LA Station shared data with CPE in order to receive analyses intended to support community and law enforcement collaboration on data-informed efforts to advance equitable outcomes in policing and public safety. This assessment analyzes use of force data from January 1, 2019 – August 30, 2023 and vehicle stop, pedestrian stop, and calls for service and officer-initiated activity data from January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2023. This assessment only includes resident demographic data from areas of Los Angeles County that are patrolled by LASD South LA Station deputies.
DEPARTMENT SUMMARY OF ITS KEY INITIATIVES
LASD South LA Station did not provide any updates around key initiatives. CPE asks participating agencies about recent changes or updates to recently policies on use of force, stops, data collection, racial profiling, and data quality assurance as well as new training programs, programs to elicit community input on department policies/practices, and programs to reduce use of force or promote equity or community trust. LASD South LA Station has not provided any information suggesting recent updates or changes surrounding these kinds of key initiatives.
DEPARTMENT SUMMARY OF ITS RACIAL EQUITY INITIATIVES
Vehicular and Pedestrian Stops
In accordance with RIPA, LASD Stations maintain detailed data on all stops. The Department updates its practices in accordance with legislative changes and maintains a public dashboard with all stop data at County of Los Angeles Open Data. In the Antelope Valley Monitoring Team’s December 2024 semi-annual report, the team found the Department to be in compliance with Settlement Agreement provisions regarding conducting stops only when reasonable suspicion is present.
Use of Force
New use of force policies, published in 2024 and implemented in 2025, state that Stations “may only use that amount of force that is objectively reasonable, proportional, and which reasonably appears necessary.” These updates include new protocol for using tasers, strikes and restraints, and requirements for investigations of law enforcement shootings of all unarmed individuals. You can review the Station’s use of force policy in full here.
Data Collection and Quality Assurance
As of 2022, LASD Stations are required to use the Sheriff’s Automated Contact Reporting System to record most public interactions with deputies. All reports are reviewed by supervisors before filing and are made publicly available. These records are cross-referenced with the Department’s computer-aided dispatch system to check for discrepancies or omissions. Departmental leadership also uses data dashboards to identify trends in individual deputy activity.
Training
All deputies are required to attend racial profiling training every five years as well as “respect-based leadership” and “leadership development” trainings at least once. Units are also afforded the opportunity to do optional trainings in Ethics in Community Policing, Constitutional Policing, and Bias-Free Policing.
LASD retained training experts to evaluate their training programs, which resulted in the creation of a “Respond, Observe, Assess, React” (ROAR) model. The ROAR model is the Department’s proprietary de-escalation and crisis stabilization model, designed to help deputies identify crises and implement plans that prioritize communication, empathy, and kindness as tactical de-escalation and risk management strategies. More information about ROAR is available here.
Additionally, LASD has implemented new teaching tools since 2024 to better distribute and track trainings and elicit community input.
Programs to Promote Equity or Community Trust
Since 2023, the Los Angeles County Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (ARDI) Initiative has collaborated with LASD to address systemic racism, enhance cultural competency, and promote equitable public safety practices. Key aspects of this collaboration include: Anti-Hate Training and Prevention, Community Dialogue and Engagement (in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service), Equity-Focused Policy and Oversight, and regular community dialogue meetings.
LASD is also currently making updates to its mental health emergency response programs to better divert calls related to mental health crises to trained, non-police professionals.
DEPARTMENT SUMMARY OF ITS COMMUNITY OUTREACH INITIATIVES
All LASD Stations now have a Community Advisory Committee that meets regularly. Station captains engage with the community to provide updates on Departmental policing and obtain community feedback. Many Department policies are discussed with LASD’s Civilian Oversight Commission (COC), which holds monthly public meetings. The COC also regularly holds ad hoc community meetings on topics of interest to the Committee. The Department occasionally issues press statements related to policies of particular public concern. The Department uses social media, public briefings, and consistently updates its website to inform the community about policy changes and new programs.
Furthermore, the Department contracts its services with local municipalities. Area station captains present issues including station-specific policies at city council and other public meetings that take place in each city.
REDESIGNING PUBLIC SAFETY IN SOUTH LA
The Department has provided in-depth training for deputies and dispatchers to divert certain calls to unarmed or alternative response teams including LASD’s Mental Evaluation Team, Homeless Outreach Services Team, and Veterans Mental Evaluation Team. In summary, LASD has built a multi-tiered response system that redirects non-violent, mental-health, veteran, and homelessness-related calls to unarmed or jointly-equipped co-response teams, combining specialized training with collaborative models to better match response type with community needs.
The Department partners with the Los Angeles County Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) to support a collaborative, community-centered approach to reducing violence. Through this partnership, the Department contributes frontline data and operational insights to OVP’s efforts in tracking violent incidents and identifying root causes. Together, they coordinate public listening sessions, community outreach, and stakeholder engagement to inform violence prevention strategies.
The Department also supports OVP-led initiatives such as gun safety campaigns, providing logistical support and increasing community visibility. In return, OVP equips the Department with public health-informed prevention frameworks, training, and tools to strengthen harm-reduction and community trust. This partnership reflects a shared commitment to aligning law enforcement with holistic, data-driven, and equitable violence prevention efforts across Los Angeles County.