Coordinates: 34°03′07″N 118°14′40″W / 34.051941°N 118.244514°W / 34.051941; -118.244514

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California. With 9,843 officers and 2,773 civilian staff, it is the third-largest municipal police department in the United States, after the New York City Police Department and the Chicago Police Department. The department serves an area of 498 square miles (1,290 km²) and a population of 3,884,307 people.

The LAPD has been fictionalized in numerous movies, novels and television shows throughout its history. The department has also been associated with a number of controversies, mainly concerned with racism, police brutality, and police corruption.

History

The first specific Los Angeles police force was founded in 1853 as the Los Angeles Rangers, a volunteer force that assisted the existing County forces. The Rangers were soon succeeded by the Los Angeles City Guards, another volunteer group. Neither force was particularly efficient and Los Angeles became known for its violence, gambling and vice.

The abbreviation LAPD most commonly refers to the Los Angeles Police Department.

LAPD may also refer to:

L.A.P.D. (Love And Peace Dude, later Laughing As People Die) was an American heavy metal band, formed in 1989, in Bakersfield, California. From 1989 to 1991, the member line-up was James Shaffer, Reginald Arvizu, David Silveria, Richard Morrill. The group has released one studio album, one extended play, and one compilation album.

The band was originally formed by Shaffer, Arvizu, and Morrill. Capra approached the band introducing them to bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Faith No More. Still in need for a drummer, the band placed an advertisement in a local newspaper which was answered by Silveria. Shortly after this, the band recorded a demo album which was meant to be sent out to record companies. Realizing they would have to continue the band in a more populated area in order for them to expand, all of the members but Shaffer left Bakersfield and resided in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California (Shaffer later moved to Hollywood as well). In late 1989, the band hired a man named Arthur as their manager, resulting in them getting signed to Triple X Records. The band recorded and released their first extended play in 1989, but it suffered from poor distribution.