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Specialized Assignments
- Bike Team
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Sergeant Leonard Boen
leonard.boen@laschoolpolice.govSergeant Juan Escobar
juan.escobar@laschoolpolice.gov
The Los Angeles School Police Department (LASPD) Bike Patrol Team is comprised of several men and women from throughout the department. The LASPD’s Bike Team is an effective and pro-active community policing tool and crime suppression detail. The Bike Team, participates in various anti-crime reduction missions that support the safety and security of our schools and safe passage zones.
The Bike Team has completed a comprehensive and rigorous Peace Officers Standards Training certified Bicycle course where they learned various riding skills such as: traversing stairs, maneuvering through obstacles, following fleeing suspects, crowd control and tactical dismount.
The officers often conduct regular school visits, conduct safety presentations, read books to kids, and take photos with the students. - Defensive Tactics Unit
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Lieutenant Alex BelloThe Los Angeles School Police Department (LASPD) Defensive Tactics Unit (DTU) has the responsibility of teaching and training our officers on critical policing concerns such as case law, policy, and survival and arrest and control techniques. DTU instructors help our officers become proficient and well trained in their understanding of the law, as well as arrest and control tactics. This allows our officers to use reasonable force while safely and professionally establishing and maintaining control during tense and uncertain situations.
Our Defensive Tactics instructors have completed a rigorous and extremely demanding 120 hour Peace Officers Standards Training instructor course. The content and concepts in the course include but are not limited to: strikes, takedowns, weapon defense, ground defense, impact weapon applications, emergency handcuffing procedures, and the most current use of force legal standing and tactical mindset.
In addition to this training, our Defensive Tactics instructors are advanced martial artists, with backgrounds in boxing, aikido, Thai Boxing, kenpo karate, and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Our instructors will continue to utilize this experience and training to support our officers as well as keep the LAUSD community safe. - Government and Community Relations Unit
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The Los Angeles School Police Department (LASPD) Government and Community Relations Unit is a highly visible proactive unit, representing the Department and the Chief of Police to establish, build, and sustain relationships throughout the diverse communities we serve.
This unit also manages the department's social media platforms. Social media is a means for LAUSD community, students, staff, law enforcement agencies, and members of the media to inform themselves of department information and events. The team is a direct report to the Chief of Police, with a focus on community engagement, transparency, and partnerships with department stakeholders.
In doing so, we collectively improve the quality of safety for all students, staff, administrators, parents and the school community.
Contact us at communityrelations@laschoolpolice.gov
Interim Chief Aaron Pisarzewicz
aaron.pisarzewicz@laschoolpolice.gov
Lieutenant Nina Buranasombati
nina.buranasombati@laschoolpolice.gov
Social Media Team Supervisor
Public Information Officer
(213) 399-2466Officer Nick FloresSocial MediaPublic Information Officer(213) 280-3185 - Honor Guard
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Sergeant Julie SprySergeant Juan EscobarLieutenant Juan MoralesThe Los Angeles School Police Department (LASPD) Honor Guard is comprised of dedicated sworn personnel who have volunteered to provide service to:
Support fallen officers in "Line of Duty" deaths.Provide final memorial services and honors for LASPD employees and their immediate families.
Present colors (e.g., United States, California, and LASPD flags) for significant events.
Represent the LASPD at the local, state, and federal level.
Members of the Honor Guard serve as an ancillary assignment in addition to their myriad regular duties. The preponderance of Honor Guard assignments involves the loss of loved ones, grieving families, and the coordination of final honors for the deceased.These assignments and services are physically demanding, long, and expose team members to inclement weather (e.g., heat, cold, rain, etc.) in dress uniform and while performing extremely mentally and emotionally demanding tasks.Honor Guard members routinely provide these services on their days off or after their normally assigned shifts and require a great deal of preparation and practice in the team member's personal time.Honor Guard members have also paid for United States funeral flags at their own expense when funds were insufficient to purchase them.Further, Honor Guard services provided are in full view of the grieving family members, the public, and political officials, leaving little room for error. The services rendered by the Honor Guard requires a high degree of personal and team discipline, coordination, and fortitude.Over the four years of the Honor Guard's service, these teams of dedicated men and women have served with distinction and honor. The Honor Guard has also demonstrated distinguished service (to the LASPD, District, and law enforcement community), a commitment to excellence, teamwork, and esprit de corps in their performance above and beyond their normally assigned duties.Over the past four years, the LASPD Honor Guard has served with distinction, earning recognition as a peer leader at the local, state, and federal levels. - Mental Health Evaluation Team (MHET)
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The purpose of the MHET is to provide compassionate field intervention and appropriate placement in situations involving students, teachers, administrators, and other District staff dealing with or suffering from a mental health crisis.MHET response units assist LASPD officers with handling calls for service, and the placement of mentally ill students and staff within LAUSD. The primary purpose of these units is to provide appropriate intervention and placement for the mentally ill individual and to allow field officers to remain on their field assignment.
Partners from LASPD and Student Mental Health (SMH) consistently offer compassionate care, deploying knowledgeable staff who are skilled at recognizing persons with mental illness, well-practiced and able to apply de-escalation techniques to help ease some of the most difficult, complex and high risk situations police officers and mental health practitioners face daily. MHET personnel respond to officer’s field requests involving persons suffering a mental health crisis. MHET conducts patient field evaluations, assessing their mental health needs and connecting patients with public and private community resources or treatment centers – diverting them from the criminal justice system whenever possible.
For support and consultation, contact School Mental Health Crisis Counseling and Intervention Services (SMH CCIS) at (213) 241-3841 Monday-Friday (8:00a.m.-4:30 p.m.) or any member of your perspective MHET.
After hours, contact the Los Angeles School Police Department (LASPD) at (213) 625-6631.
Contact
Lyndon Cullen, Lieutenant
Commanding Officer
lyndon.cullen@laschoolpolice.govAilleth Tom Torrico, LCSW, Coordinator
Mental Health Evaluation Teams | Case Management Team
Crisis Counseling & Intervention Services | School Mental Health
ailleth.tom@lausd.netBen Covarrubias, Sergeant
Officer in Charge
Mental Health Evaluation Team
benjamin.covarrubias@laschoolpolice.govNicole McMahon, LCSW, PPSC, M.A.Ed.
Mental Health Evaluation Team, Specialist
Crisis Counseling and Intervention Services / School Mental Health
nicole.mcmahon@lausd.net - Training Unit
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Training Unit Staff:Sergeant Marvin EstevezTraining Unit Supervisor(213) 595-7666Senior Police Officer Brent PowellField Training Program Coordinator(213) 294-1150Officer Hector TrujilloTraining Coordinator(213) 706-8308Officer Christopher MorenoIn-service Training Coordinator(213) 716-3583The Los Angeles School Police Department (LASPD), Training Unit, is tasked with administering a training program that meets and exceeds the standards of the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) as well as the continued professional training and development of school police personnel.It is the department’s overall goal and objective to ensure that our personnel possess the knowledge and skills necessary to provide a professional level of service to our schools, students, staff, administrators, and the community.LASPD strives to achieve these goals through continued education, career development, and best practices that provide our sworn and civilian personnel with the skills and technical support to provide quality service.To request Active Shooter Training for LAUSD employees email activeshootertraining@laschoolpolice.gov
» Request Form for Active Shooter Training
Visit the Active Shooter Training Page for more information.
- Parking Enforcement
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School Safety Officers provide additional safety services
A School Safety Officer (SSO) is a civilian non-armed employee of the Los Angeles School Police Department that receives additional training and equipment enabling them to provide support for school safety. In working with the School Police, the SSO’s learn much about the duties of the Los Angeles School Police Department and, as such, are a very helpful aid. Some SSO’s go on to become police officers, continuing to provide for the safety of teachers, students, and other staff members within the LAUSD. They also participate in conjunction with School Police Officers in such programs as holiday food drives, school supply giveaways, school dedications, and many other events.School Safety Officers provide safety services for district locations, Adult Schools, Occupational Schools, and Skill Centers. In 2004, a Parking Enforcement Unit comprised of School Safety Officers was formed to provide improved traffic safety for Los Angeles Unified School District schools and other different facilities. The unit helps to educate drivers about the necessity of designated parking around schools. The Parking Enforcement Unit is also utilized to assist schools with traffic control and enforcement at such events as graduations, evacuation drills, and critical events. - Police Academy Magnet Schools
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The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Junior Police Academy Magnet Schools and 2-year College Program was developed in 1989, with the support of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), with the focus on developing high school students for careers with LAPD. Over the years, LAPD realized it needed to reach students much earlier, and they affiliated with a number of middle school programs.
Historically, the LAPD assigned a full-time paid police officer to serve as the coordinator of the program. Beginning August 18, 2015, LASPD became involved in the program, deploying full-time paid police officers, to serve as career instructors as well as coordinate their respective school program, development, and enrichment of students.
Since this program evolved, it has become affiliated with the California Partnership Academy (CPA) program, and also receives financial grants from the California Department of Education. In 2009, the LAPD expanded the program to incorporate a community college component. Thus, this was the birth of the POPP program, which stands for Police Orientation Preparation Program, which can funnel graduating high school students from their respective magnet school programs into a 2-year college degree program.
This program is affiliated with West Los Angeles Community College and students can earn an Associate of Arts Degree (AA) in Administration of Justice working through the LAPD Ahmanson Recruit and In-Service Training Center. West Los Angeles Community College has assigned an on-site Administration of Justice degree program coordinator to the academy, who oversees the delivery of the college curriculum for the POPP program.
