Our Specialized Assignments include an array of services to support our schools and students, ranging from Mental Health Evaluation Teams (MHET), Honor Guard, Police Academy Magnet Schools and Parking Enforcement Unit.
Sergeant Leonard Boen
Sergeant Juan Escobar
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
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
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 firstname.lastname@example.org
Interim Chief Aaron Pisarzewicz
Lieutenant Nina Buranasombati
Social Media Team Supervisor
Public Information Officer
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.
Mental Health Evaluation Team (MHET)
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.
Ailleth Tom Torrico, LCSW, Coordinator
Mental Health Evaluation Teams | Case Management Team
Crisis Counseling & Intervention Services | School Mental Health
Ben Covarrubias, Sergeant
Officer in Charge
Mental Health Evaluation Team
Nicole McMahon, LCSW, PPSC, M.A.Ed.
Mental Health Evaluation Team, Specialist
Crisis Counseling and Intervention Services / School Mental Health
Training Unit Staff:
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
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.