The
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, sometimes referred to as the
Los Angeles Sheriff's Office, is a local county law enforcement agency that serves
Los Angeles County, California. It is the third largest local policing agency in the United States, with the
New York City Police Department being the first, followed by
Chicago Police Department. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is the largest
sheriff's department in the
world,
and provides general-service law enforcement to unincorporated areas of
Los Angeles County, serving as the equivalent of the
county police for
unincorporated areas of the county, as well as
incorporated cities within the county who have contracted with the agency for law-enforcement services. Forty-two of the county's 88 municipalities contract with the Sheriff’s Department to provide local police protection. These cities, range in population from 700 to 175,000, and in size from 1 to 100 square miles.
It also holds primary jurisdiction over facilities operated by Los Angeles County, such as local parks, marinas and government buildings; provides
bailiff service for the
Superior Court of Los Angeles County; operates the
county jail system; and provides services, such as crime laboratories, homicide investigations, and academy training, to smaller law enforcement agencies within the county.