Los Santos Police Department

Los Santos Police · October 16, 2017

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The Los Santos Police Department operates under the motto "To Protect and To Serve," committing to safeguard the lives, property, and rights of all its residents. With a mission to reduce crime, enhance public safety, and improve quality of life, the department serves the community with honor, integrity, and professional dedication. Its objectives include providing fair and impartial law enforcement, deterring and preventing crime, ensuring the safety of traffic, and responding effectively to disasters. The department is dedicated to maintaining the highest ethical standards to foster public confidence and support.

HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT

The Los Santos Police Department was founded in 1853 during the San Andreas Gold Rush and consisted primarily of a voluntary militia. Due to its location, San Andreas was known for violence with Los Santos becoming one of the most dangerous cities in the United States for several years during this period. The militia group, known as the ‘San Andreas Rangers’ eventually formed the first paid police force when they were merged with another militia company, the Los Santos City Guards, in 1869. The next twenty years would be a turbulent period that saw a total of fifteen Police Chiefs occupy the leadership role until Police Chief William C. Rockford took office and held the position for ten years - overseeing sweeping reforms that turned the department into a cohesive Law Enforcement Agency.

The next 100 years for the department saw it grow into the large, municipal department that it is today. In 1911 the first female officer was sworn into service, three years before the outbreak of World War I; and during both world wars, the department suffered a decrease in manpower as officers were called to serve in the armed forces. In the post-war periods, there was an increase in corruption within the department that anti-corruption teams spent the next decades trying to eradicate, accentuated by the Bloody Easter scandal in 1952 that brought the issue of police brutality to the forefront.

As one of the largest police departments in the country, the Los Santos Police Department was affected by almost every major event in the 20th Century that involved the country. With these events, the department grew and adapted, sometimes for the better, sometimes not so much. Some key events that shaped the department have been selected below. More will be added in the future.

Pictured: LSPD Rifle Team, 1890

DOWNTOWN VINEWOOD SHOOTOUT

On February 28th 1997, the Los Santos Police Department responded to a bank robbery that would set in motion major changes within the Department. Using body armour and a variety of high-calibre weapons, Garry Phelps Jr. and his accomplice Emilio Materasu attempted to steal a large sum of money from the vaults at the Pacific Standard Public Deposit Bank on Vinewood Boulevard. Officers arriving on the scene reported hearing gunfire from inside the bank and requested additional backup whilst holding the perimeter.

Shortly before 0930, Phelps exited the building from the north side and immediately opened fire on nearby officers - wounding several officers and civilians, as well as forcing the LSPD’s helicopter to fall back before retreating inside again. Shortly afterwards, Materasu exited the building alongside him and engaged officers with automatic gunfire. The officers, who were armed with their standard-issue 9mm or .38 calibre weapons, were unable to penetrate the body armour worn by the suspects, and due to a combination of range and the suppression from automatic fire, were also unable to land shots to their unprotected heads. It wasn’t until the second ‘officer down’ call that the LSPD’s Special Weapons and Tactics was notified by dispatchers and requested on scene.

Both Phelps and Materasu were able to regroup at their getaway vehicle, although Materasu was injured and forced to abandon the duffel bag of money and focus on starting the getaway vehicle. Phelps was also injured by officers when their gunfire struck his HK-91 rifle, forcing him to drop it and remove a new rifle from the vehicle. Materasu moved slowly through the parking lot at the rear as Phelps engaged officers whilst using the vehicle as cover. Once they reached the road, Phelps broke from the vehicle and proceeded to flee down the sidewalk on foot whilst Materasu drove down Clinton Avenue - forcing the officers on the northeastern side to fall back due to overwhelming fire.

Phelps, at this point heading eastward on Clinton Avenue, continued firing his rifle at officers until it jammed just after the intersection with Power Street. Unable to clear the jam, Phelps discarded the rifle and drew his last remaining firearm - a Beretta 92FS and continued to engage officers. He was eventually hit in his right arm, forcing him to drop the pistol before retrieving it and turning it on himself. Officers continued to shoot at Phelps’ body for several seconds afterwards.

Materasu, having continued to drive down Clinton Avenue, was halted when his vehicle was disabled by gunfire. He attempted to carjack a pickup truck he had blocked in the road, however, a SWAT team used a marked cruiser to approach the vehicle and block it in. The team exchanged close range fire with Materasu for a full two minutes before hitting him in his unprotected lower legs and forcing him to surrender. SWAT officers moved in to secure Materasu, pinning him down and handcuffing him. Materasu, having been heavily wounded, died from exsanguination before EMTs could be cleared into the scene to assist him.

In the aftermath of the incident, the US Government began to approve the arming of regular patrol officers. In the LSPD, this saw the introduction of the AR-15 under the designation of the ‘Urban Patrol Rifle’. This rifle would be made available to regular patrol officers who passed the certification and not just to the LSPD’s Metropolitan Division. In addition to this, use of .45 calibre semi-automatic pistols were authorised for officers in the Department - with many opting to utilise the Smith & Wesson Models 4506 and 4566.

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C.R.A.S.H. AND THE MISSION ROW SCANDAL

Originally formed as TRASH (Total Resources Against Street Hoodlums) in the early 1970s as part of Mission Row Area’s effort to combat the growing problem of street gangs, the name was changed to replace ‘Total’ with ‘Community’ due to complaints from the public that the acronym harmed the image of the youths joining the targeted gangs. CRASH, as it was now known, became a success and was expanded department-wide, with every division having its own CRASH unit operating from the station.

The Mission Row Scandal happened in 1998 when Officer Luca Morales, a senior officer within Mission Row’s CRASH unit, was arrested following a lengthy internal investigation by detectives into corruption within the unit. The original investigation began after a sizable amount of cocaine was found to be missing from the station’s evidence locker and the evidence clerk involved with the removal was able to identify Morales as the one who signed it out due to his rude behaviour during the incident. In exchange for immunity against the majority of his crimes, Morales offered information and testimony to detectives that led to the investigation of a further 50+ officers.

Morales’ testimony revealed a large number of officers that he claimed were ‘in the loop’ - a phrase used to describe an officer who was part of the ‘CRASH Culture’ which involved fabricating reports and probable cause, planting evidence, shooting unarmed suspects and planting weapons to justify their use of force, and sometimes even taking part in gang violence. One of the most notable incidents is a shooting in which Morales and his partner Wyatt Raines, a transfer from Vepucci’s CRASH unit that Morales had ‘sponsored’ due to their wives’ friendship, shot the unarmed Jose Oviedo in his home, before planting a weapon on him. Oviedo, then a member of a prominent street gang, was sentenced to 23 years in prison and was released following Morales’ testimony, eventually receiving $15 Million in damages - the largest police misconduct settlement in Los Santos’ history.

In early 2000 CRASH was officially disbanded after slowly being diminished due to the Mission Row Scandal. The Gangs & Narcotics Division was created to replace it, with the requirements for entry being higher than CRASH and the officer requiring a high amount of experience, cleaner disciplinary record and low number of personnel complaints.

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Pictured: Mission Row Station, 2019

LEADERSHIP

Dwayne Burke

Chief of Police

Michelle Li

Assistant Chief

Timothy Gallagher

Assistant Chief

Michael Espinoza

Deputy Chief

ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

FACILITIES

Police Administration Building - PAB

The Police Administration Building has areas solely dedicated to both administrative and large-scale investigative operations. Facilities include the Los Santos County's Regional Crime Laboratory, a dedicated data center, the Metropolitan Communications Dispatch Center, long-term central evidence storage facility, and a large underground parking structure. Additionally, a 50-seat Bean Machine café and a 24/7 store are integrated into the structure, along with a 150-seat auditorium located outside the building's footprint on Occupation Avenue to serve both the Department and the general public. Other integrations include a large public space, a civic plaza, a memorial wall, and a garden to promote a sense of openness and community between the public and LSPD. Additionally, the Departments Air Support Division is also stationed in the building and conducts most operations from here.

Mission Row Station - MRS

Mission Row Station is a vital component of the Los Santos Police Department, anchoring several critical divisions and teams. Primarily, it hosts the Mission Row Division, which is fundamental in daily patrol and operations within the area. The Traffic Division operates from this hub as well, focusing on traffic enforcement and management across Los Santos, including large-scale traffic operations. Additionally, the station supports elements of the Detective Services Group. This includes a team of Area Detectives and specialized units like the Gang Impact Team, which comprises the Gang Enforcement Detail and the Narcotics Enforcement Detail. A division of the Major Crimes Unit also operates out of Mission Row, further solidifying its role as a cornerstone of citywide law enforcement efforts.

Metropolitan Division Facility - 114

The Metropolitan Division Facility, colloquially known as "114," derives its name from the original room number where the Division operated in the old Police Headquarters. This facility is a critical nerve center for the Los Santos Police Department, dedicated to managing tactical and high-risk operations throughout the city. The facility is home to several specialized units, each with distinct responsibilities that enhance city safety and response capabilities. Among these are the K-9 Platoon, which utilizes trained police dogs in various operations; D Platoon, better known as the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, renowned for handling extreme threats; the Dignitary Protection Detail (H-Platoon), which provides security for VIPs; the Dive Unit, specialized in underwater search and recovery; and the Bomb Squad, experts in handling and neutralizing explosive devices. Together, these units ensure a comprehensive tactical response capability under the banner of the Metropolitan Division Facility.

DIVISIONS

(( FACTION THEME AND PORTRAYAL ))

The faction is based on the Los Angeles Police Department. It is the goal of this faction to create a roleplay environment that accurately portrays our source material to an acceptable degree. What this means is that while we heavily borrow or take inspiration from the department in question, we may also deem it necessary to adapt or omit things for the sake of gameplay and context of the platform that we are roleplaying on. Inspiration shall be drawn from policy, culture and behaviors of the Los Angeles Police Department, its officers, and California/West Coast policing as a whole.

Each character within the faction should be able to stand-alone as a believable person without just being an officer. There should be consideration into their character and who they are, their background, their personality traits and whether they would make sense in our equivalent of Los Angeles, California working as an employee of the equivalent of the Los Angeles Police Department. Faction members shall consider the assets they own or roleplay around with consideration for background, current paygrade and if it is fitting for their character to have such belongings. They shall also remain consistent and be able to allow for natural development to happen based on circumstances, experience, and growth. Your character does not have to come out on-top of every situation and faction members shall not play-to-win, losses help greatly with character development, and it is expected that the consequences of their actions be played out in full regardless of the positives or negatives that may arise from doing so.

Faction members shall make it their mission to provide quality roleplay regardless of the scene or situation they find themselves in. Passive roleplaying is encouraged over chasing action. Unrealistic actions shall not be performed by faction members. Where no interaction exists, faction members should seek to create it whether by interacting with the public or by interacting with other characters within the faction to develop meaningful bonds. While policing is the In-Character objective of the faction, it shall not be reflective of the attitude that faction members hold Out-of-Character. Quality interactions shall always come as a priority above seeking arrests, pursuits, or shootouts.