LAPD - Hollenbeck Station

If you, a loved one or a family member has been arrested by or is being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Hollenbeck Division, it can cause a lot of anxiety.  Facing such a situation, it is normal to need to know the bail amount (if any) associated with the offense if an own recognizance (OR) release is denied.  It is also common to wonder what evidence is needed to convict one for the crime that allegedly took place, the defenses possible and the sentence a judge can impose if one is convicted of the crime. 

 
We at Greg Hill & Associates believe it is valuable to know a few more things before interacting with any branch of law enforcement.  It can be wise to know the size of the police or sheriff’s department, the area’s demographics, the most common types of crime the department investigates and just a bit about the area’s history to make one’s communication with law enforcement more meaningful, more savvy and perhaps, more respectful.  This can lead to a better outcome than if one lacks such perspective.

This article is presented with this goal in mind.

The LAPD Hollenbeck Division is staffed with 260 sworn police officers and an unspecified number of civilian members of LAPD.  It is tasked with policing an area of 15.4 square miles east of Downtown Los Angeles with over 200,000 residents.  This is the area of El Sereno, Lincoln Heights and Boyle Heights.

It is an area famous for the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943, the Chicano Movement of 1968 -1970 and the arrest of serial killer Richard Ramirez, also known as the “Nightstalker” after community members captured him in a local neighborhood.  It is also well known for being an area marred by Hispanic and Latino gangs.

El Sereno is a 4.1 square mile city with over 40,000 residents.  It is south of South Pasadena.

After World War II, restrictive covenants had prevented Mexican American families who lived in the adjacent communities of Lincoln Heights and Boyle Heights from purchasing homes in EI Sereno.  However, after restrictions were lifted by a 1948 Supreme Court decision, Shelly v. Kraemer, many Mexican American families moved to EI Sereno.  The demand for housing after World War II was satisfied by the construction of new neighborhoods in the southern end of EI Sereno.

Nowadays, like other neighboring communities in northeast Los Angeles, El Sereno is going through gentrification as many older and longtime homeowners are replaced by professionals and young families. 

 
Nonetheless, El Sereno is a predominantly Mexican American community.  In the year 2000, Mexican (67.0%) and Chinese (4.7%) were the most common ancestries.  The median age that year was 28, resulting in a youthful population, compared with the city and county in general.  The percentage of residents aged 10 or younger was among the county's highest.  The average household size of 3.5 people was high for both the city and the county.

Lincoln Heights is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Los Angeles.  It was originally (and still is by the Los Angeles Superior Court) called "East Los Angeles" from 1873 to 1917.  It is a densely populated, mostly Latino and Asian neighborhood that includes many historic landmarks and was known as "the Bedroom of the Pueblo".

Based on the 2019 Census estimates, Lincoln Heights had a population of 39,916 residents.  The neighborhood has a relatively high percentage of both Latino and Asian residents.  The breakdown was 66.2% Latino or Hispanic, 23.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 0.4% African American and others, 1.0%.  Mexico (57.0%) and Vietnam (16.9%) were the most common places of birth for the 55.8% of the residents who were born abroad—which was a high percentage for Los Angeles.

Boyle Heights is a small city just east of the Los Angeles River.  It is one of the city's most notable and historic Chicano / Mexican American communities and is known as a bastion of Chicano culture, hosting cultural landmarks like Mariachi Plaza and events like the annual Dia de Los Muertos celebrations.

As of the 2000 census, there were 92,785 people in the Boyle Heights neighborhood, which was considered "not especially diverse" ethnically, with the racial composition of the neighborhood at 94.0% Latino, 2.3% Asian, 2.0% White (non-Hispanic), 0.9% African American, and 0.8% other races.  The median household income was $33,235, low in comparison to the rest of the city. The neighborhood's population was also one of the youngest in the city, with a median age of just 25.

Each of these neighborhoods is burdened with criminal street gangs, as graffiti documents the various gangs in each area.  Lincoln Height (LHTS) is a predominately Mexican American gang  The cliques of LHTS include, Parkside Locos (PSL), 28th Ave, Thomas Street, Workman Street and Sichel Street (SSS).  To the south of LHTS, south of North Broadway, is the gang East Side Clover (ESC) and to the southeast of LHTS, east of Johnston Street, are the East Lake Locos (EL).  Also, to the east of Johnston Street, north of ESL, are the Happy Valley Rifa (HVR) gang. All these gangs are located in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood.  To the north of LHTS, are the Avenues, which is in the Montecito area of Los Angeles.

Boyle Heights is home to roughly 30 criminal street gangs. 

El Sereno Rifa [ESR] is a predominately Latino street gang located El Sereno.  Their main clicks of ESR have been the Ditch Locos, Guardia Street Locos, Ithaca Street Locos (ISL) and Locke Street.

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