LAPD - Hollywood 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), Hollywood Division, you may be in a panic.  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 need to know 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 invaluable 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 Hollywood Division is staffed with 302 sworn police officers and an unspecified number of civilian members of LAPD.  It is tasked with policing an area of 17.2 square miles with the approximate borders of Normandie Avenue on the east, West Hollywood on the west, Mulholland Drive on the north and Beverly Boulevard on the south.

This number of officers for such an area is higher than in other areas of Los Angeles County.

The communities served include Hollywood, Mount Olympus, the Fairfax District (North of Beverly Boulevard), the Melrose District, Argyle Avenue and Los Feliz Estates.  Approximately 300,00 residents reside in these areas.  The Hollywood area also attracts tourists from all over the world that visit the Chinese Theater, the Hollywood Sign, the Melrose Avenue shopping district and the Hollywood Bowl.

As one may know, this is an area where public relations between law enforcement and the public is closely scrutinized and promoting public safety helps such tourist attractions thrive.

While Hollywood certainly is home to some celebrities and does have nice areas, there is an underbelly of Hollywood that is well known for drug sales, car theft, home burglaries, robberies and other violent crimes.  The LAPD has worked to improve the area and they certainly have succeeded in many areas.

Since 2000, Hollywood has been increasingly gentrified due to revitalization by private enterprise and public planners.  Over 1,200 hotel rooms have been added in Hollywood area between 2001 and 2016.  Four thousand new apartments and over thirty low to mid-level rise development projects were approved in 2019.  The “dark energy” of Hollywood seems to be dissipating, in other words.

Mount Olympus is a neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills and is considered part of Laurel Canyon, an area with upscale homes and wide streets.  Developed in the 1960s, around the same time as nearby Trousdale Estates, the entrance gate to Mount Olympus has decorative "Greek columns."  There are walls or fountains at some intersections with quasi-classical designs, and street names (Apollo Drive, Achilles Drive, Electra Drive, Hercules Drive, Jupiter Drive, Oceanus Drive, Venus Drive, Vulcan Drive, and Zeus Drive) that are taken from figures of Greco-Roman mythology and literature.  As one might infer, since there is only one entrance and exit route to the area, making it easy for police to stop a burglar leaving a home by car, residential burglaries are rare, although the wealthy area is an attractive target.

The Fairfax District has historically been the center of the Jewish community in Los Angeles, it is also well known for the Farmer’s Market there, the Grove and CBS Studios.  The median age for residents was 33, a general average within Los Angeles.  The percentage of residents aged 65 and older was among the county's highest.

Fifty-four percent of Fairfax residents aged 25 and older had earned a four-year degree by 2000, a high figure for both the city and the county.  The median yearly household income in 2008 dollars was $65,938, average in comparison to the rest of Los Angeles.

The Melrose District is a shopping, dining and entertainment destination in Los Angeles.  It starts at Santa Monica Boulevard, at the border between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood and ends at Lucile Avenue in Silver Lake.  Melrose runs north of Beverly Boulevard and south of Santa Monica Boulevard.  Tourists enjoy its “hip,” authentic style.  The area has appeared in many films glamorizing the punk and “New Wave” communities.

Los Feliz Estates is a hillside neighborhood above Hollywood.  Los Feliz Estates is north of Los Feliz Boulevard.  Los Feliz is perhaps best known for what happened on August 9, 1969, when Charles Manson and six others murdered supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary in their home located at 3301 Waverly Drive in Los Feliz, henceforth known as the Tate-LaBianca murders.

For more information about being arrested and possibly facing a criminal case, please click on the following articles:

Below is the Google Map to the LAPD Hollywood Station.